Belated TBR Challenge Review: 深藏不露 (Beneath the Surface) by 退戈 (Tui Ge)

深藏不露 (Beneath the Surface) by 退戈 (Tui Ge)
Ancient Chinese historical romance

Song ChuZhao, who grew up in the border area and is unrivalled in her skills, exchanged “souls” with Gu FengJian, who lived in seclusion due to an injury in his childhood. Since then, the weak scholar Gu Wulang can ride a horse and draw a bow, and the unrestrained Song Sanniang can debate with scholars. Gu Fengjian was thinking about how to deal with it when he heard something knocking on the window pane from outside. The sound was very light and varied in pitch. It must be a stone. He walked out of the door silently, turned to the side, and sure enough, he saw the person who had been muttering just now on the high wall not far away. The two of them, one tall and one short, looked at each other from a distance, and showed extremely complicated expressions at the face that was extremely familiar to each other. Song Chuzhao’s voice trembled, and he tentatively asked: “Gu…Gu Wulang?” Gu Fengjian nodded quickly. Song Chuzhao was obviously relieved and adjusted [her] posture to make himself more stable. Gu Fengjian: “…” In his life, he never thought that his face would appear in a place like the top of the wall. – Translated from the original book page 

Or the blurb on NU:

On such a day, the fifth young master, known for his secluded scholarly pursuits and refined demeanor, accidentally revealed his mastery of martial arts and was now capable of effortlessly piercing a target with an arrow from a hundred paces.

The third young miss, raised in the untamed borderlands and unbound by convention, revealed a hidden talent. She could now debate with a room full of scholars, her wit and knowledge matching theirs blow for blow.

To everyone’s astonishment, these two had been hiding their true abilities. They were both forces to be reckoned with!

​November’s prompt is “it came from the 1990s” and … knowing absolutely nothing about the author let’s just pretend she was born in the 90s. That’s my prompt connection. I already skipped October’s “Spooky (Gothic)” because I felt nothing matched as much as Carrying a Lantern in Daylight so, yeah. Anyway, Beneath the Surface was an absolute delight. It might just come in second as one of the softest sweetest books I’ve read in my c[romance] novel journey, and that’s really saying something. If not clear, we’re talking about a body swap romance. And the most perfect delightful one. Imagine if you swapped bodies with the person most suited to fill in all your “deficiencies.” That’s what we’ve got going on with our pair. And they overall have the most wonderful, loving families – which also (sadly) isn’t something you see too often in cnovels. Anyway I loved this book and I know I’ll absolutely be re-reading it. I also keep clicking on the author’s name in NU hoping there will be more books for me – another historical, but no such luck yet. Alas. Another important thing is I think this book would be a great introduction or onramp to reading cnovels – nothing too difficult to accept culturally. Continue reading

A Working List of Native American Romance Authors

Hi friends, my apologies for being late on this! Happy Native American Heritage Month!
You may know I’ve been pretty “away from things” for the past year+ so this list hasn’t changed. As always I’m looking for more people to add – so if you know anyone please hit the comments, thank you!

Xio Axelrod
Maggie Blackbird
Marcella Bell
Christina Berry
Isobel Carr/Kalen Hughes
Pamela Clare
Louisa Cornell
Robin Covington
Kari Lynn Dell
Cynthia Eden
Yasmine Galenorn
T. J. Michaels
Danica Nava
V. S. Nelson
Alex Powell
Sharon Sala
Pamela Sanderson
Cynthia Leitich Smith (YA)
Dee Tenorio
Kristine Wyllys

A List of Romance Authors for Smithsonian Hispanic Heritage Month

Hi friends! So I know I’m late with this list – and HHM is from September 15 – October 15. Which, yikes, I’m really late, sorry. The thing is … I’ve been mostly checked out of romanceland for nearly a year. Also, I don’t know if the “best” term to use is Hispanic, Latinx, or Latiné. And then I fell into the crippling fear/state of “doing nothing is better than doing something wrong.” But then I was like “but I post something for all the other Smithsonian Heritage Months and it’d be nice to have these author names out there?”

If you know of anyone who should be added please let me know – thank you!

Lily Anderson
Carmen Baca
Natalie Caña
Sela Carson
Zoey Castile/Zoraida Córdova
Mary Castillo
Rebel Carter
Aleera Anaya Ceres
Andie J. Christopher
Chanel Cleeton
Claire Contreras
Alexis Daria
Liana De la Rosa
Taylor V. Donovan
Diane Escalera
Carmen Falcone
Barbara Ferrer aka Caridad Ferrer
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Johana Gavez
Cat Giraldo
Leora Gonzales
Nadine Gonzalez
Adriana Herrera
Isabel Ibañez
Dominique Laura
Julie Leto
Angelina M. Lopez
J.L. Lora
Evelyn Lozada
Ofelia Martinez
Mimi Milan
Janelle Milanes
Diana Muñoz Stewart
Laura Taylor Namey
Priscilla Oliveras
Berta Platas
Caridad Pineiro
Alana Quintana Albertson
Rosemary Rey
Elizabeth Reyes
Lilliam Rivera
Roxie Rivera
Danni Rose
Yamile Saied Méndez
Inés Saint
Lydia San Andres
Lynda Sandoval
Yaffa S. Santos
Jude Sierra
Sabrina Sol
Mia Sosa
Ada Maria Soto
Milly Taiden
Dee Tenorio
Allie Therin
Piper Vaughn
Jonny Garza Villa
Ismée Williams

And as always, on the off chance someone wants to be removed from this list, please let me know. Thanks!

Belated TBR Challenge Review: 九重紫 (Jiu Chong Zi) by 吱吱 (Zhi Zhi)

九重紫 (Jiu Chong Zi) by 吱吱 (Zhi Zhi)
Historical romance published in 2022

九重紫 book cover - it has the letters in calligraphy on it - the cover is in blues, with a moon a smidgen right of center. The bottom quarter to third is water with flower water lanterns, and a type of boat with the back of FL and ML pictured.She is the legitimate daughter of the Dou family who lost her mother at a young age. Her status is noble, yet she is like a floating duckweed in the wind, with a pitiable fate. Her past karma remains unfinished, and in this lifetime, she returns to the bustling world, leaving behind the past of the mortal realm, seeking only a peaceful and enduring life like a gentle stream flowing endlessly. But unexpectedly, fate plays tricks, the more she tries to escape, the more she becomes entangled in the mortal world.

In a single encounter, she intruded into his heart, and in the mysterious realm of destiny, their love bond was already fated.

He is the highly esteemed heir, elegant and noble, yet trapped by his birth father’s schemes, facing difficulties at every step.

Amidst a faint fragrance floating, in a fleeting moment of brilliance, he dares to touch the forbidden, abandoning the prestigious and beautiful branches for the sake of a sincere heart, secretly pledging himself to the beloved.

Love has already blossomed, but the inner demons are hard to quell. The harder it is to attain, the more relentlessly it is pursued.

He takes the beauty as his own, experiencing the joys and sorrows of life together, never parting even in old age. She gives him genuine affection and lends him a helping hand; he offers her devoted love, helping her shed all hostility. Through all the ups and downs of life, she and he weather the storms together.

Can holding each other’s hands bring a lifetime of peace and stability? – lightly edited from NU

So the prompt this month was “drama!” and honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what book to choose. I’ve read a few I enjoyed but didn’t love (or super hate…) … but this one is the basis of a drama I’m looking forward to, so we’re going with 九重紫. The upcoming drama title is Blossom – fingers crossed it’s good. I’m very curious how they condensed a 523 chapter novel into just 34 ~45 minute episodes, so we’ll see. (I mean of course there was filler in the novel that could be cut … but not that much.) All that being said, our heroine here isn’t someone you love right off the bat, but she grew on me and I really loved her and felt she and our hero were a perfect pair. (Which of course is the point, but it’s extra here.) Continue reading

TBR Challenge Review: 凤凰游 (The Phoenix Once Roamed) by 朝露何枯 (Zhāo Lù Hé Kū)

凤凰游 (The Phoenix Once Roamed) by 朝露何枯 (Zhāo Lù Hé Kū)
Historical Romance

In my youth, to save the crown prince, I became a demented princess, only knowing to follow him every day.
I once lost control of my bladder in public, causing him great shame.
The crown prince never showed disdain for me in public, but in private, he gripped my wrist, full of anger.
One day at a palace banquet, the emperor wanted to bestow a marriage upon me and asked which young man I fancied.
The crown prince’s jaw tightened.

Everyone thought I would ask to marry him.

Who knew I would bypass the crown prince, pointing to the Lord of Changguang in purple clothes, “I want to marry him.”
Ah-Man, though demented, has but one heartfelt desire.

I could not for the life of me find a cover of this book. I don’t even know how much the language barrier mattered – there wasn’t on on Novel Updates or on the translation site. I’d actually seen this story before but avoided it because it had a “tragedy” tag, and now I know why because I sobbed like a fucking baby while reading it. There were two things that pushed me to read it – first of all I’d read a few other shorts on this translation site, then one of the comments where it said FL likely has [some form of] “anterograde amnesia” not that she’s “demented” – I don’t know if the latter term is on the translator, or the author … and there’s a bit of a reason for why it isn’t made clear, at least not initially, but oof. I also read it because I was on a roll with heroines who were like “man fuck this guy” and had relationship glow ups, or at least didn’t chase after a [trash ass] man who didn’t want her. This story delivered on so many levels.

I don’t … know how to get into this book without spoilers, but I think even with some it’s worth reading? So anyway our heroine/female lead (FL) “Ah-Man” (I don’t think it ever gives her full name? Which this could be her name but I don’t think it is?) is a 郡主 (Jùn zhǔ) – basically a county princess, often the daughter of a second rank prince, but it’s also a title that can be bestowed upon a noble’s daughter or a meritorious woman. Due to an injury that caused brain damage, she can’t remember things, and is basically stuck at her twelve year old self. Her only friend is the crown prince. Initially people were kind and sympathetic to her. Seven years have passed since the incident. People then got impatient with her… and now they disdain her or are disgusted by her. The crown prince still stands by her, but… not entirely. He’s very constrained by status and society. Some of the cultural aspects I don’t understand, but basically he cares for her, but mostly to protect both her and himself tries to hide her away. She was bright and lovely, a genius, a “pearl of Luo Yang (the capital)” … but now she’s … this.

Our hero, male lead/ML thankfully is NOT the crown prince. He is the Lord of ChangGuang. His name of Yin Che and he’s the … uncle(?) of the crown prince. I really wish I could’ve found the raws (original text) because I wanted to know what words the author used for him, and also for the times in the translation it says Ah-Man is “demented.” Anyway, based on what I know of ancient culture and such, and from what very little is in the book, I’d say that Yin Che is a vassal king. He’s likely the younger brother of the current emperor, or some distant relative of the emperor who inherited his fiefdom. The Lord of ChangGuang basically gives zero shits about making friends or not offending people in the capital. He’s got his own status, and generally lives in Yan Zhou where he rules. He loves Ah-Man exactly as she is, and treats her well. He’s not going to smooth things over – if someone is shitty to or about her, he’s going to shut them up.

While writing this review I was browsing the story again, and came across these lines which made me cry:

In truth, I did not remember who the Lord of Changguang was.

Nor did I know if we truly had an agreement.

I only knew that in my daily record book, one sentence was highlighted in red, written on the first page, so I saw it every day.

“One day, if the Lord of Changguang comes to propose, go with him. The Prince of Changguang wears purple, don’t mistake him!”

I wrote that when I was fifteen.

If one day he truly comes, that is when Ah-Man should go!

There’s so much sweetness in this story, and so much that’s heartbreaking. Ah-Man has bursts of lucidity, but she can’t hang on to them. I can’t imagine having to deal with her condition – either as Ah-Man, or the people around her. Very few are kind to her. I know it must be frustrating, but also people are assholes. Hence my difficulty in describing this book. I loved that Yin Che gives Ah-Man a moment to shine, and sees the good in her. Ah-Man gets frustrated with herself too, but also every day is new because she literally can’t remember.

This is one of the times I really wish the story was longer – it would be so good developed further! But also it’s the perfect length. Readers are heartbroken, given sweetness, stabbed in the heart, given more sweetness, and you just have to read it yourself.

One thing – I don’t know how much of what the crown prince felt towards Ah-Man was genuine affection or love, vs. guilt and entanglement. Personally I felt it was more of the latter, or maybe just the author didn’t bother to explore what love there is. And … honestly it wasn’t needed either. He’s not our hero.

The Phoenix Once Roamed is an example of where I don’t know how much is due to translation – again, the use of “demented.” Because otherwise I felt the author dealt with Ah-Man and her condition very respectfully and beautifully. It’s realistic about her struggles, for her and the people around her. But also highlights her sweetness. One of the parts of Yin Che seeing the good in her, is also that she’s “pure” in that everyone and everything changes, but she remains the same. Instead of being annoyed or frustrated, he treats her condition as a delight – every time they “meet” is a wonderful experience. And I’m crying again.

There are of course more complicated plot points, but I really do hope you read this story. It took me less than thirty minutes to get through – and that’s counting all the time I spent grabbing for tissues. You might not be as affected, but that means you have no soul. Heh. I’m kidding … but not really. I know I’ll definitely be re-reading this story in the future, and that it’ll stick with me for a long time.

Grade: A

You can read the story here.

Belated TBR Challenge Review: 白日提灯 (Carrying a Lantern in Daylight) by 黎青燃 (Li Qing Ran)

So ALBTALBS was down for a few weeks which I didn’t even know it was down until I tried writing the July TBR Challenge review. 🫠 I tried contacting my host and everything and I guess there was some massive DDoS attack … and the site finally came back a few days ago. As my body and the universe hates me … I didn’t get to writing this review till now – cuz also procrastination is something I do excel at, unfortunately.
Anyway, to the actual substance! A review!

白日提灯 (Carrying a Lantern in Daylight) by 黎青燃 (Li Qing Ran)

Carrying a Lantern in Daylight Book CoverHe Simu used to pick up people on the battlefield to earn her a living, but was unexpectedly picked up by someone.
The young general who picked her up seemed to see her as a weak woman orphaned by the war, and took great care of her.
So He Simu conscientiously and dutifully played the part of the weak woman.
— “Oh my, blood! I am most afraid of blood, I faint when I see blood !”
——”This water basin is so heavy and I have so little strength, I can’t move it at all!”
——”You guys fight and kill all day long, how scary!”
The female general who had an unrequited love on the young general angrily said, “Brother Duan certainly doesn’t like such a delicate young girl like you!”
He Simu tilted her head: “Really?”
One day, the young general made a mistake on the battlefield, after being tricked by others.
He Simu, who couldn’t lift her shoulders nor her hands and would faint at the sight of blood, loosened up her muscles, and lit up a ghost lamp: “I wanna see who dares to bully our General Duan, little fox Duan ?”
Duan Xu then thought, he shouldn’t have provoked the Ghost King.
It took him several months to learn that her real name was He Simu.
But maybe even with a lifetime, he still couldn’t let her remember his name in her four hundred years of long life.
“My name is Duan Xu, Xu like in ‘Feng Lang Ju Xu’*.” (*a famous chinese idiom)
—————
The super strong female Ghost King female lead faking weakness daily and the cunning special soldier young general male lead blurb from NU

I actually picked up this book because I saw a melon that the book has been adapted, and the cast was Dilraba and Arthur Chen FeiYu and I thought “well that’s an interesting pairing” so I went to look up the book and was like “that blurb sounds fantastic!” And while I found it a bit misleading, I did really like the book, and think if the actors bring their A game it has the potential to be an excellent drama. So yay! I was also ready for some morally grey and/or trickster characters. Continue reading

TBR Challenge Discussion: (Bananapants!) The Double

Hi friends! So this isn’t a review since the series hasn’t finished airing yet – but like I said in my previous post – I live here now (thanks).

Seriously even if you have no plans of watching this drama YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE TRAILER! IT’S SO GOOD!

The prompt for June is “bananapants” and In a way, the drama is even more bananapants than the book. (Which is a transmigration revenge romance. I’ve heard rumors/people have said transmigration is banned in dramas, someone said because Taoism … but I’m pretty sure that isn’t true because Taoists believe in rebirth/reincarnation, I think? So …) ANYWAY.

In the first episode we have this asshole dude – and his asshole family. She’s this asshole’s wife! His mother and sister (so her mother-in-law and sister-in-law) drug her, and set her up to be found in an “adulterous affair.” In the time and culture that would ruin your life and reputation. (A family might be justified in killing you.) Dude – I call him the “trash ass ex (TAE)” pretends to save her, takes her to a remote mountain, clonks her over the head with a shovel, and buries her alive. *blinks.* I’m also not calling this a spoiler because all this happens in like the first ten minutes of the drama. (I saw someone say technically they’re still married and … my summer child, no. I don’t know who broke you, but if someone tries to murder you by ruining your life and BURIES YOU ALIVE … you’re over. You get to be free now.)

As expected, our heroine makes it out alive, and takes over the identity of another tragic girl. In the book it’s a bit “easier” for her to make a comeback because it’s “just” her soul in an entirely different body. In the drama … heh it’s literally the same person. The girl she “becomes” was abandoned by her family in this remote place for over a decade, with nobody visiting her, so it’s believable they have no idea what she looks like now. If course there are a few loose ends and either the people who notice don’t matter, or they’re addressed later.

We have a poisons expert (loved her character in the book, loathe the actress and the changes in her story line), fake pregnancies, murder – so much murder – illegal salt trades and gold mining, treason, rebellions, fake priests and possessions, along with comedy and sweetness. Great actors too. One of the initial villains – I hated her so much -SO MUCH- and even as I wanted her to die a horrible death I thought “damn she’s good at bringing her character to life.”

 

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I mean come oonnnnn. I do have a few minor complaints but those can be addressed later if I get to it. And as always – you can watch on Youku (which requires a subscription), or Viki (I think if you pay it’s ad free), or Youtube! Which is definitely free!

COME JOIN US! ONE OF US!

I Live Here Now, Thanks (Talking Up The Double)

Hi all! Since I’ve been convincing people left and right to watch The Double, a currently airing Cdrama, I was like “wait how could I ignore this whole ass site I own?” [I mean >.> answer is “pretty damn easily,” considering *gestures* – BUT ANYWAY.]

I’ve mostly been talking about it on Bluesky which is where I hang out most on the socials now … but I know not everyone is there (JOIN US!) And especially watch The Double!

I mean come ONNNNNN. 😻🤩🥰

You can watch up to episode 11 today … Youku keeps adding them. Live/if you pay for the Youku access the series is up to episode 21 with 2 more to be released at midnight. There will be 40 episodes in total so 😱 we’re more than halfway through! That means you can binge!

If you have Viki you can watch it there too. https://www.viki.com/tv/40573c-the-double

The English subs … *sigh* sadly I’ve noticed a trend where they’re not wrong in dramas, but they’re not right either exactly. Just, you kinda miss a lot. (And 😱😅 sometimes they are straight up wrong – on Viki at least that tends to get fixed. Maybe YouTube too.)

It’s such an excellent story and has fantastic actors! I’ve said watching this makes me want to re-read the book. But my second time around I’d want to wait for the book to be fully translated. Which … if they continue on at the same pace, already taking five years, will take another five. 🫠)

Lime’s Favorite Chinese Romance Novels (So Far)

Hi friends – shout out to Ki especially! ❤️ You might know about eighteen months ago I started watching C(hinese) dramas in earnest after not watching any for years … and after not having any interest in reading translated novels … hearing about an upcoming drama with leads I liked got me very curious – ironically that one is still being translated (I think it’s been like nearly six years and counting 😅) but I’ve read so many since. And generally I try to avoid MTL (machine translating/novels that aren’t fully translated so then you have to turn to a site that just plugs it into a machine.) Anyway I guess this post will “close out” APAHM 2024.

ANYWAY. What started off my reading journey was the drama The Double.

Yo I am so fucking hype about this!!!! LOL. Anyway, it’s based on the book 嫡嫁千金 (Marriage of the Di Daughter) by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke). I immediately read three of her other books (four if you count one I DNF’d at the time) – one I even reviewed … and it’s number one. (The list is in my reading order, not my “like” order, because they’re all pretty damn close.)

  1. The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage by Qian Shan Cha Ke book cover - it depicts a painted image of a woman and the title written in Chinese characters将门嫡女之定乾坤 (重生之将门毒后) (The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage) by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke). I reviewed it here. It’s a fabulous rebirth + revenge story that has recently been licensed to be adapted into a drama and I’m both very excited and nervous because what if the leads aren’t people I like or they ruin the story?! But anyway currently it’s the only fully translated QSCK book that I know of, and is definitely worth the read. You can read it here – I started with chapter 1 since the site doesn’t have an official book page/they list all their other translations too. I also really liked 重生之嫡女祸妃 (Rebirth of the Ill Fated Consort) also by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke). It’s a very similar story, but even more vicious. I like this genre though, with epic revenge, smart characters, and smitten heroes … so I went for it. I’m grouping it with Malicious Empress though because a) it isn’t fully translated yet b) as I said it’s quite similar (yet not). The latter has also been licensed for drama adaptation and … the rumors of the current FL make me incredibly sad so light a candle to the drama gods it’s someone I like in the end. 🤞🙏 (For Ill Fated you can read chapters 1-207 here and bless the person who picked it up – I haven’t read their translations yet but will at some point – from 208 on you can read it here.)

2. 重生之女将星 (Rebirth of a Star General) by 千山茶客 (Qian Shan Cha Ke). It’s already been adapted into the upcoming drama Legend of the Female General, which I believe is currently in post production. I really like both leads as well, but unfortunately it’s so early in the process there’s no trailer or anything to share. Anyway, this is obviously another rebirth/revenge story, but the revenge happens pretty “early” on in the story, and then we get more focus on our heroine and hero spending time together. (And sadly not. They’re both generals, and basically literally the pillars of the country with a shit ass incompetent emperor. At times I wanted them to be like “fuck it” and just leave or live in seclusion.) This author really likes tearing her characters apart. 😿 It wasn’t fully translated when I read it (heh in fact I think I read more than half of it machine translated?) But it was still awesomeThe translator is also relatively fast so … hopefully it’ll be finished soon? This book has such a bad ass heroine and I really hope the drama does it/her justice. I felt her “first life” was so goddamn tragic – even reflecting on it now my heart hurts. (I literally cried.)  You can read it here – as of today 189 chapters have been posted. I loved the growth our girl went through – twice. (And thus ends my recs of any not fully translated books.)

3. 九叔万福 (Greetings Ninth Uncle) by 九月流火 (September Flowing Fire). I reviewed the novel here. It was my first book by SFF and I liked it so much I immediately read five of her other novels – so I’ve read six books by this author which might be the most yet? I love how incredibly competent and practical our heroine is, and again our smitten hero, as that’s my jam.  It does peter out a smidge near the end but is still such a satisfying read. I think it’s also a pretty gentle “introduction” to c-novels. There are some pretty frustrating aspects but nothing too extreme – and a good snapshot of ancient life in China and their precepts. It’s also a “rebirth/revenge lite” in my opinion because that’s a part of the storyline, but only the beginning – and our FL only lived two years before she was “rebirthed.”  You can read the novel here. I’m also adding 我给男主当嫂嫂 (I’ll Be the Male Lead’s Sister in Law) by 九月流火 (September Flowing Fire) because I think it’s so damn close to being fully translated. (It’s kinda hard to tell because the translator(s) broke it up into MANY smaller pieces. Back when I read it I had to read the whatever MTL version of a lot of it 😭 … but it was still so good. It’s also a bit of a “rebirth/revenge lite” in that the heroine lived one life, died, and was like “well fuck that shit” but she isn’t out to “get” her ex … more like she’s a bit of a chaos muppet who loves watching shows – the shows being people making fools of themselves. It’s so satisfying and delightful. Once this book is finally fully translated I am absolutely going to (re)read it. ❤️💯 You can read it here.

4. 八宝妆 (Eight Treasures Trousseau) by 月下蝶影 (Butterfly Shadow under the Moon). I think I actually DNF’d this book the first time I tried it 😱 (or 😅 it might’ve been another book with a very similar start?) But anyway – I think the first chapter is a bit weak but then it really picks up and I quite enjoyed it. It’s not entirely clear that our heroine has transmigrated/there’s no “big reveal” or “tell” in the beginning like the previous books I’ve mentioned, but it becomes obvious as you read on. I believe our heroine was originally an actress in the modern world and her internal commentary is gold. I really love this author’s humor. In fact as soon as I read this book I read I immediately read four more books by the author – all her fully translated stories set in ancient times. You can read it here. There are a few more from her backlist I’m eyeing/waiting for the translations to be done … and some modern ones to add to the list once I get there though I’m still shying away from non-ancient set books. Which leads me to 何为贤妻 (To Be a Virtuous Wife) by 月下蝶影 (Butterfly Shadow under the Moon). Another transmigration story – I think the heroine in this one was an entertainment agent in the modern world? Another similar yet sufficiently different story (to me) to be incredibly enjoyable and I also plan on re-reading it as well. There’s a chapter titled “Imperial Knife Corps” that lives rent free in my head. You can read it here.

5. It happened! I finally read a xianxia! 勿扰飞升 (Ascending, Do Not Disturb) by 月下蝶影 (Butterfly Shadow under the Moon). It’s kinda hilarious to me how much I basically hate xianxia since it’s essentially the equivalent of high fantasy … but there too often are so many goddamn pointless misunderstandings. And what’s great about Ascending is that we don’t have that here! This is the fluff cotton candy absolute delight and joy of a book. It was sweetness and fun and if you want a pick me up read I cannot recommend it enough. I will absolutely be re-reading this book at some point in the future. It’s already been adapted into a drama – Ascending, Do Not Disturb – although the title makes me cringe – I’m already looking forward to it. I really like the male lead, and am curious as to how they’ll adapt things. Not holding my breath on being happy with it but if I am it’ll be a delight. It’s all the fun cultivation to immortality with a goofy heroine that is so sweet and talented and kind of “oops” and it’s hard to explain – you just have to read it. The drama finished filming not too long ago so I don’t think there’s a trailer or anything available yet. But! You can read the book – fully translated! here! I will say the beginning is the tiniest bit slow/you might be anxious because it doesn’t start with sweetness and light, but you get there quickly.

6. 爱谁谁 (Who Cares) by 風流書呆 (Feng Liu Shu Dai/Casanovanic Bookworm). I think this was the first book where I was like “I can read the original title without help! 😹😅” and also I like it so much more than the translated one/it doesn’t … argh. It’s hard to explain. But anyway. THIS BOOK. It has I think the hero with the MOST GODDAMN TRAGIC BACKSTORY I’VE EVER SEEN. And I’m taking into account all the gawdawful abusive insanity I saw in the decade+ of my ex-job. Anyway … this does not start out as an easy read. In fact at first I wanted to throw the [hero] into a volcano where he’d be kept alive for a thousand years to suffer. I was heated. But then we find out about him and I just … really truly loved him. I also really loved our heroine’s “fuck you, and fuck this shit” attitude. It’s a rebirth story – she finds out just how much of a trash ass man her ex (and his family) were, and wants to do everything she can to avoid him. Once she can’t, she’s basically like “nope.” Oh there was so much that was so frustrating but then so satisfying and all these twists and turns that had me 😱 and this is another book I’ll be re-reading. I don’t want to give too many spoilers – but really – power through the “grrr” because once you get to the sweetness I was 100% 😻 this guy ended up being one of my most favorite heroes ever. EVER. … EVER!!! You can read it here.

7. Daughter-in-Law of a Noble House book cover侯门新妇 (Daughter-in-Law of a Noble House) by 海青拿天鹅 (Hai Qing Na Tian Er/Sea Blue Swan). This book might be a bit more of a “typical” c-novel in the slow pacing and development, but I really appreciated the characters being slightly older. Our heroine is 20, and has been previously married (only kinda not really…). I can’t explain it without getting into spoilers but when I found out the twists and turns I was like 😱. It also gets into a bit more politicking than some of the others, and the characters face more difficulty, but it’s never too much/not “want to throw the book out the window or set it on fire.” Which … some of my other reads have edged into. If I recall correctly, this isn’t a book with rebirth, revenge, or transmigration – and that makes it different already. Our heroine’s family was framed and she was the only person who survived the calamity because the empress dowager was her relative. Life is not easy for her, but she’s a survivor. I loved how her initial plan was just “get out.” But also how our hero won her over. I read some of the comments/reviews first so I slightly spoiled myself, but I don’t mind in my c-novel reads because I need to know first I’m getting a happy ending. Also that someone said everything means more the second read/when you know how much the subtle little actions mean.

8. 穿成佛系文好命女配  (Transmigrating into the Female Supporting Character with a Good Life in a Laid-Back Novel) by 九月微蓝 (Jiu Yue Wei Lan). I’m actually really super sad it doesn’t seem there are more books by this author that have been translated. (I did read/try the other one in NU; not as good – such a big difference … it looks like she has a few more that I’d really love to read and for a few minutes I’ve even been tempted to give it a try myself with a combination of some sort of machine translating and having google translate read it to me or finding the audiobook …) Anyway this is a bit of a goofy title but it’s no lies given. I’m currently re-reading it (and doing some light edits for my own enjoyment) – if you’d be interested in that version let me know – but the original translator did a good job and inserts some images etc to give examples of what the text is describing. This is another relatively low stress novel – and sometimes you just need that. Our heroine is someone who transmigrated from the modern world into a novel she read, so she has a few “cheats.” There are also at least two other transmigrated characters, one being her older half sister who is just evil and unhinged … but in this case it isn’t too annoying because ~everyone else who is important is in on the “joke” so it’s more like “look at this clown” instead of “I want to smash people in the face with a brick.” If you want a feel good read this is definitely the book for you. You can read it here.

9. 三嫁惹君心 (Marry You for Three Times/Three Marriages) by 明月听风 (Ming Yue Ting Feng/Bright Moon Listens To The Wind). So Marry You for Three Times is the title of the book in the OverDrive/Hoopla system … Three Marriages is how it’s translated for Novel Updates… and if I were to translate it I think it’d be “Three Marriages to Provoke the Gentleman.” This is a book that isn’t translated but I JUST LOVED IT SO MUCH! SO MUCH!!! I listened to the audiobook (thank you library!) and loved it so much as soon as it ended I immediately hit “play” and listened to the whole thing all over again. Then I listened to three more books by the author. (I DNF’d one otherwise it’d be four – the DNF thought was because the narrator was so nasal I wanted to puncture my eardrums. Sad, cuz it’s a book I wanted to read.) I want to be like “YOU NEED TO LEARN MANDARIN SO YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS BOOK!” LOL. The first 38 chapters are translated with links here but it looks like it was long abandoned. Sob. >.> One day if I lose my mind I might give translating it a try … our chaotic couple treat arguing as their love language – but it’s not real arguments – more like teasing bickering. For example our hero talks about “punishing” the heroine by “family law” but it’s more … him being kissy and sex. Heh. (Although we never get anything too explicit because censorship rules/laws – damn CCP.) Another thing I loved is that our heroine is blind and you so rarely see any sort of “disability” in books. I loved the book so much I reviewed it … I definitely recommend checking your library/Hoopla if you understand Mandarin cuz then you can read it here. <3

10. 戾王嗜妻如命 (Tyrannical Wang’s Beloved Wife) by 昭昭 (Zhao Zhao). While I did really enjoy this book, in part I’m recommending it because of the translator too – and this is the first book where that’s happened to me – the Translator Notes are great, there’s so much detail.- and I think in part near the end when things get intense and she talks about having to translate Classical (Ancient) Chinese … it’d be like having to suddenly translate Latin or Ancient Greek and … respect. Heh I posted about it but I still have trauma from my Classical Chinese class I had to take in university … It’s a tiny bit of a mess because this book is LONG. Holy hell is it long. I think it’s the longest book I’ve ever read. I talked about it in my review here. The book is well over 2 million words. BUT IT’S WORTH IT. While I mentioned the hero is a bit extra, even for me, I understood why the way he was the way he was. I also loved how the story (with the extras) takes you through literally their entire lives. So satisfying! A tiny bit I wish the translator had done the “modern world” extra, but I also get why not because holy hell it was a lot. It took her nearly five years to fully translate, and she went pretty fast, considering we have another book that is less than half as long and only half translated six years later… ANYWAY. This is another transmigration story (😅 I don’t know if they’re just that hard to avoid or if I gravitate towards them?) – I loved our intelligent practical heroine and … while he’s Definitely Problematic in parts, he’s an absolute delight in others and seriously – I do think this is a romance because all his motivation is to make life as good as possible for our heroine. Gotta love that. 

There are more but these I think top my list, at least today. There are some other books I liked but are difficult. I’ve mentioned the more I read (and watch) I fucking hate Confucius and Mencius and their “men and women can’t have any interaction with each other and women should never show their faces in public.” Assholes. I’ve also mentioned how in most these books/made up dynasties the age of majority for women was 15 – which I think was pretty true throughout history? … In my brain I just age everyone up about five years. 😇 There might be cultural differences that make things more difficult to grok … for example filial piety was huge. Someone found guilty of being unfilial could lose their government position, and I think in some dynasties it was said even possibly a capital crime. It’s often weaponized by villainous characters. Those are just rants things though. Clearly I’m enjoying delving into this genre, and reading about different times and this culture, and all the kickass women and the men who love them.

I’ve also got a slew of books I’m waiting to be fully translated before I start reading them. Heh I kinda slowed down because at one point I only had like 3 more books in my TBR and none of them interested me and I panicked.

I also love how these novels have “extras” (which IMO are/should just be considered as part of the book…). Important to note is I think all of these are self published. I don’t know how it works in China/who has editors and such (I know some of the authors do) – but all the ones I recommended are pretty tight in their storytelling. Some you can kinda tell it was an earlier work, but I still enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s a bit of a wild game guessing if the “mess” is from the author or the translator. I think it helps sometimes when translators go a bit more direct I’m like “I know exactly what the original phrase was.”

I really hope some of you will read at least one of these books – I’d love to know what you think! And if anyone might have any suggestions for me! ❤️

TBR Challenge Review: Blossoms in Adversity

(This is a review of the drama (惜花芷)  not the book with the same name, because alas it isn’t translated. I just checked and it seems the book is 694 chapters with 18 “extras.” The length is often a bit misleading because the chapters are short and in no way compare to the ones we’re used to.)

ANYWAY! Blossoms in Adversity – LET’S GO!

The series description slightly edited from MDL:

A devastating tragedy of asset forfeiture to the throne suddenly befalls the Hua family. The men are forced into exile, leaving behind the women and children in dire straits. Hua Zhi, the young lady of the family, no longer stays low-key and steps up. She braves hardship and leads the women of her household to manage to avoid starvation and danger. She transforms not only their lives but also the feared Commander of the Security Bureau, Gu Yan Xi, into her beloved “Mr. Yan”. During these lively and heartwarming moments, Hua Zhi rises from a sheltered lady to the head of her family, leading her toward a brighter future.


The native title 惜花芷 actually means more like “Cherish Hua Zi” – I think the original drama title was going to be The Story of Hua Zi but it turned into Blossoms In Adversity which fits even better because 花 means flower, and it’s the family name. I loved the story and how everything made sense. Even when it was so frustrating I loved seeing the growth of the characters and how the family came together. I think it’s important to know that in ancient China society was made up of four classes: (scholar-)government officials, farmers, artisans and merchants. (And slaves). So the Hua family goes from the highest social class to the lowest. I think that helps explain the elders’ resistance to Hua Zi doing business. Also in the first episode, people might miss it, but Hua Zi shouldn’t even show her face on the street because she’s the daughter of an aristocratic house. (In fact she shouldn’t even have left the manor, but she’s an “unusual” girl and was “spoiled” by her grandfather who took her along with him to travel when he was performing his official duties when she was younger.) She goes into business not only to provide for her remaining family members, but also to redeem the menfolk from exile. Hua Zi knows under an obscure law that if she pays 500,000 liang (silver taels) one person can be redeemed. So she needs to make 21.5 million taels to bring back all 43 exiled family members. It is a staggering amount. I don’t know the dynasty equivalent or conversions, but at times one silver tael – a liang – was 1000 wen/copper coins. And I think there’s a scene that said an average family lives on 2-5 taels (though they said coins so 2-5k wen) a month. So … 21,500,000 is just … mind boggling and why her mother and aunts think she’s insane and just an immature child unreasonably dreaming. Continue reading