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Sword of the Taka Samurai #3
Cold Heart: Yamabuki vs. the Shinobi Priest
Taka Yamabuki, a warlord's daughter, must chose between love and duty.
The action continued from "Cold Rain," Book Two of the multipart saga.
Yamabuki makes her way to a town where two factions are fighting for control. It is there she meets a charismatic young general, not much older than she, who is ambitious and who finds her to be a charming challenge. Is he really a disinherited nobleman as he claims, or is he really part of the Yakuza gang that holds sway over the town?
Her heart is tugged between duty to her father and a budding romantic interest in the young warrior.
She cannot follow both and she drawn into events far bigger than she ever imagined.
The action continued from "Cold Rain," Book Two of the multipart saga.
Yamabuki makes her way to a town where two factions are fighting for control. It is there she meets a charismatic young general, not much older than she, who is ambitious and who finds her to be a charming challenge. Is he really a disinherited nobleman as he claims, or is he really part of the Yakuza gang that holds sway over the town?
Her heart is tugged between duty to her father and a budding romantic interest in the young warrior.
She cannot follow both and she drawn into events far bigger than she ever imagined.
375 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2018
46 people want to read
About the author
Katherine M. Lawrence
6 books20 followersAccording to the Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2015, Katherine M. Lawrence may very well have originated the widely used term, "glass ceiling."
Currently her Yamabuki series is about a woman samurai who breaks through a ceiling in ancient Japan to become an accomplished warrior, but without losing her humanity.
The author first became interested in Japan while growing up in Seattle, Washington, and at a young age having several playmates who were Japanese-Americans, Japan seemed natural and accessible. Fascinated by the beauty and elegance of Japanese art, architecture, and style, she grew up with a growing appreciation for Japanese aesthetics.
For several years, Katherine M. Lawrence has been researching and writing the adventures of Yamabuki, an actual historic female samurai who lived in the Heian Era of Japan. Inspired by several decades in the martial arts halls led by women: as a martial arts student in residence for four years at the Ja Shin Do Academy both in Boston, Massachusetts, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; the San Jose State University Kendo Club; and Pai Lum White Lotus Fist-Crane in Albany, New York, style Katherine set out to write about the experiences of women who train in warriors skills...and Yamabuki in particular.
Katherine graduated from the University of Washington with a BA degree in both History and Chemistry, and continued with work on a Masters in History at the Far Eastern and Slavic Institute. She also graduated with an MBA from Harvard. For several years she provided consulting services for the Japanese firm, Kaneka, helping them with their marketing efforts in the United States.
In her undergraduate and masters degree work she developed an appreciation for the different mentalities and mind-sets of people in other eras and other cultures--for the assumptions of 21st century Americans are very different from late 19th century Europeans, let along people of other cultures in by-gone eras.
When she is not writing, she is the CEO of Pingv, a leading Drupal development shop.
When she finds any additional free time, she pursues motor sports, cooking authentic cajun food, studying advanced mathematics, trying to beat the computer at chess, and eating all the sushi she can find.
Currently her Yamabuki series is about a woman samurai who breaks through a ceiling in ancient Japan to become an accomplished warrior, but without losing her humanity.
The author first became interested in Japan while growing up in Seattle, Washington, and at a young age having several playmates who were Japanese-Americans, Japan seemed natural and accessible. Fascinated by the beauty and elegance of Japanese art, architecture, and style, she grew up with a growing appreciation for Japanese aesthetics.
For several years, Katherine M. Lawrence has been researching and writing the adventures of Yamabuki, an actual historic female samurai who lived in the Heian Era of Japan. Inspired by several decades in the martial arts halls led by women: as a martial arts student in residence for four years at the Ja Shin Do Academy both in Boston, Massachusetts, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; the San Jose State University Kendo Club; and Pai Lum White Lotus Fist-Crane in Albany, New York, style Katherine set out to write about the experiences of women who train in warriors skills...and Yamabuki in particular.
Katherine graduated from the University of Washington with a BA degree in both History and Chemistry, and continued with work on a Masters in History at the Far Eastern and Slavic Institute. She also graduated with an MBA from Harvard. For several years she provided consulting services for the Japanese firm, Kaneka, helping them with their marketing efforts in the United States.
In her undergraduate and masters degree work she developed an appreciation for the different mentalities and mind-sets of people in other eras and other cultures--for the assumptions of 21st century Americans are very different from late 19th century Europeans, let along people of other cultures in by-gone eras.
When she is not writing, she is the CEO of Pingv, a leading Drupal development shop.
When she finds any additional free time, she pursues motor sports, cooking authentic cajun food, studying advanced mathematics, trying to beat the computer at chess, and eating all the sushi she can find.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2018
Wow - what great fun this was, and I can't wait for more.
Yamabuki is a historically-real samurai from the 1100AD era, around which the author has created a super-interesting narrative, place, and plot.
First, let me say I'm away on a holiday where I'm supposed to be taking in the sights & many shiny things around me; and what do I do? I stay in my room & read this book - because I can't stop. It's just that fun.
Second, why do I like it so much? Because the author has done this incredible job of research into the customs, culture, and values of the time, place, and characters. The incredibly rich tapestry painted by the writing rivals - by analogy - an incredibly rich kimono, or warrior armor. It's done with such detail, craft & beauty, and I (for one) was sucked into it.
I love the way she acquaints us with the details of the warrior armor, the fight sequences, the beliefs of the characters, and does it with the roman (English) versions of the Japanese words. By the end of the book, you'll definitely feel like you've immersed yourself in history, and had a good time of it.
The story continues from the prior books, and while there's a bit of context re-setting, there maybe isn't so much that you could get away with not reading the other books first; they're definitely a prerequisite. But, they're short(er), and easy reads for a foundation.
I rarely give 5-star reviews due to my rating rules. Disclosure: I'm acquainted with this author. However, I'm always committed first to an honest review, as my friends would prefer. And this deserves the 5-stars.
Yamabuki is a historically-real samurai from the 1100AD era, around which the author has created a super-interesting narrative, place, and plot.
First, let me say I'm away on a holiday where I'm supposed to be taking in the sights & many shiny things around me; and what do I do? I stay in my room & read this book - because I can't stop. It's just that fun.
Second, why do I like it so much? Because the author has done this incredible job of research into the customs, culture, and values of the time, place, and characters. The incredibly rich tapestry painted by the writing rivals - by analogy - an incredibly rich kimono, or warrior armor. It's done with such detail, craft & beauty, and I (for one) was sucked into it.
I love the way she acquaints us with the details of the warrior armor, the fight sequences, the beliefs of the characters, and does it with the roman (English) versions of the Japanese words. By the end of the book, you'll definitely feel like you've immersed yourself in history, and had a good time of it.
The story continues from the prior books, and while there's a bit of context re-setting, there maybe isn't so much that you could get away with not reading the other books first; they're definitely a prerequisite. But, they're short(er), and easy reads for a foundation.
I rarely give 5-star reviews due to my rating rules. Disclosure: I'm acquainted with this author. However, I'm always committed first to an honest review, as my friends would prefer. And this deserves the 5-stars.
August 4, 2020
This is the best of the series (#3) yet. I will order the next one this week. This book also had good maps, an excellent list of characters and Japanese dictionary which proved very useful. For those interested in this time period of Japanese history (12th century) it gives a wonderful perspective. This book starts in the Spring of 1172 where a female samurai, Yamabuki begins her first journey, and adventure alone.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews