Love, Death & Lanterns

The Pingkang Li Mysteries #4.5

by Jeannie Lin

Three years ago, Pearl and Lu Xian were forced together by tragedy but found an unexpected bond. When they were thrown apart before they could explore their attraction, Pearl returned to her life as a courtesan and was left to wonder what could have been.

Once a promising scholar, Lu Xian threw away his future to avenge his father’s murder. After being in exile, Lu Xian has returned to the capital to finish what he started until seeing Pearl again makes him realize there is more to life than duty and sacrifice.

While Pearl is the best thing that happened to Liu Xian, he’s the worst thing that has ever happened to her. Can two survivors afraid of holding on find a way to believe in each other? Or are the wounds of the past too deep to heal?

Genres: Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Novella, China

ebook

First published February 1, 2023

About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling author Jeannie Lin grew up fascinated with stories of Western epic fantasy and Eastern martial arts adventures. When her best friend introduced her to romance novels in middle school, the stage was set. Jeannie started writing her first romance while working as a high school science teacher in South Central Los Angeles. After four years of trying to break into publishing with an Asian-set historical, her 2009 Golden Heart Award–winning manuscript, Butterfly Swords, sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal with The Dragon and the Pearl listed among Library Journal's Best Romances of 2011.

Titles by Jeannie Lin:
Gunpowder Alchemy (Gunpowder Chronicles #1)
The Jade Temptress (The Lotus Palace #2)
The Lotus Palace
Butterfly Swords
The Dragon and the Pearl
My Fair Concubine
The Sword Dancer

For updates, sign up for her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/42oZL
Find out more about Jeannie Lin online at http://www.jeannielin.com

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Stunning cover. (GR isn't displaying the finished one currently but check it out: amazing.

This is a lovely novella about two fairly fucked up people, minor characters from Red Blossom in Snow. Specifically, a courtesan who's trapped in her indentures to a failing house and despairing, and a once-scholar turned murderer who intends to avenge his father by killing a magistrate, and who kidnapped the courtesan in the last book.

This isn't a 'dark romance' though. It's very much a story about two people in shockingly grim circumstances who carve out a space for love annd tenderness and each other from a vicious world. Is it entirely healthy? Well, these things are overrated. Will they have a HEA? Yes, unquestionably, because they're both there for the other, and both pretty damn capable given a chance.

Marvellous stuuff. If you haven't read this series, you need the whole thing: it's joyously interwoven, the setting is astoundingly rich and detailed, and it's a fascinating world.

[Agla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit different from previous installment in that there is no investigation. We are 3 years after the previous book so it needs to be read in order. A lot of the relationship development happened in the previous book so it made the romance feel a bit unsatisfying to me. The ending felt rushed but it made sense because it is a novella. I would recommend the series and it's better to read it in order IMHO

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but it should have been longer. Her short stories and novellas don't work as well when they have to develop the whole romance, it works better when it's like "The Liar's Dice", a previous adventure that sets the action. I don't think the month should have had a whole story, but it was sub addressed.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following up on the events of Red Blossom in Snow, this tells what came next for two major secondary characters, Lu Xian and Pearl.

Love, Death and Lanterns is showing as #4.5 in the series in some places and #6 in others just as the series goes by Pingkang Li or Lotus Palace Mysteries. I think the discrepancy is one listing counts the novellas, like this one, as full series numbers so it makes six entries and the other counts them as in-betweens. Either way, definitely read this one following Red Blossom in Snow where this pair's story originally started and the emotion behind Lu Xian's need for revenge makes more sense.

The story is from Pearl's point of view. Its been three years and Pearl has grown into the big sister and the beautiful and graceful courtesan her house needs, but the house is struggling with fewer and fewer customers forcing even Madam to step into the evening socials to help bring in funds. So, its not a good time for Pearl to be slipping away and shirking chances to woo customers, but she has to discover what Lu Xian is up to after he returned to the city and then she wants to help him.

The world of this series set in China's Tang Dynasty is lush and exotic. I do love the romances and mysteries together with this unique, historical setting. This one was less of a mystery and more of a suspense involving whether Lu Xian would exact his revenge against the powerful man who wronged his family and had his father killed and worse or whether he'd use his second chance to make a new life for himself- maybe with Pearl.

I think I could keep reading from Jeannie Lin's world of Tang Dynasty and Pingkang Li mysteries indefinitely so I hope there are more coming. Definitely recommend to others who want a different setting for their historicals and mysteries.

[scarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably a 4 star read but because I sighed and cried it's getting five. This novella does not have a solid HEA like the other books in the series rather it ends with two young people taking huge risks to be together - but we don't get a "six months later" epilogue to assuage our fear and anxiety at the end of the book. It worked for me because I tend to prefer endings or epilogues that don't wrap everything up neatly.

What a perfect series! I'm very sad for it to (possibly?) be over. Luckily Jeannie Lin has a backlist I can continue to explore.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is currently only available via the Happily Ever Collective patreon (which…if you can read ebooks and love romance and can afford a few bucks a month, why aren’t you a member yet?), and yes, Jeannie Lin’s is one of the names that made me sign up in the first place. She writes such good stories: they usually feature some darkness and realistic obstacles, but the characters are lovely and love deeply and there’s always a sense of hope. This is no exception to the rule. The Tang Dynasty setting is beautifully conveyed without being an overload of details, and although this stars side characters from a book I haven’t read yet, I could follow everything just fine.

[aarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

As of now, only available via HEA Collective patreon.

[Smut Report]

We read all books in the series and reviewed them together. Find more at The Lotus Palace, The Jade Temptress, The Liar's Dice, The Hidden Moon, Death of a Sorcerer: A Lotus Palace Mystery, and Red Blossom in Snow, and our full review can be read at The Smut Report.

Heat Factor: First we have to have ALL THE FEELS

Character Chemistry: Mutual pining

Plot: There has been a(nother) murder in the Piking Li, and we will work together to solve it. And also pine for each other.

Overall: If you like mystery romances, these are so good.

Full disclosure, there’s no murder mystery in this book. Instead, Love, Death, and Lanterns picks up the story of two secondary characters from Red Blossom on Snow as they navigate (let’s be real) some serious personal shit. Pearl is working in a struggling pleasure house. Lu Xian is plotting to avenge his father’s murder. They have a fraught history. It’s a pretty melancholy read with a somewhat ambiguous ending (no epilogue with marriage and stability, unlike what we see for the other pairings).

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[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this rate, there won't be any courtesans left in the Pingkang Li. Pearl is the latest courtesan to fall in love, this time, with the criminal Lu Xian and brother to the heroine of the last book Song Yi. Unlike the other books in this series, this one is not a mystery. It's just a romance, which threw me for a loop. I love Lin's historical romances. Just, in a mystery series, I was expecting there to be a mystery to solve. It's still fun, but adjust your expectations accordingly.

Pragmatic but loner Pearl is trying to secure her future, but nothing is going right. First, her pleasure house is dying off. The only clientele she can attract are the unserious kind. Finally, the man she loves is a wanted man who continues to tempt fate. Pearl doesn't have to overcome anything in this story. She loves Lu Xian, and she seeks him out repeatedly, heedless of the consequences of their love. Meanwhile, Lu Xian is the one who has to let go of his desire for revenge if he wants happiness. To be honest, the short story doesn't really illuminate anything new about the characters. It's just a sweet romance.

This little story was full of surprises. Typically in a romance, the lead characters have to decide if they're going to give up the one thing preventing them from being happy. However, that doesn't happen here. Lu Xian gets his revenge. There are no consequences beyond him needing to flee. As for Pearl, she doesn't come to any realization either. When given an ultimatum, she decides she wants to be with Lu Xian, and she follows him out of Chang'an. Because the romance is so unconventional, the romance is unsettled. It's still romantic, but there isn't that sweeping relief that all will be well like there usually is. It still suited its purpose, but be aware that this isn't a typical romance or even a typical Lin story. If you keep that in mind, you will still enjoy this.

[Isabeau Delaunay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeannie Lin continues to go her own way with this latest entry in her mystery/romance series Pingkang Li, set in 8th century China. This novella is juuuuust shy of a tragic lovers' tale but Lin gives it a "happy for now" ending - which is honestly probably exactly what it needs.

~Spoilers from earlier books to follow, be warned~
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The story is that Lu Xian comes back to the city to murder the guy who has killed his father, three years after more conventional forms of seeking justice failed in Red Blossom in Snow. But he can't help but check up on the courtesan Pearl, who he previously murdered someone in front of, and semi-accidentally kidnapped. They are drawn to each other but each feel trapped by their circumstances: Lu Xian by what he feels he must do, and Pearl at ever being able to live any kind of life outside of the Pingkang Li.

I won't spoil this book, but suffice to say, things do not go easily for these two. I appreciate Lin's bold choices in storytelling in this case! My only complaint is that a flashback or two to Lu Xian and Pearl's month together during the kidnapping would not have gone amiss - and would have given their passionate attachment to each other a little more weight and believability.

Each of the entries in this series has a different vibe, and I respect that. I do hope Lin keeps writing books set in this world.

[Sidonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tight, graceful, and restrained. The leads are well-drawn and the conclusion to the plot is thoughtful, avoiding pat solutions and easy assurances even as it makes room for hope. I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end, where Lin outlines why she didn’t include an epilogue. Love to see an author thinking about harmony of form and content!! That bumped it up from 4 to 5 stars for me.

It’s worth noting that this is not a standalone novella—the previous book in the series is required reading, as it not only introduces these characters but also is the foundation for the entire plot.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this novella set in Jeannie Lin's Pingkang Li/Lotus Palace series, following two characters introduced in the earlier book Red Blossom in Snow. While there are moments of sweetness and tenderness, this one is pretty sad in tone, and although I respect that Jeannie Lin chose to leave this novella more open-ended as to what happens to Pearl and Lu Xian after the ending of the book, I wish there could have been a more optimistic epilogue for these two, who have been through a lot!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I wanted a little more- maybe 50 more pages with a little more plot arc (this is under 120 page)... but I always love coming back to Pingkang in the Tang Dynasty, and like the 3 year time jump from Red Blossom.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

These interludes are tricky, as they fill some gaps between the major stories. This one is a weak 3-stars, with weaknesses in plot and romance. But it doesn't weaken the series, which I will keep reading.

[Babydoclaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely continuation for these two, who we met in an earlier book. Perhaps it's the short novel, but I was not as enchanted by the story, the characters or the plot. Still a nice read, just not my favorite.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy revisiting this vivid and rich world Jeannie Lin has brought to life, and it is a wonderful companion read to Red Blossom in Snow. More, please?

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be thinking about that ending line for a long, long while.

[AGMaynard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair amount of repetition and backing and filling make this a somewhat lesser entry in her series. Wondering if the desire to fill in the gaps of a few stories made this a quicker production.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Marlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

what

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting end to Lu Xian and Pearl’s story. I appreciate that Jeannie Lin finds ways for her characters to find happiness without implying that everything in the future will be perfect.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and satisfying read! I would love to have a conversation sometime about how staying true to historical values sets up a conflict with romance genre expectations, but I liked the story better for sticking to its guns, so to speak. I'm not sure this would make much sense without having read the other Pingkang Li books, especially Red Blossom in Snow.

[Fedora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Death, & Lanterns by Jeannie Lin is set in her PingKang Li Mysteries universe, and is the story of courtesan Pearl and scholar turned workman Lu Xian.

They struggle to find a sense of independence and freedom to live their lives within the confines of the roles they have been pressed into, required to play.

Their story is beautifully written, and full of emotion and passion.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I jumped in at book 4.5 of the series and am going to have to go back for the rest. I’d also kind of love an update a few years from now checking back in with this couple. Things are left in a hopeful place, but my sappy heart needs to see/touch/taste/roll around in that HEA!

I read this as part of the HEA Collective Patreon.