The Last Concubine by Catt Ford Review

4 stars out of 5
This was just so fucking good. I just really loved reading it, and I really can't wait to read it again.

Synopsis:
"When Princess Lan'xiu's brother delivers her under duress into General Hui Wei's harem as a political offering, her only question is how soon her secret will be discovered. She is under no illusions: when the general discovers she is actually a he, death is his only future-though he doesn't plan to make it easy. Lan'xiu has dressed as a woman all his life, but he is no damsel in distress. He can swing a sword with the best of them.

General Hui Wei has everything a man could want: power, wealth, success on the battlefield, and a harem of concubines. At first, he regards Lan'xiu with suspicion, but he finds himself strangely drawn to her. When he discovers the beautiful young woman is actually a man, his first reaction is to draw his sword. Rather than waste such beauty, he decides to enjoy the spirited Lan'xiu's submission-and ignites a passion and desire deeper than anything he's felt with other wives. But court intrigue, political ambitions, and the general's doubts may be too much for their love to overcome."

**I don't want to misgender so I will be using he and she interchangeably like the author did in the book. I am extremely sorry if that offends anybody**

There were a few parts that annoyed me and I could do without, but honestly those were far and few between. I loved the love that they shared for each other, and I know that a few people din't care for the epilogue type ending of the "legend" but I loved it. 
 I just absolutely enthralled with hearing about how strong and devoted their love was, and how Lan's love affected everyone in his life. This was such a different and unexpectedly great read, and I am so glad that I listened to recommendations and read it :)

What I really liked:
-The battle scene. And I loved that Lan was referred to as a warrior princess, I thought that that was fabulous and now I really want that to be a term of endearment for everyone in books and life.

-All the fucked up shit we learned about the second wife after **SPOILER**she died. Dude the baby skeletons in the attic and the hidden secret child? What the fuck** END OF SPOILER**

-How fierce Lan was. I loved that he wasn't some victim who didn't fight back or defend himself. And at the same time was able to say that she missed her "husband" when feeling sad or lonely. He was such a complex character and I loved reading every scene that he was in.

-Bai. That's all I need to say, she was bat shit crazy in the best way possible.

I could go on and on about all of the things that I loved, but I don't want to spoil the whole book for you!

A few things that I could have done without:
-The crazy second wife. Yes she added immensely to the plot, but she felt so forced and like such a caricature most of the time that when she was in the scene I would roll my eyes and hurry past her crazy speeches. I did like the fact that she was insane and just kept trying to kill the sister-wives. I have no idea why I found that hilarious but I did; I think it was just the casual way everyone went about it that was so funny.

-The way Hüi went about letting the crazy wife stay in the kingdom? palace yards? I have no idea what the living quarters was called, but I thought it was really fucking stupid that he just let her live there with all the wives...that she has been trying to kill.

Final thoughts:
If anyone is worried about the multiple concubines do not fear there is never any cheating! Hüi has not been with any of the wives for quite sometime even before Lan showed up.

Just read it and give this book a chance. I went into it thinking that I wasn't going to be too impressed with it and up adoring it, hopefully you will too. 

Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan Review

4.5 stars out of 5

This was so unexpectedly amazing. Yes there were flaws(like any book), but I did not give a single fuck. That's how deep I was in while reading this story. 

Synopsis:
"Nobody knows who Miss Rose Sweetly is, and she prefers it that way. She’s a shy, mathematically-minded shopkeeper’s daughter who dreams of the stars. Women like her only ever come to attention through scandal. She’ll take obscurity, thank you very much.

All of England knows who Stephen Shaughnessy is. He’s an infamous advice columnist and a known rake. When he moves into the house next door to Rose, she discovers that he’s also wickedly funny, devilishly flirtatious, and heart-stoppingly handsome. But when he takes an interest in her mathematical work, she realizes that Mr. Shaughnessy isn’t just a scandal waiting to happen. He’s waiting to happen to her…and if she’s not careful, she’ll give in to certain ruination."

I was smiling, and swooning, and tearing up, I just loved every second reading about two amazing (fictional) people. I want to get lost in their story again and again. 
I loved how relatable it was no matter the time difference or intellectual difference I had with the characters. I felt so connected to them that when it was over I was shocked by how fast the ending came all while having a stupid smile on my face. I could relate to both characters so much that I agreed with both of them at a time when they were having conflicting feelings with one another. With Rose I can totally relate to struggling with a partner who is white, in a world that doesn't like mixed race relationships. 

Story time: I briefly had a (white) boyfriend once who did not realize that racism was still a "thing" and was appalled every time someone commented on our relationship. He couldn't understand how I dealt with people saying ignorant things to me on a daily basis, nor did he ever have to deal with his friends and family commenting on a relationship of his or asking inappropriate questions about a girlfriend before. It really opened up his eyes to the fact that our relationship would be hard work not just regular couple stuff between us, but also between us and those who had a problem with our different races.

So I could see why Rose (at first) just believed Stephen was trying to seduce her, not to mention he had a reputation for sexing up the ladies. Which I really couldn't picture because his character was so far from the "rake" character that that description of him felt odd. 

I could definitely understand how frustrating it was for Rose to have Stephen not fully realizing the hardships that would be in store for them...for life
But I could also understand Stephen's point that he really loved her and it didn't matter how hard situations would be, that it would only make him want to stand by her side even more. 
I just loved that their main sources of worry not really "frustration" was focused on how much they didn't want the other one to struggle or hurt. 

So all in all I fucking loved this story and would definitely recommend it to anyone. 

My only real complaint is how short it was.

**I haven't read the rest of the series, just this one, so it can definitely be read as a standalone if that's what you wanted to do.