Review: The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin

Title: The Lotus Palace
Author: Jeannie Lin
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harlequin
Publish Date: August 27, 2013
Source: I received a copy from the author; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a historical romance fan.
• You like armchair traveling.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "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?"

My Two Cents:

"The Lotus Palace" is the beginning of a new series by Jeannie Lin. This historical romance takes us to Pingkang Li and into the mysterious world of the courtesans. I loved this historical romance for it's great love story and the good historical detail.

By this time I've realized that if I pick up a Jeannie Lin book, there are a couple things that I can count on. One is a swoon-worthy love story. Two is a great setting that leaves a lot of room for some quality armchair traveling. Lucky for me, both of these elements were also present in this book.

Okay, so the romance in this book was really good. I loved the story between Yue-Ying and Lord Bai. This is a classic story of two lovers who come from completely different worlds but find love together. Lin gives a fresh take on this story by creating characters that you really want to be together. I don't want to give too much away about Yue-Ying's background as it's part of the story but I was really pulling for her throughout the entire book!

I loved the setting of the book too. I don't get to read about Asia nearly enough. Ancient China is so fascinating to me. Even though this is a romance, there is a ton of good historical detail. The Lotus Palace truly comes to life!

Now according to Goodreads, the next book isn't coming out until 2014. Count on me waiting with bated breath!