Book Review: The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin

The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin
Length: 378 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance, Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Forced Prostitution, References to Rape, Slavery, and Murder

"'I’ve heard my face described as flawed, ruined, unfortunate. A bad omen. People avert their gazes and move away from me as if it’s a disease they might catch. But after being separated for so many years, my sister was only able to find me because my face was so recognizable. The red-faced whore.' A tear slid down her cheek, but she ignored it. 'I don’t wish to be owned ever again.'”

As someone with a lifelong love of history, I of course have my own favorite time-periods and places, many of which are the usual that people start off with: Victorian and Regency England (especially if you're an Austen lover, like me), and WWII. And as much as I love those settings, and will always pick up a book or watch a movie during them, I believe we're way past due to inject a different flavor into the historical fiction genre, which has long been turning stale. Combined with a new fascination with Ancient China (and Joseon Korea), I decided to pick up the first book in Jeannie Lin's Pingkang Li Mysteries series, which are a wonderful blend of romance, historical detail, and mystery.

Tang Dynasty China, 847 AD. Yue-ying is maidservant to the beautiful and mercurcial courtesan Mingyu, the most valued woman within the Pingkang Li, or Lotus Palace, a place where scholars and politicians alike come to woo women with poetry and words. Before coming to work for Mingyu, Yue-ying was bought from her home and sold to a brothel, never once being considered to be a courtesan because of the red birthmark marring her cheek. Her past still haunts her, and she wants nothing more than to be a good companion to Mingyu, and to leave flirtation to others.

Bai Huang is known as the "flower prince of the Pingkang Li". He is handsome, gullible, and readily plays the fool, which endears him to everyone, even if his words conceal hidden barbs. Beneath that mask is a man of undeniable strength and smarts, and one who has possibly the best heart in China. Secretly, he attends parties and pleasure houses to gather information for his father, a man he is trying to prove himself to after running up a staggering debt gambling.

Drawn together by the death of the courtesan, Huilan, and the corpse of a man discovered stabbed in the neck with a beautiful hairpin that only the elite could afford, Yue-ying and Huang delve deep into the mysteries hiding beneath the perfume and powder of the North Hamlet. And even more troubling to Yue-ying is the growing attraction she's feeling for Huang -- especially after vowing to never be owned by a man again.

Full of breathtaking romance between two deeply developed characters that you want nothing more than to find happiness together, intrigue and fascinating tidbits about Tang Dynasty China, The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin is a sure win for romance and history lovers alike!