Review: AN EAST MEETS WEST ROMANCE THAT WILL MAKE YOU CRY
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
East meets West in this romance of forbidden passions & love between an enslaved heroine & a Lord of honor & love!Hanako Sumaki is a rare gift of womanhood that should be treasured, but in London at the Great Exhibition, she is treated as a freak of nature & an oddity. She is a Asian woman who is held in the struggling hold of the evil & money grubby hands of Mr. Broek, the owner of the Jade Gardens. Hanako & her young sister, Takara, had been left at the mercy of Mr. Broek after their Father's death. Hanako knows over 20 languages, is the mother hen of all the Jade Gardens' women who are basically slaves, a performer of Asian entertainment, a translator & protector of her sister, but she has outlasted her usefulness & is going to be sold as a man's toy. She will do it all, so that she can take her sister with her & protect her from Mr. Broek's perverse hands.Skyler Roderick was a happy 2nd son & engineering student abroad, when he learned that he was the new Earl of Richmond, after the tragic death of both his father & older brother. Syke was never to be the heir, but he accepts all the responsibilities, like being the new Royal Commissioner of the Great Exhibition. His boss is the Duke of Carleton & the Duke wants all corruptions rooted out of the Exhibition, so Syke is inspecting all exhibits, performers, checking all contracts & looking anything out of place.As Syke is investigating, he sees this red shimmer of silk reveal this exotic Far East flower & is mesmerized by her. Hanako looks into the chaos of the Exhibition & sees this proud & golden Lord & is entranced by all the emotions flowing thru her, but knows he is trouble. Syke waits outside of the curtain to wait to talk with this lotus flower, but when he goes behind the curtain, all he sees a dirty small child. That child is actually Hanako in one of her many disguises & pretends to not understand English. They play this cat & mouse game until Sykes goes to his Aunt's, Lady Devlin, dinner party & Hanako is there as a translator for a handsy client. They share 1 dazzlingly kiss, but Hanako feels his warmth, kindness, security & maybe trust, things she has always wanted, but has always been denied!It's East meets West in this journey of unchecked desire & utter decadent passions between Hanako & Syke as her auction becomes closer, but she will protect her sister & maybe Syke, too. When he closes his eyes, he sees her in the red silk, but she will never be accepted as his Countess. Things become very complex with Mr. Broek greed, the protection of the Jade women, a helpful Lord Devlin, the do gooder Mrs. Duchamp, an outraged Dowager Countess, Tanaka's future protection, the bruised & battered heart & soul of Hanako & the endless loving just for her from Syke. Will Syke free Hanako from her bondage? Can Hanako realized that she is worthy of his love? How will Syke heal her tormented soul? If they break the hold of Mr. Broek, can they save her sister & all the in prisoned Jade women? When will Mr. Broek get his justice reward?This is my 1st Amara Royce romance & she blends all the exotic Far East with the English world of rules & up tight society to make an unforgettable tale. Hanako was a performer 24/7 & I believe she hide inside her many disguises to hide her own pain. She is so strong & always took responsibility for everyone in her world, but she lost herself along the way. Syke is a different kind of hero, who used his head in the begin, but that man's heart was so full of love that it was like a damn breaking open! He didn't get it from his mom & I was bad & made a little pillow doll of the Dowager Countess & stabbed her multiple times with pins because I didn't want to put holes in my Kindle. Ms. Royce filled this book with a cast of lively Jade ladies who were Hanako & her sister's chosen family. This book made smile, crave a little Far East just for me, cry my eyes out (it's not a pretty sight), anger for the injustices of females everywhere, beat up & pin to death certain characters (which earned me just a little chocolate happiness) & I wanted to steal Syke & his overflowing heart from Hanako. Ms. Royce created a different & heart wrenching romance with a Far East flair that totally deserves my top score of 5 fingers up & 10 toes.NetGalley ARC given for my honest review.