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Tama, the beautiful daughter of Japanese royalty, offers gunrunner Captain Hugh Drummond her body in exchange for safe passage to Paris, but assassins and spies have other plans for the unlikely pair as they make their way across this dangerous land where passion and love is their strongest ally. Original.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Susan Johnson
251 books573 followersAnd it all began rather serendipitously. Long ago, as they say, in another time, when fast food hadn't reached our area and the only shopping was what the feed mill offered, I was reading a book that annoyed me .
My husband was lying beside me in bed, watching TV. Turning to him, I sort of petulantly said, "How the hell did this book get published?"
"If you think you're so smart," he replied, with one eye still on the TV, "why don't you write a book?"
So I did. And very badly.
I've since learned how to do, he said, she said, and a great variety of other adverb heavy, sometimes lengthy explanations of why my characters are saying what they're saying, along with finally coming to an understanding of what things like POV means. Point of View for you non-writers}.
Although, I still don't fully comprehend why it matters if you switch POV and I cavalierly disregard it as much as possible. So while my technical skills have hopefully improved, what hasn't changed is my great joy in writing. There's as much pleasure today in listening to my characters talk while I type as fast as I can, as there was the first time I put dialogue to paper--in long-hand, then, in my leather bound sketch-book.
My husband was lying beside me in bed, watching TV. Turning to him, I sort of petulantly said, "How the hell did this book get published?"
"If you think you're so smart," he replied, with one eye still on the TV, "why don't you write a book?"
So I did. And very badly.
I've since learned how to do, he said, she said, and a great variety of other adverb heavy, sometimes lengthy explanations of why my characters are saying what they're saying, along with finally coming to an understanding of what things like POV means. Point of View for you non-writers}.
Although, I still don't fully comprehend why it matters if you switch POV and I cavalierly disregard it as much as possible. So while my technical skills have hopefully improved, what hasn't changed is my great joy in writing. There's as much pleasure today in listening to my characters talk while I type as fast as I can, as there was the first time I put dialogue to paper--in long-hand, then, in my leather bound sketch-book.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I contemplated giving it 5 stars, even though the hero & heroine didn't do much talking haha. I liked this book more than the last Johnson book I read, Force of Nature, which ironically got higher reviews (but a lot more people also did read it).
The beginning of the book confused me as I was unfamiliar with Japanese history, but that was also what made the book so interesting. Susan Johnson set the story amid Japan's Civil War and the end of the feudal system. I learned that Edo was the former name of Tokyo, about Japan's red-light district, and the extensive system of spies.
I loved how Tama, Princess of Otari, was dainty and feminine but still an excellent swordswoman, able to defend herself. Captain Hugh Drummond was Johnson's typical casual-sex, marriage-shy, excellent-in-bed hero. (Both were love-shy, especially Drummond, and only agreed to a sexual relationship for most of the book. Almost every time Drummond realized he was developing feelings for Tama, he shied away.)
The plot is exciting as Drummond accompanies Tama to safety in France where she plans to convince her brother to return to Japan and help her restore their lands and dominion, all the while dodging and shooting assassins. It was interesting to read about ninjas when I recalled playing that game as a preteen.
I didn't think there was too much sex as some reviewers complained. In fact, I wanted there to be more, especially when they hadn't had relations in a while.
I didn't like how Hugh called Tama a bitch at the beginning like in Force of Nature.
I felt like the author intended to write a sequel for Yukoi's & Sunskoku's son (the secondary romance, whose story Johnson seemed to abruptly drop in favor of concluding the main romance after developing it) and Hugh's and Tama's son, but maybe she didn't sell enough copies of this one for her publisher to allow her. Even though reading this book took me all day--it also didn't help that I was sleep deprived, so I had to reread bits--I would have liked to have had slightly more of a conclusion between Yukoi and Sunskoku, though I guess I can pick up the pieces via the epilogue.
The beginning of the book confused me as I was unfamiliar with Japanese history, but that was also what made the book so interesting. Susan Johnson set the story amid Japan's Civil War and the end of the feudal system. I learned that Edo was the former name of Tokyo, about Japan's red-light district, and the extensive system of spies.
I loved how Tama, Princess of Otari, was dainty and feminine but still an excellent swordswoman, able to defend herself. Captain Hugh Drummond was Johnson's typical casual-sex, marriage-shy, excellent-in-bed hero. (Both were love-shy, especially Drummond, and only agreed to a sexual relationship for most of the book. Almost every time Drummond realized he was developing feelings for Tama, he shied away.)
The plot is exciting as Drummond accompanies Tama to safety in France where she plans to convince her brother to return to Japan and help her restore their lands and dominion, all the while dodging and shooting assassins. It was interesting to read about ninjas when I recalled playing that game as a preteen.
I didn't think there was too much sex as some reviewers complained. In fact, I wanted there to be more, especially when they hadn't had relations in a while.
I didn't like how Hugh called Tama a bitch at the beginning like in Force of Nature.
I felt like the author intended to write a sequel for Yukoi's & Sunskoku's son (the secondary romance, whose story Johnson seemed to abruptly drop in favor of concluding the main romance after developing it) and Hugh's and Tama's son, but maybe she didn't sell enough copies of this one for her publisher to allow her. Even though reading this book took me all day--it also didn't help that I was sleep deprived, so I had to reread bits--I would have liked to have had slightly more of a conclusion between Yukoi and Sunskoku, though I guess I can pick up the pieces via the epilogue.
March 6, 2012
3.5, really, but only because Susan Johnson is one of those authors whose books are SO much better than everyone else's you have to judge her compared to her other books, and not compared to other authors in general.
Yes, the setting was very interesting; she's fabulous at that. But there were a fair number of typos and grammatical mistakes that I was surprised to see made by an author of Johnson's repute. And - more importantly - while Johnson never skimps on the hanky-panky (and generally, I'm not one to complain about that), this book was way over the top. Character and relationship development was lacking to make room for the unbelievable hanky-panky (and when I say unbelievable, I mean I couldn't believe it was physically possible to experience that much hanky-panky), and that's never good.
Too, I really enjoyed the side story between Sunskoku and Yukio -- and while it appeared suddenly and unexpectedly in the middle of the book, it also disappeared suddenly and unexpectedly a few chapters later without another mention of them at all.
As a final gripe, the epilogue is only valid if she's planning on writing a set of books about the two boys. And who's to say she isn't, so maybe I shouldn't gripe yet.
Yes, the setting was very interesting; she's fabulous at that. But there were a fair number of typos and grammatical mistakes that I was surprised to see made by an author of Johnson's repute. And - more importantly - while Johnson never skimps on the hanky-panky (and generally, I'm not one to complain about that), this book was way over the top. Character and relationship development was lacking to make room for the unbelievable hanky-panky (and when I say unbelievable, I mean I couldn't believe it was physically possible to experience that much hanky-panky), and that's never good.
Too, I really enjoyed the side story between Sunskoku and Yukio -- and while it appeared suddenly and unexpectedly in the middle of the book, it also disappeared suddenly and unexpectedly a few chapters later without another mention of them at all.
As a final gripe, the epilogue is only valid if she's planning on writing a set of books about the two boys. And who's to say she isn't, so maybe I shouldn't gripe yet.
July 13, 2010
Period setting: Tokugawa/Shogunate
What I learnt from this book is some new words relating to intimate parts of human body...
Apart from that, the Japanese history for historical romances is new for me so it is quite interesting. This is not the first time I meet the female protagonist being excellent and equal when it comes to self-defense, but the fact that she is a Japanese princess does make it different due to the stereotype of Japanese women being submissive and subservient more commonly depicted. *This is as far as my 3 stars goes*
But this unusual royal 22-year-old heroine, with her bushido skill and casualness in taking lovers before she even got married, is it historically and culturally correct back then in the late 19th century Japan? Was women promiscuity really deemed as a normalcy to the eyes of far-eastern cultural norms beholders? Or is it merely the author's answer to feminism based only upon her creativity?
Apart from that, it would interesting to read the sequel to this story, seeing that Ms. Johnson mentioned something about the 4 (main and secondary) protagonists's sons, one of whom is a Yakuza son.
What I learnt from this book is some new words relating to intimate parts of human body...
Apart from that, the Japanese history for historical romances is new for me so it is quite interesting. This is not the first time I meet the female protagonist being excellent and equal when it comes to self-defense, but the fact that she is a Japanese princess does make it different due to the stereotype of Japanese women being submissive and subservient more commonly depicted. *This is as far as my 3 stars goes*
But this unusual royal 22-year-old heroine, with her bushido skill and casualness in taking lovers before she even got married, is it historically and culturally correct back then in the late 19th century Japan? Was women promiscuity really deemed as a normalcy to the eyes of far-eastern cultural norms beholders? Or is it merely the author's answer to feminism based only upon her creativity?
Apart from that, it would interesting to read the sequel to this story, seeing that Ms. Johnson mentioned something about the 4 (main and secondary) protagonists's sons, one of whom is a Yakuza son.
June 24, 2014
I was mixed on this book. I had to skim over parts, it almost had too many characters and it was hard to decide early on who to actually read and focus on and who to skim over. Then about halfway through I got interested in the main characters and one secondary pairing. But by then I'd skimmed some of the secondary pairing and it wasn't worth going back to re-read. The oddity of the Japanese romance was a bit hard for me to get into at times, but the overall theme and story was well written.
July 26, 2012
Nonstop sex between a Japanese princess and a silk dealer in 1880s Japan, some of last year's of the Tokugawa shogunate. The setting was the best part; the main characters go at it like rabbits, and it wasn't in the least titillating or romantic— too much talk of cocks and cunts.
I don't think I'll be picking up another book by this author.
I don't think I'll be picking up another book by this author.
June 26, 2016
The fact that the HEA couple didn't sleep around on eachother upped my enjoyment of this book better then others by thie author. It was also a nice change of scenery since most of it takes place in Japan. :)
August 22, 2008
A Love story between a japanese princess and an American Rogue who helped her on the run to find her brother and restore her family legacy. Nice story i liked it..
October 15, 2016
I don't remember much about this book because I tried to read it about 10 years ago.
What I do remember is that I couldn't finish it because I was so bored.
What I do remember is that I couldn't finish it because I was so bored.
September 13, 2012
I just hate when I read 2 chapters of a book & I already know the ending. Yes, that's what happened here. Good book. Sex Sex...
April 30, 2015
This really was a good book, for that type of book. Really enjoyed and would recommend it.
August 30, 2017
Awesome
January 3, 2012
ok...just ok
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews