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The Dragon and the Pearl, by Jeannie Lin
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***Library Journal Best Romance of 2011***
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....
- Sales Rank: #2407445 in Books
- Published on: 2011-09-20
- Released on: 2011-09-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 6.62" h x .76" w x 4.21" l,
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 288 pages
Review
"Beautifully written, deliciously sensual, and rich with Tang Dynasty historical and political detail...Exceptional." -- Library Journal, starred review of The Dragon and the Pearl
"Especially vibrant writing." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review of Butterfly Swords
Drawing on a lushly depicted, exotic backdrop, Lin creates an intriguing romance between well-drawn characters whose secrets lure readers deep into the story. Lin has found a marvelous niche to delve into fascinating cultural elements and sensuality. -- Romantic Times, 4 star review
About the Author
Jeannie Lin grew up fascinated with stories of Western epic fantasy and Eastern martial arts adventures. When her best friend introduced her to romance novels in middle school, the stage was set. Jeannie started writing her first romance while working as a high school science teacher in South Central Los Angeles. Her first two books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and The Dragon and the Pearl was listed among Library Journal's Best Romances of 2011.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Tang Dynasty, China—ad 759
Lady Ling Suyin waited in the parlour at the edge of the Snake hour, her house rendered silent except for the buzz of dragonflies outside. The tea before her had long gone cold. The last servant had brought it that morning before fleeing.
The boldest of them had begged her to join them, but the warlord who was coming for her would burn every village along the river to find her. She wouldn't add to her growing collection of debt. Another stone on the scale.
She straightened at the crunch of boots over leaves at the front of the house. They were steady and deliberate. Her heart pounded harder with each impending step. He'd come alone. Her breath caught as the imposing figure appeared in the doorway, every bit the demon they spoke of in the imperial court. Black robe, dark hair cut short, an impassive expression that revealed nothing to her. That meant she had nothing over him.
'Ling Guifei.' His voice rang deep as he greeted her by title.
'I am no one's Precious Consort any longer, Governor Li.'
Suyin remained seated and let the military governor approach. If she stood, her legs might fail her. The prominence of his features added to her fear. This was a face that could never be overlooked. All sun-darkened skin and sharp angles. A scar cut below his left eye, ruining his stark symmetry. That was new.
The first and only time she had seen Li Tao, he'd stood before the imperial court as a young man being commended for his valour. The restless energy that once had radiated from him was constrained behind a wall of discipline. Time had honed him to razor sharpness. Time had not left her untouched either.
'This humble servant is here to offer himself as the lady's escort.'
All the civility in the world could not take the edge off him.
Her stomach fluttered in warning, but she breathed through it. She propped an elbow on to the table and made her tone as light as possible. All the while, her heart pounded so hard she could barely hear her words.
'A thousand apologies, my lord, but I have no plans for travel.'
'This place is no longer safe for you.'
As if she could be safe with him. There was nowhere safe for her any longer, no allies left to protect her. Would the late Emperor's enforcer come for her after so many years? She had thought her secrets long buried.
Suyin dug her nails into the edge of the table as he stepped closer. She had been left alone to fend for herself before, but she had been young and defenceless. An accomplished courtesan should be able to command her fear. She should be able to command the man in front of her.
Li Tao halted two strides from her and she spied the silhouette of a weapon inside the drape of his sleeve. An assassin's blade. She lifted the cup and took a sip to cover her shock. Cold, bitter tea slid over her tongue. Experience allowed her to keep from trembling, but she had no control over the way her heart raced or how her palms grew damp as he loomed over her.
She managed to keep her hand steady as she set the cup down. Her next words came out in the melodic, careless tone she had perfected. 'Since my lord has come so far for this task, we should not waste any more time. Shall I gather my belongings?'
'There is nothing the lady needs.'
The warlord addressed her as if she were his superior. It wasn't much, but there had to be some way to use it. She caught the trailing edge of her shawl and draped it over her shoulders. She stood straight and paused before gliding past him.
He made no move toward her, but he was watching. All men did.
She stepped through the empty house, listening to his purposeful stride on the floorboards behind her. He was too close. By the time she emerged outside, her fingers were numb from being clenched so tight.
A palanquin awaited her by the side of the single dusty road leading from her manor. A regiment of soldiers outfitted in black and red assembled around the litter. The military governors, the jiedushi, commanded their own regional forces independent of the Emperor's army. No one challenged them within their own domains, but this stretch of the forest was clearly under imperial jurisdiction. This was an affront the Emperor would not overlook.
Li Tao followed her like a gathering storm to the sedan and the urge to flee nearly overwhelmed her. If she ran, it would only remind him that he was a hunter, a warrior, a killer. As it was, some part of him thought he was a gentleman.
'Where are we going?'
'South.'
That was all he'd grant her. With a heaviness in her chest, she looked back. The August Emperor had built this home for her before his death. The manor itself meant nothing to her. Her gaze drifted to the river beyond, a rolling canvas on which the sunlight danced. She breathed deep to take in the scent of the river, of the surrounding moss and earth. This was what she would miss.
It had been too much to wish that she could be hidden away and forgotten. Perhaps she had always known someone would come for her. Debts had to be repaid in this life or the next.
She stopped before the palanquin and turned to find herself face to face with the most ruthless of the jiedushi. He was a tower of lean strength and corded muscle up close. And he was still assessing her with that penetrating gaze.
She wouldn't cower before him. The rulers of the empire devoured the weak. She waited until he came forwards to pull the curtain aside with a sweep of his arm. The tiniest of concessions.
'Tell me, Governor…' she ran a fingertip across her own cheek '…how did you get that scar?'
His eyes narrowed. 'A woman,' he said after a pause.
Her lips teased into a smile. 'Fascinating.'
His hand tightened on the curtain, the material clenched between his fingers. At once his pupils darkened, his breathing grew deep. The signs were there and she could read them like lines of poetry. How else was a woman to protect herself in the world of men? Li Tao, for all of his supposed cunning, was just another man.
'You do not disappoint,' he said in a low voice.
He dropped into the familiar form of address. The spark in his eyes showed the first hint of any heat beneath the cold exterior.
For a dark moment, she was caught in the call of his gaze. They were close, nearly touching. She had provoked him on purpose, but regretted it as an alarming awareness unfurled itself within her, prickling just beneath her skin. The regiment of soldiers surrounding them faded. There was only one man here she had any fear of.
'And here I had thought the game was over for me,' she murmured.
He didn't respond. Her shoulder brushed against his sleeve as she slipped inside the wooden transport. His black eyes remained on her as the curtain fell back across the opening.
The journey came to Suyin in fragments snatched through the window. She caught glimpses of thick vines growing over the trees, the reflection of sunlight off distant water. Li Tao rode at the front and his soldiers kept her surrounded at every moment. This must be Li Tao's infamous first battalion. They called themselves the Rising Guard and held the reputation of being the fiercest warriors in the empire.
The dense shade and the babble of her river gave way to a dirt road grooved with wheel tracks. They were going south, further away from the seat of imperial power. She no longer had a place in the new Emperor's court, but she clung to the illusion that the centre of the empire was a safe and civilised place. What lay beyond was lawless and unpredictable. That was why they had needed the jiedushi.
On the fourth day, they passed an armed barricade. Grim-faced soldiers patrolled the line and she ducked away from the window.
It was true. The regional armies were assembling. She had isolated herself from the capital city of Changan to escape from the unrest, but news had still drifted to her over the last year through her servants. They made weekly trips to the city markets while she remained shut away in her manor.
There was only one reason for a barricade in the interior of the empire. There was infighting among the military governors. They had been gaining in power for years and continued to seize control in the uncertainty of Emperor Shen's rule. Perhaps she should have gone into hiding with the servants after all.
With a shudder, she pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders. She was dressed in the same clothes she had worn when they had come for her, the only possessions Li Tao had allowed her to bring.
She hated this part. The going away. The earth element in her longed to remain grounded in one place. Travel never held good tidings. Abrupt change brought back memories of being uprooted and taken some place far and unknown. It always seemed to come to that, and she knew from experience there was never a way to return.
The survival instinct returned to her, encasing her like a second skin. She sharpened her senses and became aware of everything around her. Li Tao prepared for war with swords and soldiers. She had her own weapons.
Over the next days, the open road faded beneath the shadow of a mountain and the soil became dark and rich. They travelled into a verdant forest of bamboo. The stalks rose high overhead. They called it the bamboo sea, not for any vast stretch of water, but for the rhythmic sway of the bamboo and the rustle of the spear-tipped leaves in the breeze. The green canopy engulfed them on all sides. When she blinked away from the window, a red haze remained over her eyes, veiling the world in an unnatural glow.
Suyin peered out of the window of the sedan to search for Li Tao. He rode tall in the saddle with his back straight. His dark robe stood out against the forest green. Naturally, he became her main focal point. He had all the power and she had none.
He'd barely spoken to her except for the scant conversation they'd exchanged by the river. Why would he go beyond his barricades to take her captive? Her influence had died with the August Emperor. She was merely a relic now, faded and wrung free of any usefulness.
The caravan came to an abrupt stop and the curtain was swept aside. Once again, Li Tao stood before her. He extended his hand and she had no choice but to take it, pressing her fingers briefly over his before letting go. The fleeting warmth of the touch lingered on her skin and a disturbing awareness curled around her as she stood beside him. She knew how to identify influence and power, but had never been so recklessly drawn to it.
She redirected her attention to the mansion nestled among the towering bamboo. It was twice the size of her home and built in the same opulent style of imperial architecture. The silhouette invoked the elaborate pagodas of the palace with wooden beams and tiled rooftops. Its grand structure intruded upon the tranquil forest.
'Why am I here?'
'As I said, it was not safe for you by the river.'
Her head tilted to him in challenge. 'So the governor has appointed himself as my protector?'
His only reply was a wry twist of his lips before he gestured toward the front of the mansion. The man hoarded his words like gold coins. Every action was so controlled, she wondered if he ever lost himself in anger or passion. The last thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Li Tao remained behind her as they moved past the twin-lion statues that guarded the entrance. With every step, she became more aware of his dominance. His stride was confident and his authority complete. The illusion of deference he presented by allowing her to lead the way was laughable. How long would it be before he made his true demands known?
Household servants filed into the entrance hall one after another. Only seven of them, a small number for such a spacious compound. A grey-haired, round-faced woman headed the assembly. She gasped when Li Tao made the introduction.
'Ling GuifeiV The old woman bowed and bowed. The narrow bones of her shoulders protruded through the brown servant's robe.
'Jinmei, show Lady Ling to her apartments.' Li Tao cast a dismissive glance in Suyin's direction before turning to leave.
Insufferable. She flushed hot with anger as he disappeared down a corridor. He had treated her with the same indifference throughout the journey. She had been taken from her home under force of arms, yet he cast her aside as if she was of no importance at all. It was—it was worse than being interrogated and threatened. At least then she'd know what his plans were.
The head woman touched her arm gently. 'Come with Auntie Jinmei.'
The guards marched behind them as she led Suyin through the spacious hall.
'Guifei is more beautiful than they say,' Auntie cooed, using the revered title the August Emperor had bestowed upon Suyin. 'We are honoured and overjoyed for this visit.'
A pleasant visit indeed. Escorted by fifty armed men.
Most helpful customer reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
...an exotic setting, mostly character driven and extremely well-written, with an intriguing plot and a perfect pace!
By bookworm2bookworm
This book comes highly recommended by some of my friends and authors that I highly respect, so there was no way in hell I was going to skip on reading it. Besides, I just love all those martial arts movies with sword fights and leaping warriors.
Before I sank my teeth into this story, I thought I should read `Butterfly Swords' first as the hero of `The Dragon and the Pearl' makes his début in it. Just a side note, you really don't have to read it as the author did a magnificent job of having this one stand on its own. I can assure you that you will love this one so much, that you'll want to get your hands on the other as soon as you read the last page. It is exactly what I did when I was done with `Butterfly Swords'. I went and made sure to buy `The Taming of Mei Lin' and I've still to read it.
I honestly don't know where to start in telling you how much I loved this story. Between the unique setting and this authors prose, I was transported to an era that was pure magic.
759 AD. China. Tang Dynasty. Court intrigue and political upheaval is the order of the day, and the military governors (jiedushi) had their own regional armies independent of the Emperor Shen's army and one of those is General Li Tao.
Li Tao is one of the most feared generals in China, and his star rose fifteen years ago when he saved the life of the previous Emperor. He was also betrothed to Emperor Shen's daughter (Butterfly Swords), who spurned him and ran away from him the year before.
We met Ling Suyin in `Butterfly Swords' when she briefly appeared and gave safe haven to the hero and heroine, but even there I had a feeling that there was so much more to her then just a pretty face. She was known as Precious Consort of the August Emperor Li Ming, and after his death she was removed by Emperor Shen to a remote home that was built just for her by her lover. She has resigned herself to a lonely and barren life never knowing when or who might come to end it, literally and figuratively.
When Li Tao shows up at her door, she's not sure if he's there "to bed her or kill her", so while she trembles inside, her training as a courtesan comes in handy and she doesn't even flinch as Li Tao takes her to his home, not telling her the reasons behind his `abduction'.
Li Tao knows only that an anonymous message arrived warning him of the threat to Ling Suyin's life while residing without protection and all alone in her home. He wastes no time in coming to her rescue, but all his military discipline and his `gutter rats' instincts are on alert and showing any emotion to anyone is something he is not good at.
As the author takes us deeper into the past of both, Tao and Suyin, we become aware of their similarities; both did what they had to in order to survive in Luoyang and both share the past with Gao Shiming, a man whose court intrigues run so deep that killing him would mean certain death for both hero and heroine.
As we follow and watch Tao and Suyin slowly come to realization that the sins of the past have finally caught up to both, we can't help but wonder whose method of extricating them from it will work best: Tao's `in for the kill' or Suyin's `cunning negotiation'.
The author clearly did her homework in researching the setting and because of it my imagination soared. The plot gives this story its perfect pace which in turn brought the characters of Tao and Suyin to life. Jeannie Lin's talent in `tale telling' shines through and you'll be enchanted while she takes you on a journey to a place of beauty, danger and intrigue.
Li Tao is perfect as silent type hero to Suyin's poised and meddling heroine. The sensuality and sexual tension between the two is palpable, exciting, and just a perfect balance of romance and sensuality.
If you're looking for a romance with an exotic setting, mostly character driven and extremely well-written, with an intriguing plot and a perfect pace, then this book is just the `ticket'.
Melanie
* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
This is one of the best historical novels set in China, and I can't wait for Lin's next book. Definitely a keeper!
By Bookaholics Reviewer
The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin
Historical Romance - Sept. 20th, 2011
5 stars
Li Tao is a military governor of the crumbling Tang dynasty. With the Emperor's permission, he is allowed to raise an army to guard his own province and serve the Emperor in times of war...except that Li Tao seems to be hatching a plot against Emperor Shen. When he receives a warning that the beautiful ex-Imperial concubine Ling Shuyin is in danger, he kidnaps her from her own residence. He believes that she must possess some secret that is dangerous to her and beneficial to him.
After navigating the treacherous imperial court for fifteen years, Shuyin only wants a peaceful life. Taken from her own home, she wonders what Li Tao has in plan for her and if she can warn the Emperor of Li Tao's dangerous ideas. But neither of them takes into account their dangerous attraction for each other...
This book started out with ominous atmosphere. Li Tao is at once mysterious and intimidating. You don't really know if he's a good guy or a bad one plotting against the empire and using his power to start a civil war. Shuyin is also an enigma; though beautiful and accomplished, she is a complex character, smart and wily enough to be able to survive the politics of the previous regime while maintaining her position as then ex-Emperor's favorite concubine.
This is a very character-centric book. On the whole, there's not a lot of action. Most of the time, it's just about the two of them trying to figure out each other's motives. They debate and argue a lot, each word hiding a double meaning. For some people, it might be slow but for me, I absolute relished each "fight." The tension between the two of them escalates with each conversation, you can feel their palpable attraction to each other. When they finally get together, the book reaches a whole new level of steaminess! Jeannie Lin is skilled writer who easily manages to keep the plot flowing smoothly throughout the novel. The relationship between these two people grows beautifully and organically. I really felt that they fell in love. My only complaint is that the ending is a bit anti-climatic and bit too tidy and neat with Lao Sou, but still that's a minor quibble in such a satisfying read.
Solid and well-written, Jeannie Lin has produced a wonderful gem. This is one of the best historical novels set in China, and I can't wait for Lin's next book. Definitely a keeper!
Reviewed by Pauline from Bookaholics Romance Club
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
The Growing Pain Between His Eyes
By FredTownWard
Lady Ling Suyin is a retired imperial consort, in fact the Precious Consort, famed in song and legend as the most beautiful woman in the empire,... as well as the conniving she-demon who seduced an emperor away from his duty. Having shared the bed of a god, it is not suitable for any mere mortal man to have her so she is destined to while away her remaining days alone in the mansion the August Emperor built for her far from the imperial capital....
Of course how many days that might be is open to question. Imperial concubines tend not to have long retirements. If enemies from her court days don't finish her, her secrets will, and now the most feared and unpredictable of the warlords, the old emperor's former "enforcer" himself, is coming for her.
Iron discipline and cold calculation have made that warlord, Li Tao, the success he is today, yet here he is acting upon whim. A deliberately vague anonymous warning has sent him racing far from his regional stronghold to offer his "protection" to what should have been a forgotten castoff, yet he'd intercepted assassins approaching her home, assassins who'd made sure to die before they could be questioned.
Someone wanted her dead, someone else wanted her alive, and now he's been lured into the middle of it.
When Jeannie Lin announced that the hero of the sequel to Butterfly Swords would be the villain of that previous novel, I, no doubt like most readers, was utterly flabbergasted. How could Ms. Lin POSSIBLY redeem this cruel, unrelenting man? Well, it has been an interesting process.
To begin with Li Tao turns out to be a much more complicated man than he first appears, perhaps more complicated than he even knows (or is willing to admit). He claims that "Loyalty means nothing to me" and claims to be "loyal to no one", and with the exception of the dead former emperor, this is largely true when it comes to alleged superiors or peers, but he can be quite loyal to those who follow or depend upon him... so long as they remain strictly loyal to him. He who proudly refuses to proclaim his loyalty to the current emperor will not tolerate disloyalty himself. He despises honor and sentiment as unpredictable at best, utterly false at worst; he openly states that he is not an honorable man; yet the fact that he strictly adheres to his own peculiar code of honor is obvious to everyone but himself. He claims to possess no sense of duty, but duty (as he sees it) clearly matters more to him than almost anything else. Finally, a man who defies everyone will not tolerate defiance.
That such a bundle of contradictions would be troubled by bringing the infamous Precious Consort into his home surprises no one but himself. She was trained from the day her parents sold her in how to manipulate and control men for her benefit... and her very survival. Of course her infuriating captor would be the only man who can see right through the poise of the professional courtesan down to the frightened girl underneath; the irony is that he likes what he sees!
My review title comes from the symptoms of tension Warlord Tao experiences as he attempts to deal with his collapsing position. Utterly lacking in the skills of court intrigue, he finds himself losing influence to and risking annihilation by rivals with far inferior military skills. Suyin offers tantalizing possibilities for the relief of his tension while at the same time materially adding to it with her own scheming for survival. He negotiates one night with her in hopes of getting her out of his system, then a month, but it doesn't seem to be working. Fact is, he could truly have used someone with diplomatic skills like her, if only he'd have been willing to listen to her, if only she could have come up with something. But it's too late now. His past secrets and her past secrets have doomed them both,...
or so it would seem. This reader experienced a growing pain between the eyes himself as he tried to figure out how the author was going to extricate her heroes from the ever growing obstacles to a HEA she piled upon them,... then things really got hopeless. She'd about convinced me there couldn't be one, but she's fooled me before, so the question was, which way was she fooling me now?... Yeesh, time for another aspirin!
IMHO it isn't absolutely necessary to have read the previous parts of this series: The Taming of Mei Lin and Butterfly Swords in order to understand what is going on in this book, but it would probably help, especially the latter. Besides, they are a lot of fun! The somewhat parallel The Lady's Scandalous Night on the other hand should be read afterward.
Note: I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for agreeing to review it.
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