Articles liés à The Fragrant Concubine

The Fragrant Concubine - Couverture souple

Livre 2 sur 4: Forbidden City

Addey, Melissa

 
9780993181771: The Fragrant Concubine

Synopsis

Kidnapped. Blackmailed. Now, she must choose the future of the empire.

18th century Kashgar. Hidligh has only ever wanted safety and a full belly. On the street and living hand-to-mouth, the beautiful young woman is rapidly running out of any option but prostitution. So when she’s abducted by a Muslim noblewoman, she has little choice but to agree to the deal she’s offered: pose as a concubine to the Emperor of China and act as a spy.

Reaching the Forbidden City and working hard to win over her eunuchs and the other concubines, she succeeds in gaining the monarch’s affections. But as her shadowy “benefactor” loses patience, Hidligh finds herself entangled in a deadly web of vengeance and assassination.

With the fate of the Qing Dynasty hanging in the balance, is the Emperor right to fall in love with Hidligh? Or is his life in danger? And with secrets piling up around her and growing feelings for the Emperor, is Hidligh in too deep?

The Fragrant Concubine is the enthralling second book in the Forbidden City historical fiction series. Inspired by the mythology that grew up around a real woman, if you enjoy romance, suspense and a chance to see inside an extraordinary imperial court, you’ll be gripped by Melissa Addey’s absorbing novel.

Meet one of China’s most famous concubines. Buy The Fragrant Concubine today.

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Présentation de l'éditeur

China, 1760. The Emperor conquers Altishahr, a Muslim country to the west of his empire and summons a local woman from his new dominion to come to the Forbidden City as his concubine.
Meanwhile in the market of Kashgar a girl named Hidligh is kidnapped by Iparhan, a woman scarred by the Emperor’s conquest of her homeland and bent on vengeance. Iparhan offers her a deal: Hidligh will become the Emperor’s concubine, living a life of luxury. In return she will act as Iparhan’s spy.
But when Hidligh arrives in the Forbidden City, she enters a frightening new world. Every word she utters may expose her as an imposter. Iparhan is watching from the shadows, waiting to exact her revenge on the Emperor. The Empress is jealous of her new rival. And when Hidligh finally meets the Emperor, she finds herself falling in love...

"A passionate story, richly imagined in the spaces of real history. Melissa Addey meticulously evokes a strange, beautiful and harsh society." - Emma Darwin, award-winning author of The Mathematics of Love and A Secret Alchemy.
"Melissa Addey has given us a new take on the cherished but controversial legend of ‘the Fragrant Concubine,’ one that weaves together the many conflicting versions of the story and plausibly embraces how romance might have blossomed between the brilliant Manchu monarch and his fragrant Muslim consort." - Professor James Millward, author of A Uyghur Muslim in Qianlong’s Court: The Meanings of the Fragrant Concubine
If you enjoyed Lisa See's Peony in Love, Anchee Min's The Last Empress and Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha then The Fragrant Concubine will be a new favourite. Set in China's Forbidden City in the 18th century, where the women of the court vie for the Emperor's attention and every concubine must fight for her position.

Biographie de l'auteur

I grew up on an organic farm in Italy and was home educated. Along the way I’ve worked for Sainsbury’s head office looking after the organic range of products as well as developing new products and packaging; for Roehampton University developing student entrepreneurs; done a Masters focused on creativity and worked as a business consultant on a government scheme for over six years offering mentoring, advice, training and grants to small businesses, mostly in the food sector.
I now live in London with my husband, young son and baby daughter, looking after the kids and writing.

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