Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

DNF @ 45%

That cover. Please, let's make one of the new romance trends to have kick-butt ladies with swords gracing the covers. It's a great aesthetic. I think we can all agree. *chef's kiss*

I've read a couple of Lin's books before, the Pingkang Li mysteries, and a collection of short stories that are all set in and loosely connected to her Tang Dynasty series. I gravitated to this book because of its premise (a girl running away from her evol fiance who's been trained in the art of blades! and a White guy who's like a mercenary knight who's super attracted to her!), but I was a little worried about starting the book because the ratings are so low.

I bought it anyway because I love my friends but sometimes they can be wrong (lol) and I was so sure I was going to love this. Sadly, I did not. It falls into the trap that a lot of these Harlequin historicals do, where it just kind of feels bland and, as one of my friends called it, "condensed." It's like the book equivalent of eating oatmeal-- there's nothing offensive in it, but it's also really plain, and isn't as satisfying as juicy bacon.

I was going to try to push through anyway, but as I approached the halfway mark, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of chemistry between the two main characters, and the slow, plodding plot (it's basically one of those books where the hero and heroine just wander around, and I'm not super into travel stories). I also bought MY FAIR CONCUBINE by this author, so I'm hoping I might like that one better, as this one was, sadly, a bust.

2 out of 5 stars