MY BEAUTIFUL ENEMY by Sherry Thomas
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Catherine (Ying-Ying) Blade didn’t think anything could unsettle her as much as meeting her daughter’s murderer on the voyage to England. She doesn’t know why the assassin was there–whether he might be after the same jade tablets her stepfather sent her to claim–but as she hurled the assassin overboard, she believed she had drowned the last remnants of her painful past with him.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Not only did the assassin survive, but the woman she saved from his clutches has a coincidental connection to the English spy that Ying-Ying fell in love with years ago. They never knew each others names in China, but that hadn’t stopped Ying-Ying and Leighton from betraying each other. Ying-Ying had thought her feelings would have softened over time. Truthfully, she believed she had killed Leighton, and from his pronounced limp, she infers that she came close. But seeing him now, with a fiancee on his arm, is almost more than she can bear. And bear it she must because if she has any hope of retrieving the jade tablets–or even surviving her mission–she’s going to need his help.
Set half in England, half in Thomas’ native China, MY BEAUTIFUL ENEMY is a Victorian Romance twist on the Chinese martial arts genre of wuxia. It is one of Thomas’ best, which given the strength of her canon is saying a lot! It is exciting and romantic, suspenseful with breaks of humor. The characters are strong, and the interweaving of cultures beautiful and engaging. A page-turner and a joy to read. Highly recommend to historical romance readers!
Susan the Librarian 