Pingkang Li Mysteries

Tang Dynasty China, 823 A. D. Musician Jia needs a valuable book of poems by a famous courtesan to buy her freedom... and she believes Luo Cheng has taken it. Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest! But when they finally find the book-and the arousing poems and artwork inside-Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng....

It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China... Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she's content to live in the shadow of her infamous mistress-until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang. Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely imagine, let alone share, but as they are thrown together in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to dream of a different life. Yet Bai Huang's position means that all she could ever be to him is his concubine- will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?

Welcome to the infamous Pingkang Li—home of the celebrated Lotus Palace courtesans, and a place of beauty and treachery... Charming and seductive, Mingyu is the most sought-after hostess in the pleasure quarter. She has all men wrapped around her finger—except Constable Wu Kaifeng, the one man she can't resist, the only man to have placed her in chains. Wu Kaifeng's outwardly intimidating demeanor hides a reluctant, fierce attraction to beautiful Mingyu. But the passionate temptation she presents threatens to destroy them both when a powerful official is murdered and they find themselves on a deadly trail. Amid the chaos, a forbidden affair could change Mingyu's fate forever, for following her heart is bound to have consequences...

CAPTURING THE SILKEN THIEF Musician Jia needs a valuable book of poems by a famous courtesan to buy her freedom...and she believes Luo Cheng has taken it. Her attempt to steal the book from him fails, but the tall and powerful scholar unexpectedly offers to help her quest. As they search for the book—and the arousing poems and artwork inside—Jia's longing for freedom is replaced with a new kind of desire for Cheng... THE LOTUS PALACE At the Lotus Palace, the best of society comes to drink and enjoy the company of beautiful and talented courtesans. Bai Huang, an eternal student at the Lotus Palace, is different from practical attendant Yue-ying in every way. But as the two are thrown together in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to dream of a different life. Their statuses forbid them from being together, but could they find a way to follow their hearts? THE JADE TEMPTRESS When a powerful official is found dead in a highly suspicious murder, Lotus Palace hostess Mingyu and constable Kaifeng become involved in the dangerous mystery. Amid the chaos, Kaifeng discovers his reluctant, yet fierce attraction to Mingyu, but the temptation to give in to her could destroy them both. After all, a forbidden affair is bound to have consequences...