After a failed assassination attempt on a corrupt general, Bao Yang is a wanted man. Taking refuge with an ally, Yang accidentally compromises the man's daughter when they're discovered alone. To save her honor, he must marry the beautiful Jin-mei immediately!
In Yang's arms, Jin-mei feels alive for the first time. She's determined not to lose him, even if it means joining his perilous mission… But when she realizes just how destructive Yang's path could be, can she convince him that their life together could be so much sweeter than revenge?
Jeannie Lin continues her Rebels and Lovers series (began with The Sword Dancer) with A Dance with Danger. Familiar characters make an appearance, and the reader is once more transported to the Tang dynasty in ancient China.
Bao Yang is an outlaw who is seeking revenge upon an unscrupulous warlord. After a Yang fails to kill the warlord, he seeks some support from the local magistrate. What he finds instead is himself in an inappropriate meeting with the magistrate’s daughter, Jin-mei. While Jin-mei has been fascinated by her previous glimpses of Yang, she is a proper young lady. When the meeting crosses just over the line of propriety, Jin-mei is married off to Yang. Her sense of anticipation is ruined, however, when her groom is seemingly killed on his wedding night.
Jin-mei sets out to discover what happened to her husband, and in doing so, she discovers a deeper world of revenge, warring factions, and allies. From adventures on the seas to hiding out in caves, Jin-mei and Yang are drawn closer to one another and to a showdown with the warlord who Yang holds responsible for a great family wrong.
A Dance with Danger reunites us with characters from The Sword Dancer, including Hao Han, Lin Feng, and Lin’s brother Liu Yuan. Though I liked both of the main characters, I did not find the plot of this book as interesting as The Sword Dancer. Perhaps it was because the characters were on the road for most of the novel, and I did not find the road trip compelling. I do give Lin credit for writing honorable and exciting characters, and her sense of setting is as impeccable as usual.
A Dance with Danger is, at its heart, the study of two characters building trust with one another and overcoming obstacles. Watching them learn to trust each other is enthralling, and I applaud Lin for making characters that are flawed, complicated, and evolving.
While not necessary to read The Sword Dancer first, it might heighten your enjoyment of this book as well. I would love to read another in the series about the ill-fated Li-Yuan (an ally of Yang) and Shifen, a local woman. (Hint, hint!!) I hope there is another book in the series!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Regina
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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.
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