The Sword Dancer

April 1, 2013
Lin (An Illicit Temptation) sets this romantic adventure in the dark underbelly of China’s elegant and civilized Tang Dynasty. Famed thief-catcher Zheng Hao Han is hunting a performing arts troupe suspected of stealing a shipment of jade and gold. Talented sword dancer Wen Li Feng catches his attention, and soon he’s chasing her down, up, and over rooftops. Thanks to Li Feng’s acrobatic and fighting mastery, every time Han catches her, she escapes again. Eventually they elect to work together to uncover corruption, which will also inform Li Feng’s search for her long-missing family. Lin’s politically and culturally rich story is atypical, sensual, and filled with honor and wit.

June 15, 2013

The first time thief-catcher Zheng Hao Han sees Wen Li Feng perform, he knows she is much more than a simple sword dancer; he's also sure she is a thief as well. Taken in as a child and trained by a legendary Taoist master, Li Feng has lived in the shadows, helping a rebel group harass a brutal, corrupt warlord. When an incomplete set of carved jade pendants turns up in a cache of stolen goods--and they match the pendant Li Feng's mother gave her years ago--Li Feng sets out on a quest to learn the truth, with Han hot on her trail. The pair engage in an elusive game of cat and mouse while encountering bandits, smugglers, and power-hungry warlords. Their feelings become even more conflicted as Li Feng and Han pursue their goals and each other in a story that also focuses on the issues of justice and fair play. VERDICT Nonstop action, exotic settings, vivid descriptions with full sensory appeal, and graceful, flowing prose result in another riveting story from Lin that is both satisfying and thought-provoking. Lin (My Fair Concubine) lives in St. Louis.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Hot on the trail of a thief, Zheng Hao Han has no time for pretty dancing girls. In this particular case, however, Han is willing to make an exception, since he believes the jade thief he seeks and Wen Li Feng, the lovely sword dancer who has captivated a crowd of villagers, are one and the same. Acting on his professional instincts, Han captures Li Feng only to have her escape. The jade pendant Li Feng owns is the only clue she has to the mother she lost 15 years earlier. Finding out what happened to her mother is the most important thing in the world to Li Feng, and no one, including infamous thief-catcher Han, is going to stop her. The graceful, almost poetic quality of Lin's writing perfectly complements the Tang Dynasty setting of her latest expertly crafted historical romance, and the book's potent combination of compelling characters and exotic historical setting make The Sword Dancer an auto-buy for libraries in search of something different for their romance collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)