Yue-ying is the servant of Mingyu, the most sought after
courtesan at the Lotus Palace. Yue-ying's face is marred by
a bright red birthmark, therefore she cannot be a courtesan
as well and before she became Mingyu's servant she suffered
life as a prostitute. Bai Huang is the handsome
ne'er-do-well visitor to the entertainment district who
seems to only care about the pleasures life has to offer,
but he's playing the fool. Yue-ying sees right through his
act and that intrigues Huang.
Huilan is one of the Four Beauties of the North Hamlet along
with Mingyu, serving patrons at the Hundred Songs. For
unknown reasons Huilan fears for life and thus turns to
Huang to help her out of the city. The day Huang provides
the means for her escape she turns up dead. Youthful
Magistrate Li Yen and his intimidating constable, Wu
Kaifeng, point their fingers at Huang. Huang recruits the
industrious and observant Yue-ying to help him find the real
killer.
THE LOTUS PALACE by Jeannie Lin is a romance set in ancient
China in the North Hamlet of Pingkang li. Lin uses a good
old fashioned murder mystery to bring two disparate people
together across class lines. THE LOTUS PALACE is a
fascinating read. It is easy to delve into the world of the
ancient Chinese pleasure district rebuilt by Lin. The
descriptions of the culture and its inhabitants are vibrant.
They are not bogged down with minutia, but instead the
details are delicately sprinkled about the pages.
Every chapter unveils a new layer of depth for the two main
characters. Huang always surprises me, in the first chapter
I barely notice him because it is an introduction to
Yue-ying, but the second chapter confirms that he is a major
player in the book. And that Yue-ying is his love interest
and he will pursue her as much as his station and the
character he is playing will allow. They are well supported
by a huge cast of supporting characters.
THE LOTUS PALACE is a delightful excursion away from typical
historical romance. Read it and be transported to an exotic
locale and experience a tale as old as time.
It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang Li, where
imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful
courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the
most exquisite courtesans in China...
Maidservant Yue-ying
is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical,
she's content to live in the shadow of her infamous
mistress-until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang.
Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely
imagine, yet alone share, but as they are thrown together in
an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to
dream of a different life. Yet Bai Huang's position means
that all she could ever be to him is his concubine-will she
sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?
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