Probably once a week I promise myself that I absolutely, positively am not getting into any more series. I simply don't have the shelf space to add another series, J.D. Robb's In Death series alone takes up two whole shelves and that is double stacking them. But I am admittedly weak, when the Lotus Palace appeared in my Goodreads feed a few weeks ago it was absolutely necessary that I read it as it's everything I love in one book. So now I'm happy and my shelf space is sad because I have indeed found a new series.
Yue-Ying was brought to Pingkang Li as a child, sold by her parents to a brothel she spent her formative years as a prostitute. That is until Mingyu one of the so-called Four Beauties of Pingkang Li who are the most highly sought-after courtesans in the district, buys out her contract giving her a job as her maidservant. Yue-Ying is anything but a beauty, born with a large birthmark on her face she is perfectly happy with her position as a maidservant where she can fade into the background. Or at least she thinks she is the most overlooked woman in Pingkang Li, however, Lord Bai Huang has taken more than a passing interest in her, in fact for him her differences are what draws him to her. And he quickly makes his interest in her known by stealing a kiss in a dark cellar one evening. Little do either of them know that the one stolen kiss will serve as Huang's alibi when Huelin, another of the Four Beauties is brutally murdered. It will also bind them together in a quest to bring Huelin's murderer to justice and as Yue-ying and Huang find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance and a complicated plot of murder and slavery Yue-Ying must decide if she's willing to give herself up to the handsome Lord.
I adored Yue-ying almost immediately. She is an incredibally intelligent, warm, and funny character. Lin does an exceptional job of exploring the fears a girl who spent her childhood as a prostitute would have both by addressing her distrust of Huang's intentions as well as her inability to have an intimate relationship with a man. I think if she had glanced over this important portion of Yue-Ying's personality I probably would have stopped reading it. I also enjoyed Huang's responses to these issues, honestly given the time frame it seems a little unbelievable that a man would be so understanding but honestly, I don't think I care about whether or not it was historically accurate. It made for a really wonderful romance. And while I absolutely adored this couple I have to admit that Wei-Wei was probably my favorite character in the book. And yes for those who have read the series I totally read the synopsis for the rest of the series and cannot wait to get to Wei-Wei's story.
The mystery side of this was just that perfect level of complicated, where you think you know what's going on and then bam right at the end of the book a plot twist you didn't see coming. Lin does an excellent job of balancing out the romance with the mystery side of things which really makes this an edge-of-your-seat read with just enough adorably sweet moments between Yue-ying and Huang to level out the old heart after a plot twist.
One thing I really absolutely loved about the series is that starting with book two it's not about Yue-ying and Huang anymore. The only thing that really worried me about this was that I was afraid this was going to end up being some Pretty Woman version of Eve Dallas and Roarke just set in the Tang Dynasty. And don't get me wrong I'd read an entire series about Yue-ying and Huang solving crimes but all of the characters in this book are really great so I'm glad that we are going to be able to see more of their lives as well.
Overall I found this to be a sweet little read that addresses some very serious and important topics in terms of the sex trade that are still valid today. Lin's characters are really what makes this stand out though they are relatable, realistic, and ridiculously likable. Even Mingyu, the most unlikable character for most of the book coming across as cold and uncaring has her reasons for it and they are absolutely understandable. Highly recommend it for fans of the In Death Series by J.D. Robb or the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland.
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