Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Concubine by Jade Lee
Historical romance released by Harlequin Blaze 1 Feb 09

It’s been interesting to follow the offerings of the Blaze line for the past year, as it seems the folks over at Harlequin headquarters are open to expanding the line into some uncharted waters. What started as a sexy contemporary line has come to include titles featuring paranormal elements and historical settings. Jade Lee’s latest is the second historical to be offered through the line, and to add to the intrigue, it takes place in 19th century China with a set-up to make any reality TV show producer salivate. Not only that, the whole thing is actually based on historical fact, with the author taking a few fictional liberties to add some spice to the tale.

Chen Ji Yue comes from a respected, albeit poor, family. However fortune seems to be smiling down upon them when it’s announced the new Emperor has declared there to be a Festival Of Fertility. He needs to find his Empress, and also needs to secure some favored concubines and round out a couple of harems. Ji Yue is of the right age, so her family sends her off in hopes that she will catch the emperor’s eye. Her mother’s parting advice is that Ji Yue use her brains, because Lord knows she won’t be able to rely on her beauty.

Instead, Ji Yue finds that she has caught the eye of the Emperor’s best friend, Sun Bo Tao. Bo Tao cannot believe the Emperor is wasting his time on such frippery when China is facing real problems – uprisings, the opium epidemic, and the West literally knocking on their back door. The Emperor, not being amused by Bo Tao’s criticism, tells his friend he needs to loosen up and have some fun. So he puts him in charge of the Festival, and of the scores of eager, backstabbing, conniving virgins vying to be the next Empress. Bo Tao has a reputation as a hot-blooded bad boy, so people start to speculate that the Emperor has just put the fox in charge of the hen house – and they’re at least partly right, as far as Ji Yue is concerned.

What follows is a battle of wits and wills between Bo Tao and Ji Yue. She is determined to bring honor to her family and elevate their standing. He’s determined to save her from a life in the Forbidden Palace, which isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Along the way they fall in love, and have to dodge more backstabbing antics than have been seen on all the seasons of Survivor.

This was an enjoyable story, with a different and intriguing historical setting. China in the 19th century was a land caught between the Old and New Worlds, quickly spiraling under the deadly grip of opium. Ji Yue knows her place in this society as a woman, and will stop at nothing to “do her duty.” I suspect this is where some readers will have issues with her character. Because even after her feelings grow for Bo Tao, she’s still acutely aware of her duty and what she “must” do. She’s a woman, and a woman’s life in the 19th century (regardless of what country you were from!) was defined by sacrifice.

Bo Tao is an intriguing hero, a bad boy who wants a life in politics in order to protect and promote China. He’s a charming rogue, who quickly becomes intrigued with Ji Yue , for her intelligence, quick wit, and her beauty. He desperately wants her, but knows that is impossible given that she is one of the Emperor’s virgins. It’s a tricky tight-rope these two must walk in order to achieve their happily ever after.

My only real quibble with the story was that the author had a tendency to insert (no pun intended) purple prose when it came to describing the male member. It’s not on every other page, but it cropped up enough (again, no pun intended) to induce a few giggling fits. Other than that though? I enjoyed this story about two characters who had to overcome societal demands in order to have their romance. Here’s hoping the Blaze line continues to experiment with more historical books.

Grade: B-

Summary:

Requirements for being a royal consort:
1) Exemplify purity.
2) Pass all demanding tests.
3) Gracefully withstand petty backstabbing.
4) Be chaste. Very chaste.

Check to all! Chen Ji Yue is on her way to empress superstardom in nineteenth-century China. She only has to vanquish 300 rivals to bring her family great honor. Oh, and she may not find the deliciously sexy Sun Bo Tao—the emperor’s best friend—at all delicious. Or sexy.

Damn. Ji Yue is in big trouble.

Because Bo Tao is definitely very sexy….

And Ji Yue is about to discover that chastity is overrated….

Read an excerpt.