Susan Johnson, Pure Silk

Pure Silk

Susan Johnson

Kensington, Jan 2004, $15.00, 352 pp.

ISBN: 1575668092

In 1868 Northern Japan, the Otari clan loses the Civil War. When their leader is killed, his daughter Princess Tama flees the area dressed as a peasant boy with a plan to reach the capital and find passage to Europe to bring back her brother as the new clan chief. Tama reaches Edo where she sees American sea captain, Hugh Drummond enter a brothel. Tama forces the geisha Sunskoku to take her to see Hugh. For an exorbitant fee he agrees to take her to France where her brother lives.

They need to reach Osaka to sail, but Sunskoku reports to Chief Inspector Hiroki who begins a massive manhunt. As Tama and Hugh defeat Hiroki's ninja, they also make love when they find a few days of sanctuary. They reach Osaka and sail to France where she hopes to persuade her reluctant brother to return to Japan and where she knows that her tryst with her beloved will end when his western lifestyle intercedes.

PURE SILK is an exhilarating east meets west mid nineteenth century erotic romance that is at its best in Japan. When the story switches to France, it loses some energy with the meetings of his enervating ex-wife and her debilitating brother. Still fans of exciting historical romance that blends the XXX sex scenes into the tale and for the most part uses profanity in the right place will find Susan Johnson's latest purely delectable.

Harriet Klausner