Title: The Last Concubine
Author: Catt Ford
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 218
Characters: Princess Lan’xiu, General Hui-Wei
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Historical Romance
Kisses: 5+
Blurb:
When Princess Lan’xiu’s brother delivers her under duress into General Hüi-Wei’s harem as a political offering, her only question is how soon her secret will be discovered. She is under no illusions: when the general discovers she is actually a he, death is his only future—though he doesn’t plan to make it easy. Lan’xiu has dressed as a woman all his life, but he is no damsel in distress. He can swing a sword with the best of them.
General Hüi-Wei has everything a man could want: power, wealth, success on the battlefield, and a harem of concubines. At first, he regards Lan’xiu with suspicion, but he finds himself strangely drawn to her. When he discovers the beautiful young woman is actually a man, his first reaction is to draw his sword. Rather than waste such beauty, he decides to enjoy the spirited Lan’xiu’s submission—and ignites a passion and desire deeper than anything he’s felt with other wives. But court intrigue, political ambitions, and the general’s doubts may be too much for their love to overcome.
A Timeless Dreams title: While reaction to same-sex relationships throughout time and across cultures has not always been positive, these stories celebrate M/M love in a manner that may address, minimize, or ignore historical stigma.
Review:
There are very few books I read that once I’ve finished I want to immediately read again. I love M/M romances, and when an amazing book like The Last Concubine by Catt Ford came to an end, that’s exactly what I did. I loved every minute of this book! Between the intrigue, adventure, romance and the uniquely written characters, I was swept up into the lives of these fascinating heroes and I hated to see it come to an end. Since the blurb does an outstanding job at describing the story, I won’t rehash it. But I will talk about why I adored every minute I spent reading about these characters lives and the adventurous and romantic ride they took me on.
I liked the mysterious past of one of the main heroes, Lan’xiu. The reason why he has to dress as a woman was a realistic one. I understood why his mother did what she did, and I also understood why dressing like a woman became appealing to him. But even though he may portray himself as a woman, he’s all man. He can be physically tough at times as well as the inner strength Ms. Ford gave him, made him a hero to be admired. He has spunk, a big heart and ended up being extremely sexy. I loved his relationship with his servant and friend and enjoyed his quick wit and loving heart.
Also, there’s a lot more to General Hüi-Wei than meets the eye. On the exterior, he looks to be almost cold and calculating, but as the story starts progressing, I quickly began to see what an intelligent, warm and thoughtful person he was. He’s not one to make hasty decisions, instead choosing to think things through before he takes action. He ended up being a very likeable hero and I quickly became almost as fascinated with him as I did with Lan’xiu.
The chemistry between Lan’xiu and Hui-Wei was intense and sizzling hot! I loved the deep emotional connection they had together, and felt like they were truly meant to be together. Not only do they love each other, but there is a kinship and a deep respect that flows between them, and I enjoyed every scene they had together in this book.
Another great thing about The Last Concubine was the mixed array of characters that revolve around Hui-Wei and Lan’xiu’s life. Each character brought something into the storyline and I found as the plot continued, it became more intriguing and interesting to read. If you enjoy a romance with a different twist with the storyline as well as well-written characters that will live long within you after the story has ended, The Last Concubine is definitely a read for you! Highly Recommended!
Reviewed By: Gabbi
