Tang Dynasty China, 823 A.D.

Musician Jia needs a valuable book of poems by a famous courtesan to buy her freedom...and she believes Luo Cheng has taken it. Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest!

But when they finally find the book—and the arousing poems and artwork inside—Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng....

Review

A musician in desperate need of funds to escape poverty and a life of slavery. A scholar attempting to keep his head above water in his studies and pass the exams that will carry him to political heights. What will happen when the musician mistakes him for her mark, and the scholar will stop at nothing to retrieve the essays he’s penned so desperately? Desire, passion, and the ultimate sacrifice.

This is my first jump into the historical Tang Dynasty from Jeannie Lin, and I thought it was a journey worth taking. The story is a bit short for me, but the novella does a wonderful job of transposing you into another world. Plus who doesn’t like a story where the hero is a geek, rather than the typical muscle man warrior or impressive lord. This hero is all about brain smarts and I have a fond appreciation for an intelligent geek.

Another high point of this story is the setting and descriptions. Lin truly transported me into another world in this story. I didn’t feel like I was a part of my time, but in a foreign land from hundreds of years ago when things weren’t as simple as they are now. Like this one passage where Jia’s current living standards are described:

Like most of the entertainers in the district, she owed her troupe leader for taking her in as a child and training her. Every mouthful of rice she’d ever been fed was accounted for and with each performance, he collected two coins to her one.

Plus, another:

The pagoda stood high just beyond the line of shops. The green tiled roof made it an easily identifiable landmark of the district. At night, the eaves would be hung with a cascade of lanterns. Even in the drunkest of stupors, one could tell where he was by the pavilion’s radiance.

A small taste of how this historical world is so different from usual samplings… I loved it! There is so much more to grasp and understand, including the social mores between scholars and musicians. As I read I found a ton of similarities between this book and Historicals set in England, but I found a bunch of differences to; especially among characters.

Lin is definitely a tough girl, used to tough times and eager to get away from them. She’s not a wilting flower, yet she hasn’t ever put herself in direct danger. In this story she steps out of her comfort zones, and in doing so into the chance for love. Cheng the scholar has been so driven by rules, and obligations he’s lost his emotion and passion for life. Cheng’s opportunity to be near, and assist Lin, is what ultimately opens him up to the depth of feeling he’s been missing for so long—at least, that’s my interpretation. The love that spawns is realistic and based on more than desire; surprising for such a novella but possible.

My only caveat is for those fans of conflict between characters and in the general story. This tale didn’t have a ton of it, and the conflict that was present didn’t resound in my mind as much as the romance. It’s not memorable, but present.

Overall, Capturing the Silken Thief is a quick romp through the Tang Dynasty that will have you’re interested peaked for more from the author. Not one to disappoint Jeannie Lin has a couple of new books out including one in June. 

Reviewed by Landra

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