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Yukiko
masquerades as a tayu, or courtesan, in the infamous
Yoshiwara pleasure quarter to lure an enemy into her trap.
Lord Tsunemoto Matsushita is the powerful daimyo she
holds responsible for the dishonorable death of her older
sister, Sadae. Yukiko has taken on the persona of the Lady
Azalea, and must guard her true identity until she can get
close enough to Lord Matsushita to kill him. This becomes
impossible due to her passionate feelings for him which he
whole-heartedly returns. He decides to purchase her
contract and take her as his concubine.
Will Yukiko
strike the fatal blow against the man she loves to avenge
her family honor? And what if she is wrong about
Matsushita’s involvement? Can she live with the heartache
and guilt?
The first
two stories in the Shunga Chronicles series (Lady of the
Snow and The Prince and the Assassin) carry a
mystical flavor and ethereal charm. I found that fey,
fairy-tale quality missing from Flight of the Heron,
although it’s laden with court intrigue, secrets, and plenty
of exotically kinky sex like the previous installments.
Yukiko and Matsushita weren’t as complex as Ms. Lee’s
earlier characters either; they seemed more straightforward,
unlike Sadae, the heroine’s shadowy older sister. The
intrigue encompassing her death is what makes the story
fascinating, along with the fact that the villains aren’t
always visible. I’ve come to appreciate Ms. Lee’s subtle
humor; her witty narrative and sly observations make her
stories sparkle. Flight of the Heron is an
entertaining tale overall except for some inexplicable
reason, I felt that it was missing the rich vibrancy of the
previous stories. |
