Review: Not believable, too many unlikable characters
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 9, 2014
Hollow Reed # 1A country noblewoman is taken into the Emperor's harem and finds intrigue and danger.I picked up this book free during an Amazon giveaway. Although I enjoy Parker's Akitada historical mystery series, this historical romance set in the same time period (feudal Japan) never grabbed me the same way. Toshiko's attitude change from dutiful daughter to looking out for herself did not feel real. The continually changing point-of-view distracted me from the plot. The characters are well-drawn, but other than an intriguing look behind-the-scenes at a royal Japanese lifestyle, I never got very interested although I did finish the book. Word use was generally acceptable. Kindle formatting had occasional problems, mostly involving an occasional new paragraph in the middle of a sentence. I have no idea what the title or the series name were supposed to relate to.