BRAG Medallion Honoree The most beautiful garden in the world. The man who built it. The woman who had to leave it. China, 1720s. Giuseppe Castiglione, a promising and ambitious Italian painter, is recruited by the Jesuits to serve the Emperor of China. But his painting style is rejected as inauspicious. Meanwhile, Niuhuru, a grey-eyed, too-tall girl is chosen as a concubine to a minor prince and sent to live in the Garden of Perfect Brightness, where Giuseppe meets her when he is tasked with turning the Garden into a wonderland for the Qianlong Emperor. But as the Garden changes and Niuhuru is swept upwards to ever-greater importance, is something precious being lost? And will either of them ever be able to admit to their true feelings for one another? If you loved Memoirs of a Geisha and enjoy books by Anchee Min, Lisa See and Pearl S. Buck, then the Forbidden City series is for you. Based on real women in 18th century China who became concubines to emperors of the Qing dynasty and spent their lives in the Forbidden City, this is historical fiction at its most intriguing, gripping and romantic. An irresistible storyline with sumptuous character and setting details. Historical Novel Society Every time I had to leave the book, even for a short while, I was desperate to get back to it. Discovering Diamonds Melissa uses words to paint images and her writing is sublime. Reads Writes Reviews Five star reviews from Amazon readersA truly lovely story to read.Melissa Addey does it again, her writing is truly magical and so poetic.I felt transported to this time and place.Melissa Addey not only picks intriguing subjects, she's a superb writer.A historical novel of great poise, style and elegance.I have read all of Melissa Addey's books and every single one is excellent. Want to watch a book trailer for this title? Just scroll down on the US site, visit my Amazon author page on the UK site or come to my own website which has all my book trailers. Happy viewing! About author Melissa AddeyYou can read about me and my books (and get a free novella) on my website, MelissaAddey.com. I mainly write historical fiction, focusing on the Forbidden City in China's 18th century (now complete) and Morocco in the 11th century (completing soon). Next up, Ancient Rome! I'm in the final year of my Creative Writing PhD and was the 2016 Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library. In 2019 I won the Page to Podcast competition as well as the Novel London award.