The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin

Title:         The Dragon and the Pearl Publisher:  Harlequin Imprint:     Harlequin Historical Pub Date:  September 20, 2011 ISBN:       9780373296620 Author:     Jeannie Lin THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COURTESAN OF THEM ALL... Former Emperor’s consort Ling Suyin is renowned for her beauty; the ultimate seductress. Now she lives quietly alone—until the most ruthless warlord in the region comes and steals her away.... Li Tao lives life by the sword, and is trapped in the treacherous, lethal world of politics. The alluring Ling Suyin is at the center of the web. He must uncover her mystery without falling under her spell—yet her innocence calls out to him. How cruel if she, of all women, can entrance the man behind the legend....

This is my first historical romance that take place in China during 8th century. The story is very interesting. It is beautifully written with details description of the settings, places, people and even their emotion. It's mostly about the romance between Ling Suyin and Li Tao with minimum actions. It gives a good insight of the position and role of the women during that time. Ling suyin was a very smart and strong lady. She definitely knows how to survive and on her best not allowing others to take advantage on her. She's not only save herself, but she was saying other people's life too. And trying to turn around the situation to make it in favor to her. It's very interesting to see how Li Tao interacts with her. They were attracted to each other and yet they were fear of the relationship, as they were aware of their own destiny and they have no future to be together. I like the little suspense element blended in the story which make the whole thing even more interesting. I like the ending. It's a very good ending.

I enjoy reading it very much and I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.


Note: I receive the digital ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Gallery. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.