The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay

Abducted by a warlord in 17th-century Japan - what happens when fear turns to love? England, 1611, and young Hannah Marston envies her brother's adventurous life. But when she stows away on a merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. Then they reach Japan and all her suffering seems worthwhile - until she is abducted by Taro Kumashiro's warriors. In the far north of the country, warlord Kumashiro is intrigued to learn more about the girl who he has been warned about by a seer. There's a clash of cultures and wills, but they're also fighting an instant attraction to each other. With her brother desperate to find her and the jealous Lady Reiko equally desperate to kill her, Hannah faces the greatest adventure of her life. And Kumashiro has to choose between love and compromising his honour.

This is Christina Courtenay's second book, the first being Trade Winds, previously reviewed on this blog.

This book is about Hannah Marsten, a young girl, living in Plymouth, with her family. Finding herself betrothed to be married to a man she hates, she takes the oppurtunity to stow away on a ship owned by her father, which will soon be setting sail to Japan. However, she stows away on the wrong ship and ends up becoming part of the crew where she falls for a fellow crewman.

Arriving in Japan, she is kidnapped by a warlord, however, their relationship soon takes a turn for romance - how will this relationship develop.

As with Trade Winds, I love Christina's style of writing. The book covers times gone by, along with the Chinese culture and I found myself learning about 17th century china while enjoying the book. Christina most of done a lot of research before writing this book, and her passion for the culture and customs really shines through in this book.

There is romance, aswell as drama on every page - the reader does not have time to draw breath while reading this book.

I really enjoy Christina Countenay's books and I look forward to seeing what she writes about next.

I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical fiction and romance.

Thank you to ChocLit Publishers for sending me this book to review.