‘This isn’t what you wanted, is it?’ Jin-mei asked Yang beneath her breath.
‘There is no one else I would rather be wedded to,’ he replied without hesitation.
Jin-mei whipped around to face him, causing the pearls in her ears to swing dramatically. ‘You’re trying to be clever with your words. You could very well mean that you have no desire to be married at all—to anyone.’
It was hard not to smile. ‘I think you and I will suit each other quite well, Jin-mei.’
Jin-mei. The sound of her name slid smoothly over his tongue, as if he’d been calling her that for years. Such a pretty name … like the clear chime of bells.
‘It’s a compliment,’ he added, seeing her perplexed expression.
It was the best arrangement Yang had ever made. He had the magistrate’s protection, his silence, and his daughter … Surely it couldn’t be this easy?
When I first imagined the world of The Sword Dancer I envisaged a wild land filled with heroes and bandits, with the lines between them completely blurred.
For those who have read The Sword Dancer, I hope you enjoy seeing what happens to Li Feng and Thief-catcher Han. As in all great romances, the rooftop marriage proposal was a beginning rather than an end, and their adventure continues here.
For history buffs: the places and people in this book are part real and part imagined. Fujian province was the seat of several rebellions. Rogue warlords were a plague upon imperial power in the late part of the dynasty. And when you read about the rebel figures that emerged throughout Chinese history many of them made their wealth through the salt trade.
The Linyin Stone Forest is an actual place. The pictures of it are dramatic and awe-inspiring. According to travel sites, it wasn’t explored until centuries later, during the Qing Dynasty, due to the dense growth that obscured it from view.
Perhaps I’ll be able to visit one day, and imagine the colourful bandits who made those hidden caverns their hideout.
Jeannie Lin can be found online via Twitter, Facebook or her website
To be notified when her next book comes out sign up at www.jeannielin.com
A Dance
with Danger
Jeannie Lin
USA TODAY bestselling author JEANNIE LIN started writing her first book while working as a high school science teacher in South Central Los Angeles. Her stories are inspired by a mix of historical research and wuxia adventure tales. Jeannie’s groundbreaking historical romances set in Tang Dynasty China have received multiple awards, including the Golden Heart for her debut novel Butterfly Swords.
Thank you to my husband, for putting up with the papers that litter our living room and the all-nighters I had to pull to finish this book.
I blame the twins for the mess, but hubby knows it’s all me.
Contents