Purchased from Audible as an audiobook, narrator Julia Franklin does a decent turn, managing to get voices that are different enough, especially for the men, as well as pronouncing (correctly I hope) the Japanese words in the text.

This book is broken up into several parts: the teenage Hannah, brought up in a privileged city atmosphere, head strong but understanding little of the world of men. Attracted by the apparently romantic sea faring men, she is horrified by her parents arranging her betrothal to a man who fondles her during a town party.

The second portion of the book tells of when she escapes on a boat, spending the next 18 months travelling to the newly opened Japan. Having thought the boat she sneaked onto was captained by her brother, she is shocked to find that the captain is some one else, who is less than the romantic ideal she thought he was. She keeps herself hidden in the bowels of the ship, along with the Japanese cook, learning more about Japanese culture and how to speak Japanese.

Trapped in a marriage she didnt want (to protect her reputation), she finds herself in Japan, kidnapped by a man who is fascinated by her thick red hair whose Sensei had predicted her arrival.

The next part of the book is dedicated to their developing relationship as she learns more about Japanese culture and the strength behind a Shogun and his daiymo. Their relationship is threatened on several occasions, particularly by Taro's sister-in-law, who wishes to be Taro's next wife, to the point where she is prepared to kill Hannah to get what she wants.

Finally, the disconnect between the western and eastern worlds comes to a head and both Hannah and Taro need to decide what's important to them.

Ultimately this is a standard romance story, in the standard format. There is the usual "threat to split the couple up" near the end, but the couple are finally reunited with all impediments neatly dealt with to make it easier for the couple to remain together. Once Hannah is on the ship, she spares no thought for her family (apart from her brother who she thinks is on the ship). Her parents and her siblings are never given a second thought, with no concerns as to what her disappearance could mean to the people back in England.There is an assumption that the reader knows the basics about Japanese culture so, for example, tatami mats covering the floors are not explained. The narrative switches between intense detail during a particular scene and "meanwhile, 3 weeks later.....this happens".

Reading back the above implies that I didnt like the book. Whilst I didnt hate it, I didnt adore it either. It was a nice book to listen to, it was a setting different to normal historical romances, and the author didnt treat the reader like a complete idiot. There's some adult situations, but described appropriately, so only the most sensitive will be offended.

Inglaterra, 1611. Hannah Marston envidia la vida aventurera de su hermano, así que se embarca como polizona en el barco de este. Al llegar a Japón, todo su sufrimiento se ve recompensado, pero entonces es raptada por los guerreros de Taro Kumashiro.
En el remoto norte del país, Kumashiro aguarda para ver a la joven sobre la que un vidente lo ha prevenido. Cuando se conocen, hay un choque de culturas y de voluntades, pero además ellos luchan contra la atracción inmediata que sienten el uno por el otro. Con su hermano buscándola y una celosa rival desesperada por matarla, Hannah se enfrenta a la mayor aventura de su vida. Y Kumashiro tendrá que elegir entre el amor y el honor?

I bought this book originally as I love the idea of a love crossing cultures. Nothing makes my heart flutter more than seeing a romance work over cultural barriers, all barriers really. Probably why I love forbidden or doomed romances so much... Anyways, I've only seen the romance between a white female and asian male in a historical setting done once so far and enjoyed that book immensely. So finding another made me ready to just dive in. Some ways I was pleased as punch; others left me not so pleased.

The greatest grin-inducer was the actual romance part of the book. My heart fluttered. My soul soared. And tears of happiness graced my eyes more than once. I really felt the love coming off the pages between these two individuals. Taro was respectful and caring without losing the harshness that came with being a Japanese medieval daimyo. Hannah was a strong woman with a will all her own and a heart as big as Japan. These two together was sweet, romantic, and just heart-lifing.

Another huge piece of enjoyment was how the author was able to bring the Japanese culture and the world of medieval Japan to life. I could really tell that she spent a lot of time invested in learning the details of the culture and loving it as well. She didn't shy away from the harshness that was present, where one wrong step could literally mean a beheading. Yet, she was able to also show the beauty of the simplicity in Japanese culture and the art the prevailed in everything from haikus to the kimonos that women wore every day.

I was not so happy with some of the secondary characters like Hannah's European "husband" and the Lady Reiko, antagonistic bitch-y sister-in-law to Taro. They were extremely two-dimensional and stereotypical. They just fell flat. I think many of these characters were just chucked in to create some padding to the exquisite romance and create some tension/drama. Very few of the secondary people got any development at all. The only, really, that I can think of right now is Hoji and even then it's really only in the 1st part of the book. Even that could be labeled as just setting up for Hannah's character development... Some more fleshing of the background folks would have been nice.

A few of the details in the background of the story could have stood to be expounded upon and explored as well without detracting from the main romance thread too much. I for one would have loved to maybe get more details on the ninjas and maybe more appearances by the great Ainjin-san (sp?). Both are used or mentioned more than once and so play very integral parts to the story. But they stay as plot devices for the love story and little else but window dressing beyond that.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable novel, and I highly recommend it as a fantastic love story. The romance was sweet, the hero/heroine very captivating and engaging, and the setting lush with detail. And while there could have been more fleshing out of background and secondary characters, the book really does stand as a very well done romance. Give it a whirl if you're in the mood for a little interracial sweetness in a unusual historical setting. ( )

Hanna Marston was not as pretty as her older sister and therefore her family didn't care about her, and wanted her to marry some old guy with 5 kids. Something that Hannah did not want so what does she do, oh yes she hides on her brother's ship that is sailing for Japan. I did like that she had the guts to do that. But as always, come on, are men really that stupid that they do not see that she is a girl, she was like there for 2 years or something. This is a common trope in books so I am used to it, but still it just makes me think men are fools.

Anyway she hid and she even learnt Japanese from the cook. Smart girl! So ok the rest were fools, but she and the cook who was Japanese were smart, lol. Which brings us to Japan. This is where the story gets good, because it's a premise I really enjoy. She gets abducted by a handsome warlord because his seer has seen Hannah in his visions. Of course the rest finds foreigners ugly but Taro is smitten by Hannah and she is finds him attractive too. And yes I do like the whole abducting a bride thing. Because he is a perfect gentleman, he asks her to teach him English and he treats her with respect, and he wants her whatever anyone else says. A romance is blossoming.

To the rest of the cast then, there is the wicked Lady Reiko who wants Taro for herself and is prepared to do anything. There is Captain Rydon and her brother Jacob, but honestly they are so much in the background so who cares. This is Hannah's story and her struggle. But she never sees it as a struggle. She holds her head high, she has respect for all, and when Taro says she is beautiful she gains self-respect too.

The book has romance, drama (a book always need a bitchy woman), and culture clashes, I liked those of you can say it like that. The Japanese finds the foreigners ugly and weird because the English never bathe. It was interesting to see a romance set in this time.

Conclusion:
The story was the best part of this book. She is the first English woman to ever set foot in Japan, and then a handsome warlord takes fancy to her. I do like doomed love. And it was an easy and fast book to read. Nice mix between historical fiction and historical romance. ( )