Welcome Back, Everyone!
I know it has been a while since our last Meetup but I am back and ready to return to all of you and our book club. A lot has happened since our last Meetup, so I am excited to see all of you again and maybe some new faces, as well. For our first book back, I thought we would start with Historical Romance, this time in 1920's war-torn China, in "The Russian Concubine" by Kate Furnivall. Amazon.com describes the book as follows:
"A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center.
In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned to survive in a foreign land.
Often, Lydia steals away to meet with the handsome young freedom fighter Chang An Lo. But they face danger: Chiang Kai Shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like Chang, who has in his possession the jewels of a tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. The young pair's all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon them, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it."
Can't wait to read this one and hope to see you all there!
