"After many heartbeats, Han spoke. 'We must have known each other in a former life. Fate keeps on bringing us together.''We keep on meeting because you keep hunting me down,' she said with a scowlHe lifted his head and gave her a look that bordered on fondness."Face it, Han. Li Feng is just not into you.We all have our favorite authors, those to whom we can turn for an excellent, always enjoyable read after the inevitable glut of terrible books. In the historical romance genre, some authors whose works I have almost always enjoyed have been Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas...and up until now, Jeannie Lin. It's inevitable that an author eventually publishes a bad book...but it is disappointing nevertheless. It's been such a sad year for me, my failproof authors are no longer immune to bad writing. I shouldn't use the word bad since this book is not bad. It's just not good, in light of her other works, which has been in every way superior to this. It barely qualifies as a romance novel. The romance is awkward, forced, a second thought. It is a commentary on the moral, political, and social system during the Tang dynasty. The romance does not ring true. It is just not there.Unlike her previous books where the main characters are aristocratic or noble, the characters in this book are quite solidly in the dregs of society. Li Feng is a thief who alternates as a sword-dancer, or rather, anything that she can get away with. Han is a thief catcher, a hated character, seen as little more than a mercenary; he has a strong sense of justice and is duty-bound to hunt down Li Feng...only to fall inexplicably in love with her instead. Inexplicable is the word of the day here. I hesitate to use the word insta-love, because it's such a recurring event in historical romance. It happens every time, but it feels so utterly forced here. In her other books, the romance plays a major role, while here, it is more of an afterthought. More prevalent is the socio-political message pervasive throughout the book through Han's point of view on his straight and narrow path for justice.The heroine is almost TSTL. For someone who has been on her own since a child, living with a ragtag band of wannabe Robin Hoods and thieves, she is surprisingly stupid. After she gets caught and barely escapes...first thing Li Feng does is run? No. She goes to a jade shop to enquire about the carving on jade talisman she owns because it belonged to her mysterious mother---and inevitably gets hunted down right there. It's not suspicious or anything CONSIDERING SHE'S UNDER SUSPICION AS A JEWEL THIEF.She is flighty, literally. The plot of the book goes somewhat like this: Li Feng is on the run/in disguise, Han catches Li Feng, Li Feng manages to escape, Han catches Li Feng, Li Feng slips off yet again, Han catches up with her. Repeat. For. The. Entire. Book. Han initially seems like a level-headed, rational character, therefore it is so puzzling to me that he seems determined to pursue Li Feng and try to build upon a relationship that just isn't there. I have to admit it is a change of pace to see a genuinely nice guy fall in love with a wayward girl, as opposed to the thousands of Regency rakes who seem intent on seducing and then running away, but Han's dogged pursuit of Li Feng borders on the unrealistic."Li Feng was still trying to escape.She trusted him enough to set aside her sword. She even trusted him enough to wrap herself around him as they lay naked, but that was only her body. He knew she still didn’t trust him. Han didn't know if Li Feng could ever completely trust anyone."He just doesn't know when to let go. He is the son of a magistrate, despite his current career, and it has always been ingrained in him that justice is black and white. Criminals are to be brought in and tried before the law. The law is never wrong. The law is justice. Of course, the Tang dynasty is no more or less corrupt than any other era in history, but Han wants to believe in the law, in order, that justice will be meted out eventually. Order is the intended state of things, if there is no order, society will lie in ruins. His job as thief catcher is important to him because it helps him fulfil his strong sense of moral justice. Even as he falls in love with Li Feng, he has to justify it to himself that he is pursuing a noble cause and that she must be innocent despite what the authorities say."'I know who you are, Zheng Hao Han,' she challenged. 'You believe in upholding the law, yet you've taken a liking to me. So you’ve told yourself I must be innocent, because how could Thief-catcher Han ever befriend a common criminal?'"The plot, however, is long-winded, repetitive, and overly complicated. The romance aspect is not well-developed enough for it to be a romance novel, it reads more like a historical detective series at times, and their relationship felt to me more like camaraderie than true love. It's a good book, but didn't quite reach its potential. The barely-there courtship is not quite believable, but man, that ending brought a lump to my throat. IT'S SO SWEET."Their hands remained linked as they sat on the roof, side by side, to stare at the sky above. The first stars were out and a stream of lights formed overhead as the night descended.'I'm dreaming,' she said to the heavens."
