Look at this beautiful stunning cover!
I mean just wow. Absolutely beautiful.
But the story? Characters? i were just bored and confused.
It started quickly right into death and the main heroine was laughing because she got her revenge...
But it felt like lots was missing, dept of the characters, information and detailes... everything went very quickly and i really disliked it.

Princess Liji has been known in history as one of China’s most vicious beauties. She took the throne of Jin away from her righteous stepson and gave it to her unworthy son. The first installment of a series of historical novels about Princess Liji tells of a defeated princess who is forced to marry her conqueror. Princess Liji’s life has been torn apart when she could not marry the boy she loves and is sent on a journey to marry her stranger. The first book in the series chronicles Princess Liji’s journey to marry the Duke of Jin.

I have written a few biographies on women of the Spring and Autumn period, including Princess Liji for the History of Royal Women website. When I learned that there was a historical fiction series on Princess Liji, I was excited to pick this book up. I wanted to see if Ms. Skye attempted to rehabilitate Princess Liji’s reputation or show her as the evil woman she has been traditionally portrayed. In this first installment, I found Princess Liji to be a very fun character. She was lively, tough, and very clever. She was manipulative only when it came to protecting her loved ones. Therefore, I am excited to see how Princess Liji will be portrayed in future books!

Overall, this novel was a fast-paced adventure filled with action, adventure, and secrets! I thought Ms. Skye did an excellent job in introducing the characters because they will play a larger role in Princess Liji’s action in future installments. Mrs. Skye also did a fantastic job in making Ancient China come alive and made the complicated era of the Spring and Autumn period to be very comprehensive for the general reader who knows very little about the time period. My only complaint about the book was that it was a short read and wished it was longer to make it a full-length novel. Nevertheless, it was very well-written, and it ended in a cliffhanger! This made me eager to pick up the sequel and continue the series! The Duke and I: The Princess of Blackmare was a refreshing historical fiction read because it was not set in Europe! I recommend this for fans of Moon in the Palace, Spirit’s Princess, and The Cold Palace!

i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great start to a series with interesting characters and I really enjoyed the plot.

I have to admit I was really excited about this one but I ended up not finishing it. It was a little hard to read and stay interested in.

This is my fair and honest, voluntarily given in my own words for this ARC. I got the impression that this book was written by a person who's first language was not english. Had that been so, i might have reviewed this differently. The story has merit but I didn't enjoy it in the end. I do hope that it will get a thorough editing prior to publishing date.