Manview: The Lotus Palace (The Pingkang Li Mysteries #1) by Jeannie Lin

Welcome to another Manview. For those of you who are new to Manviews, these are reviews of romance novels specifically from a man's perspective, the reader today is my very own Steve. You can find previous Manviews here.

The Lotus Palace (The Pingkang Li Mysteries #1) by Jeannie Lin
Purchase link: Amazon

My rating:   

Heat rating:    

In one or two sentences can you sum up your overall impression of this book and how you feel about it?

I loved that it took place over 1,100 years ago and could still resonate with readers today.

What did you think of Yue-Ying and Bai Huang?

I loved that both were very humble and clever people that read each other and others well. The developed their relationship with caution, yet were both confident in their spark, then flame for each other and initiating the actions to realize their love for each other's.

Since this is your first foray into historical China, what did you think of the setting and the culture?

I greatly enjoyed it. When I saw the title, I thought it was a book about Asian hookers, but that was not the case.

What did you learn from it?

Good old-fashion detective work, bad guys have existed throughout history and back then, the bad guys were much more honorable! In some romance books I read, like the last DNF one, the good guys were exceedingly annoying, but in this book, it was possible to like or at least understand and admire the bad guys!

Did anything in particular about the Chinese culture stand out to you?

Money wins out most of the time, family prestige and face are exceedingly important, and you are suppose to do what you are told for the good of the family. Yet, with a little bit of cleverness the hero can still end up with the heroine! I also learned that having concubines is a pretty cool thing and not sure why that died out? (Take it from Mr. Manview, I am thinking of bringing the concubine back into current day 'romance!')

What did you think of the class discrepancy between Yue-Ying and Bai Huang and how that affected their relationship?

It added a complicating dimension to Yue-Ying's trust in Bai Huang's intentions. However, their love grew in spite of that and at the end, it was consummated as husband and wife which goes against all the cultural norms of the time.

What did you think of this story overall?

I thought it was cleverly written and weaved a number of different sub-plots together. However, it was not complex, nor was it a fast-paced, cliff-hanging type of book with plot twists throughout, but it was a very enjoyable and pleasurable read.

Was there anything in particular that stood out to you?

I greatly admired Bai Huang's character and how well he treated people, with dignity and generosity, and made people comfortable around him. He also hid it underneath a veneer of playing the fool, but was far from one. He is the type of man, Mr. Manview believes all men should aspire to.

I was also struck by how tender a lover Bai Huang was and how he was able to make Yue-Ying become comfortable with and even enjoy sex, even after she had been repeatedly raped throughout her previous life in a brothel.

Do you think you would like to read another book by this author or set in historical China?

Yes, I would enjoy doing that.

What are you reading next?

A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson

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About the author



Jeannie Lin: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon


About the reviewer



Steve Shipley: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Amazon


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