Omg, Squee
Oct. 1st, 2010 07:24 pmThe Concubine by Jade Lee is an excellent historical romance. For one thing, I actually ship the hero and heroine together. (I know, ideally I should do this for all romances but I find for a lot of romances, I'm much less interested in the two characters getting together.)
China, 1851. The recently-ascended emperor has placed his childhood friend Sun Bo Tao in charge of the Festival of Fertility. His friend must find the very best of the many eligible virgins competing to become one of the emperor's wives or concubines. Bo Tao is less than pleased with this assignment, and even more ill-pleased when one of the virgins dumps him out of the palanquin he commandeered.
Chen Ji Yue comes from a poor noble family, and her family desperately needs the money that comes from being empress. She has to compete with many other virgins, some more beautiful, all as dangerous as women can be when there's such a position on the line. Worse, she has to navigate the political minefield of the eunuchs and the dowager empress.
Worse yet, she and Bo Tao are going from belligerent sexual tension to just plain sexual tension. Very obvious sexual tension, and the emperor isn't a kind man to people who want his virgins. Especially not when the man is his best friend.
Bo Tao lives off the emperor's kindness - he has barely enough money to maintain his parents, no official position or salary. He can't take the risks of making off with one of the emperor's virgins. Yet he's finding himself increasingly unable to keep his hands off Ji Yue, and she's finding it increasingly hard to keep in mind that her goal is the emperor.
The emperor then taunts Bo Tao with a challenge - if Ji Yue is a virgin on their wedding night, he'll give Bo Tao whatever position and salary he desires. So long as Ji Yue screams the emperor's name when he fucks her.
It's a really hot, well-written book. Not only does it keep the tension going of how the hell Ji Yue and Bo Tao will get together until the very end, the sex left me fanning myself. Prrrr! Also, the book completely nails the dismount - always a worry. It is such a good piece of work and so awesome to see a historical romance set outside of Europe and America.
China, 1851. The recently-ascended emperor has placed his childhood friend Sun Bo Tao in charge of the Festival of Fertility. His friend must find the very best of the many eligible virgins competing to become one of the emperor's wives or concubines. Bo Tao is less than pleased with this assignment, and even more ill-pleased when one of the virgins dumps him out of the palanquin he commandeered.
Chen Ji Yue comes from a poor noble family, and her family desperately needs the money that comes from being empress. She has to compete with many other virgins, some more beautiful, all as dangerous as women can be when there's such a position on the line. Worse, she has to navigate the political minefield of the eunuchs and the dowager empress.
Worse yet, she and Bo Tao are going from belligerent sexual tension to just plain sexual tension. Very obvious sexual tension, and the emperor isn't a kind man to people who want his virgins. Especially not when the man is his best friend.
Bo Tao lives off the emperor's kindness - he has barely enough money to maintain his parents, no official position or salary. He can't take the risks of making off with one of the emperor's virgins. Yet he's finding himself increasingly unable to keep his hands off Ji Yue, and she's finding it increasingly hard to keep in mind that her goal is the emperor.
The emperor then taunts Bo Tao with a challenge - if Ji Yue is a virgin on their wedding night, he'll give Bo Tao whatever position and salary he desires. So long as Ji Yue screams the emperor's name when he fucks her.
It's a really hot, well-written book. Not only does it keep the tension going of how the hell Ji Yue and Bo Tao will get together until the very end, the sex left me fanning myself. Prrrr! Also, the book completely nails the dismount - always a worry. It is such a good piece of work and so awesome to see a historical romance set outside of Europe and America.
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