THE LOTUS PALACE (The Lotus Palace #1) by Jeannie Lin-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 27, 2013

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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REVIEW: THE LOTUS PALACE is the first storyline in Jeannie Lin’s new historical romance, mystery series of the same name with an emphasis on mystery and suspense. The Lotus Palace is a house where men with money meet with the courtesans for talk, sex and a little gossip. Yue-ying, due to her unfortunate circumstances, is the maidservant to the Lotus Palace working girls but she has caught the eye and attention of a well-connected and privileged young man.

There are several interconnecting storylines in The Lotus Palace. The first is the building relationship between Yue-ying and Bai Huang. For several months Bai as been visiting the palace with eyes for another-a young courtesan of whom Yue-ying is personally connected but his feelings and his heart are drawn to the young servant girl who hides behind a mask of servitude and knowledge beyond her years. The relationship begins as professional to friends, lovers then more.

The second is a murder mystery when a beautiful courtesan from a competing house is found murdered following a liason with an unknown male. The rumors and innuendo begin to surface when Yue-ying’s companion at The Lotus Palace goes missing and another body is pulled from the river on the night of the Dragon Boat festival.

Thirdly, Jeannie weaves a story of political intrigue, bribery and illegal imports of various goods. With his underground and political connections, Bai Huang, along with Yue-ying, begin a search for the missing courtesan and discover that the guilt goes all the way to the top. And there is no mercy for those found guilty of the crimes.

THE LOTUS PALACE is a beautiful story set in the Tang Dynasty of historical China. Jeannie Lin pulls the reader into a colorful storyline where the sights and sounds are brought to life on the pages of this sensual and suspense filled novel. The storyline is sensual, emotional, mysterious and revealing. Jeannie opens up our minds to the famous and infamous stories of courtesans, concubines and underworld intrigue in The Lotus Palace.

Copy supplied by the author through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy