The Peony Pavilion

by fulushouxi

Jongwon is the Prince of Silla. Saemi is a rebel sent to assassinate him. One night they meet at the Peony Pavilion, a local entertainment house, and their lives are forever changed.

Genres: Historical

121 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2022

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "ultimate guilty pleasure" stars !!

THE GUILTY PLEASURE AWARD OF 2022

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for an ecopy. This was released August 2022. I am providing my honest review.

This little Korean queer melodrama melts the heart and stokes the loins.

We are in the far past reaches of Imperial Korea (time period is not mentioned). The sole prince visits the Peony Pavillion where he immerses himself in the young women who dance there. Until one day the girl happens to be a boy.... The prince and assassin fall in love and are immersed in court intrigue and revolution...their backstories are presented and can their love surmount the political upheaval ?

An exciting and romantic tale with moderate doses of both erotica and violence. Tender and sweet and this novella swept me away in the best possible way....

Aaaaaah.....

[Danai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily


This was an enjoyable short read, with beautiful writing, perfect for anyone trying to get out of a reading slump. Although the characters had a lot of potential, due to how short this novella was their relationship developed a bit too quickly and unstably, which is my only complain.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading this thanks to @booksirens for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. It is not my usual read - which is probably why it appealed to me and also why I found it so good. It is the story of Jongwon and Saemi. Two souls whose paths were unlikely to ever cross.. until they did. Jongwon is a prince. He is naive, he comes across with an heir of entitlement that rubs most the wrong way and he has led a sheltered upbringing, making him vulnerable. Whereas Saemi, is a rebel. And from a very young age he has been dealt hard pills to swallow and has been forced to grow up, well before he was ready, in order to survive. It all begins at the local entertainment house, the peony pavilion. Jongwon, with one two many wines, orders the new girl dancer to be taken to his room and demands for them to be left alone. During this exchange however, it is revealed that the girl is actually a boy and it is in fact a set up. But instead of fighting.. Jongwon starts to cry. This book starts of strong. It dives straight into the story. I’m unsure how I feel about it. It was like a reverse build up. Instead of slowly building up, it hits you head on in a matter of pages. It definitely gets your attention though from the get go and puts it in a league of its own. It’s an explicit read but classily so. It’s equal parts violence as it is erotica giving it a balanced contrast. This also allows for the story to gain traction. Just in the concept of opposites attract and worlds colliding, this blended way of telling the story makes it interesting to follow. I love that despite what’s going on around them, Saemi and Jongwon are at peace in a world of their own. Again, it’s that whole overlapping of two circles/worlds and the space in the middle is where the magic happens. It was quite beautiful the connection they shared and the bond in one another that grew. It was a level of dependence they both needed and wanted and in a way that was both missing in their lives as a matter of self security. This was short and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed. Something so different from my usual reads which I found refreshing. Just published: 20/8/22.

[Amy (literatiloves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)
Shoutout to Jaidee , because if it weren’t for his review, I wouldn’t have heard about this one!

Jongwon is a prince and Saemi has been sent to assassinate him but in this Korean romance novella, things don’t go as planned. The Peony Pavillion is a really sweet (aside from the assassination part 😂), m/m romance and I really enjoyed it. I do wish that it had been edited better (I think it was self-published though) because it’s a lovely romance but there were some mistakes throughout and I think that might dampen the enjoyment for some readers.
It has very few reviews but I hope more readers find it because it really is a sweet story. I read it a while ago and still think about it. I loved the ending and would love to know how Jongwon and Saemi are doing now and to me, that’s the sign of a good story.

[Ica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge shout-out to BookSirens and the author for providing me with this e-book copy. This book was published back in August 2022! I leave my honest review for this story.

If you are in a reading slump and need a quick and easy read, look no further. This book is just the thing for you! And if you are a fan of K-drama, then you are in for an entertaining read! I enjoyed this book very much. The romance was not overwhelming, it was just right for me. I felt like the relationship was a little rushed and would have liked to know more about Jongwon and Saemi's backstory, but I understand that it's a short book. That being said, it was an entertaining read!

[Sami Henning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and pretty easy to follow. I do want more insight on the couple though and how their relationship develops

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.