Book review : Sent to the Devil by Laura Lebow

Sent to the Devil
by Laura Lebow
Lorenzo Da Ponte Mysteries Book 2
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very nice mystery to read: real historical figures as main characters, all the charm of the setting of the Opera at theater and of the city of Vienna in the late 18th century, no description of bloody scenes and lots of history skillfully intersected with the fiction of the plot.

__THE PLOT __ 1788, Vienna.
The court poet Lorenzo Da Ponte is working as a librettist on Mozart's Don Giovanni, already successfully performed in Prague.
Although the theater is still open, these are hard times because Emperor Joseph II has declared war on the Turks and protest riots often occur in the city. Added to this problem are strange and shocking murders of representatives of the aristocracy and clergy.

Among the victims is also a long-standing good friend of Lorenzo, who for this reason is summoned to the police station and instructed by the police chief to participate in the investigations together with Count Benda (linked to the victim of the first murder).
Determined to help find his friend's killer, Da Ponte agrees to help in the secret investigations and together with another old dear friend, Giacomo Casanova, will find himself entangled in the delusional and paranoid plots of a deranged man obsessed with Dante's verses in the Purgatory of the Divine Comedy.

__________________________
I loved everything about this book because it is a perfect match with my tastes, but it seems right to recommend it only to lovers of light mysteries (for example cozy mysteries and classic mysteries).
Despite the title and the serious cover ( which I approve of ), the mystery itself and the investigation are not suitable for those who love fast-paced thrillers, with dramatic implications and bloody scenes.
On the contrary, if you love mysteries with a welcoming setting, cheerful scenes where you can breathe an air of friendship and complicity, an investigation in small steps and a human protagonist in all his points of view (he is not the fearless hero with investigative and elaborate logical deductions) and continuous historical references, then it's for you!

__ ALL THINGS I LIKE IN THE BOOK and the reason why I will reread it again in the future __

1_ THE MAIN CHARACTERS :
3 figures who really existed and who really knew each other in life and who really shared moments of friendship and complicity.
History books only tell us the facts of their life, while fiction allows us to take part in their joking moments, while they work at the theater, while they have a drink together, while they exchange confidences... Moments of life which, despite being created by the writer, are plausible in the lives of every person at every time.

--- Lorenzo Da Ponte, nearing his 40s, is Mozart's librettist.
Born in Venice, he took his vows as a priest not out of vocation, but because at that time it was a way to study. In fact, in real life he loved several women and even in Lebow's books he never fails to succumb to feminine charm.
The character, cultured, polite and kind, does not investigate by his own will, but finds himself involved in situations despite himself and it is funny to see him awkwardly face dangerous moments against wicked and cunning killers.

--- Giacomo Casanova, also Venetian, actually participated in the insertion of some scenes from Mozart's Don Giovanni, even though in reality he was in Prague.
Here we see him now 60 years old, but still charming in his ways and with a certain inclination for beautiful women.
Perhaps not everyone knows that he was not just a libertine, but rather a cultured and intelligent man, who also wrote several books and was an Italian diplomat and secret agent (among other things!).

--- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart needs no introduction, at least superficially everyone knows who he was.
A great composer, a fascinating genius in many aspects. Like many geniuses he had a restless soul, lived an unruly life (women, gambling, parties, debts... and so on ) and died young and with many debts.
I liked to see him in the very romanticized role of faithful husband (he wasn't) in a daily-life at home with his children and his wife Constance, as if he were in a peaceful period of his life.
I liked to see him at the theater directing the actors and joking with his colleagues.
I liked to forget for a moment all the wildness that was part of him and just see the sunny side of the character.
That's the beauty of fiction.

At the same time, once you leave the "bubble of serenity" of fiction, it is nice to discover what the historical characters were really like and know more about their lives.
This is one of those historical mysteries that reports true facts of that time in many aspects ( characters, literature, opera, politics and of course the beauty of the city ) and encourage me to discover more about true history.

2 _ THE SETTING:
As I already said, the setting is warm and welcoming.
I loved the scenes in the theater, during the actors' rehearsals (there are all the names of the real actors of that time), with their insecurities, their hysterics, their joking jokes and creative moments.
I liked to see how the same opera, already performed in Prague, was adapted by the composer and the librettist, depending on the type of voice and the singing qualities of the actor-singers and the place where it was performed (it was also necessary to take into account of the political climate and the ethical and religious reforms brought by the emperor).

In addition to the opera theater and moments of social life, the writer offers us an overview of the beautiful Habsburg capital.
As Da Ponte moves around the city for work or for his investigations, the book mentions streets, buildings, monuments and places that are still salient and distinctive points of Vienna today and can be visited by travelers and tourists.
I was born in Vienna and have returned many times, but I enjoyed traveling with Lorenzo in the 18th century and searching the web for old lithographs to immerse myself even more in the atmosphere of the time!

_ THE STRONG HISTORICAL COMPONENT which presents itself in various aspects and is perfectly mixed with fiction.
There are so-called "historical" novels where the only historical data is a brief reference to the period in which the story takes place and then there are "true historical novels" where the fiction is perfectly integrated with the events of real history, thanks to profound research and studies by the author and where we readers can enjoy the charm of the past.

- In this murder mystery novel the author offers us a glimpse of life into the political events and feelings of the citizens in that period;
- the author tells us about the protagonist's literary passions, bringing us Dante's verses in the killer's messages and explaining their meaning through Da Ponte's words;
- Laura Lebow talks to us about monuments, buildings and historic cafés, still icons of the city of Vienna, telling us throughout history by who and why they were built (then broadening the discussion in the historical notes at the end of the book);
- the story tells us real life episodes of the 3 main characters;
- we can directly witness the rehearsals and scene changes of one of Mozart's most famous operas and mentions many others created in that same period by other composers in Vienna.

All this is in the plot of the book and it's presented in a light and pleasant way, but incisive enough to tickle the reader's curiosity to find out more.

An applause to the author, who I hope will one day decide to continue this series, telling us about other works on which Da Ponte worked, not only in Vienna, but also in the other cities in which he lived.

---> Clean language, 1 sex scene barely mentioned and without any description.
---> This mystery is also suitable for young adults, lovers of cozy mysteries or classic thrillers.
I recommend it if you are more interested in the overall story of the book and not strictly in the mystery and investigation, which is interesting, but does not offer great tension and pathos. The solution, however, is unexpected and surprising.

This is installment #2 in "Lorenzo Da Ponte series", if you are glad to read my review about book #1 ( The Figaro Murders), you'll find it here :

#BOOK 1 : THE FIGARO MURDERS "Lorenzo Da Ponte Series"

Thanks for reading my review and apologies for my English, it's not my native language.

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Book review : Shadow of the Alchemist by Jeri Westerson

Shadow of the Alchemist
Crispin Guest Book #6
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson

My rating: ★★★★★
5 full stars ! 😃
Installment #6 in the Crispin Guest series and one more time was an exciting read!

__ THE PLOT IN SHORT__ 1387, London. This time Crispin Guest, a disgraced former knight, now known as the Tracker, the one who finds lost things (or people), is hired by a French master alchemist, secretly staying in London, to find his wife and missing assistant.
One of the two is immediately found dead and the other kidnapped.
No ransom money, but riddles, several strange characters and other crimes, seem to lead Crispin towards a single path...
No holy relic and no parchment is valuable, this time, the historical object at the heart of this story is a legendary object, which tickles the imagination and credulity of people: the "Philosopher's Stone", which can transform objects into gold and can give eternal life.

*************

It is a fast-paced mystery, with more than one crime to solve: a murder and a kidnapping, a mass poisoning, mysterious characters, misunderstandings and liars, against the backdrop of recent political plots.
A race against time to save the kidnapping victim, through puzzles to solve, by a villain full of hatred and skilled in disguises.

___ HISTORICAL EVENTS FORMING THE BACKDROP___ The end of the year 1387 in England was a turbulent time, as Jeri Westerton tells us in the final notes.
Along with the fictional characters, as in every book of this series, we find other characters who were real historical figures.

The king who banished Crispin Guest from court is Richard II and the house to which Crispin was linked when he was a knight is that of Lancaster.
---> While in the previous books we often meet John of Gaunt (father of the future King Henry IV), here, as in book #5, we meet his eldest son, the young Henry, Earl of Darby and future king of England.
While Crispin runs around half of London trying to solve strange riddles and capture the culprit, Henry, very dear to Crispin, participates in the "Lords Appellant" group, aristocrats who impeached five of the king's favorites, to curb what was seen as a tyrannical and capricious government.
Henry finds himself in the crosshairs of those who want to eliminate him as a possible candidate for the throne, but despite being a friend of Crispin, he never fully reveals the truth about his role in the various affairs, so our hero is continually torn between affection and suspicion.

---> Even the alchemist Nicholas Flamel (also present in Harry Potter) and his wife Perenelle, are figures who truly existed in the 14th century, although, as the writer explains in the notes, they were not alchemists.
Actually Flamel was a writer and seller of manuscripts who, thanks to his interest in the Philosopher's Stone and his studies on it, was thought as an alchemist in the following centuries.

Political events appear only marginally during the story of the book, while at the end many points and all developments are clarified.

I really like following Crispin's stories intertwined with the several historical real-life figures.
I use to love, while reading, exploring the true story of those really existed characters on the web and feeling like I am a participant in those historical events, thanks to the dialogues of the characters in the fiction.

___CRISPIN GUEST, THE MAIN CHARACTER ___
I love this character with all my heart!
He is young, courageous and full of ideals, but he doesn't always do or think the right thing... in fact the author also shows his flaws and this makes him feel more real and more human.

While the series begins with Crispin feeling sorry for himself, with each book and adventure, our ex-knight matures as a person, learning to have a more open view of people and facts and while remaining very proud, we discover that he has a very big heart.
Over the course of the books, he earned the appreciation and affection of the poor people and found some true friends at court.
I'm really happy that in this book, he also manages to have a semi-official demonstration of esteem and affection, which he would never have expected.

---> In addition to Crispin, the character of Jack, the little cut-purse, also grows, becoming Crispin's now honest assistant.
As a boy we see him slowly become a man and in each book his affection and loyalty (both reciprocated) for Crispin, manage to move me. I love him too.
Together they are the perfect duo.

NOT a "cozy" mystery : there are no gruesome scenes in this book, but it has happened in other books in the series.
No foul language, but every now and then a bad word can happen by villains (not here that I remember).
Also in this book, as in the others, there is a woman who manages to enchant Crispin and although it is not a serious love story, but more cuddles, sex and physical attraction, I am happy to see Crispin momentarily more satisfied and less "alone" than the moments in which he drowns the sorrows of love in wine.
--> Kisses and a non-explicit sex scene.

___ TO CONCLUSION___
Thank you for reading my review and please be lenient with my English: it is not my native language.
I'm not good at writing reviews, but I hope that my enthusiasm for this series does enough justice to "Crispin Guest" and its author, even if readers' taste is subjective.

I hope you can find the necessary guidance in choosing or not choosing the book.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones" :

BOOK #5 "Blood Lance" :



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Book review : Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander

Dangerous to Know
by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries book #5
GENRE : #historical-cozy-mystery

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,7 stars rounded up to 4.

Another mystery very hard to solve, this time set in wonderful Normandy ( France ).

I love to read the "Lady Emily mystery series", because it leads me through the most beautiful places in Europe and through the history, art and real-life historical figures of its charming regions, cities and towns, in the late Victorian era and later in the series in the early 1900s.

__ PLOT IN BRIEF __ 1892. After a disastrous honeymoon in Constantinople, where Lady Emily risked her life and lost the child she was carrying, she is now convalescing, accompanied by her husband Colin, at her mother-in-law's residence in Normandy .
Here Emily not only meets characters of the caliber of Monet and Maurice Leblanc, but she meets the fascinating thief Sebastian and comes across a terrible murder and perhaps even a ghost.

___THINGS I LOVED ___

As you may have guessed from the plot, there's a lot of stuff in this installment #5.

The mystery begins immediately with the gruesome discovery of a corpse, in which the killer's modus operandi brings to mind London's famous Jack the Ripper.
The discoveries regarding the victim's past, however, lead to different paths and Lady Emily, still very sad and sensitive for the loss of the child, finds herself facing other difficult issues: mental disorders and the shame that family members often felt when someone he was affected by it in his family.
The etiquette of good society and the terrible pressure that women underwent at that time in not being able to show their feelings and suffering, the lack of freedom in expressing themselves and the absurd submission that was imposed on wives by their husbands... and despite Emily's modernity and the declared equality of the 2 spouses within the marriage declared by Colin, we will see that this couple in love will also have big problems in this regard.

In addition to the murder, from the beginning of the story, we meet the supporting characters, among which the famous Claude Monet, impressionist painter who had just married his lover of many years Alice Hoschedé and the writer Maurice Leblanc, father of Arsène Lupin and who was then still a young journalist.

Tasha Alexander, the author, allows us to have tea with the famous painter in his beautiful home in Giverny, and it is fantastic to find ourselves immersed in the beautiful gardens that Monet loved so much. We breathe in the enchanting atmosphere of the village of Giverny with its half-timbered houses and rolling hills.
No less enchanting is the atmosphere of the medieval towns of Rouen, in which Lady Emily recalls that Joan of Arc was burned.
Not much is said about personal life of Maurice Leblanc, but is good to watch him to take part from time to time in this investigation.
The author also makes the reader understand that Leblanc was inspired by the friendly and charming gentleman thief Sebastian Capet (fiction obviously, in fact Sebastian is a fictional character) to write the his future novels starring the legendary Arsène Lupin.

As I already said, each historical mystery in the Lady Emily series is a journey through history and different places, interesting to visit and that will make you want to travel right away!
The descriptions range from landscapes to city streets, from historical events to the traditional gastronomy of the place, from habits and customs to the fashion of the time and place.
This does not prevent the author from creating complicated puzzles in each book in which it is really difficult to guess the culprit.

__LITTLE THINGS I LIKED A LITTLE LESS ___

Perhaps the thing that made me lower my rating for the book was the prolonged argument between Emily and her husband Colin. Not because the discussion itself bothered me, on the contrary, I liked seeing the couple with problems of misunderstanding, more similar to reality than a perfect sappy relationship that doesn't exist in any couple in the world...

What bothered me was Colin's unexpected arrogance and his alternation: imposition and "I love you", imposition and prohibitions and then again "you know I love you"... Wow, it really made me nervous and it made me even more angry with Emily, who, despite being dissatisfied, was trying to submit to this... true at the time it was like that, but it really made me nervous and even if they finally made peace... I wasn't satisfied with the motivation.
I like Emily's independent spirit and wish she had done more to be respected.

Another thing that had a negative impact on my rating was the presence of what was believed to be a ghost... Tasha Alexander often includes fake ghosts in her short stories (I have read all those published in the series) and it is a topic which I don't like very much and if it can fascinate me once, if it is repeated in several books of the same series, it tires me.

___ SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE MORE IN THE SERIES ___

The only topic I would like to see more often and I could never get bored is actually a side character: Sebastian, the thief with refined taste... I love him!
He is charming, gallant, always ready with a joke and unpredictable, even if he may look predictable.
He appears for the first time in book #3 (A Fatal Waltz, set in Vienna), where it is impossible not to fall in love with him. He reappears here and will reappear in book #12 ( Death in St. Petersburg ), which I read last year and I highly recommend it, it's a great read.
I already know that Sebastian will not appear in more books than those named by me ( among those already published), but I hope to have the pleasure of his presence in future books in the series.

I've read many books in this series out of chronological order and although the stories are connected to each other by Lady Emily's personal life, they all are readable as a standalone.

Clean language, no sex or kissing scenes, no violence, no gruesome descriptions.
Therefore a historical mystery also suitable for the youngest and those who love cozies.
If you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it the same as me.

Thank you for reading my review and please forgive my bad English, because it is not my native language.

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #2 : A Poisoned Season

BOOK #3 : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

BOOK #4: Tears of Pearl

BOOK #13.5 : Upon the Midnight Clear ( Christmas novella ) BOOK #17 : A Cold Highland Wind




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Book review : Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Tears of Pearl
by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries book #4

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,5 stars rounded to 4.

A very intricate mystery!

___ THE PLOT IN SHORT____ Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves, diplomats of the British Empire, are finally married and can't wait to enjoy a relaxing and magnificent honeymoon in an exotic place. Their choice falls on the wonderful Constantinople.
Of course as always, plans don't go as planned and on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered, strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan’s lavish Topkapi Palace.

An Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople is present and recognizes the girl as his daughter, kidnapped twenty years earlier.
Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken man that they will find the girl's killer.
As a woman, Emily has access to the forbidden world of the harem and soon discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless killer.

As the death toll grows, Emily must rely on her sharp wits, putting her life at great risk and possibly with very serious consequences.

***************

The author is skilled at leading the reader to believe they can predict what will happen, but you really can't!
More and more characters enter the scene with each chapter, and any hypothesis you formulate ultimately turns out to be wrong.
You won't figure out what happened until almost the very end.

I really enjoy that Lady Emily's adventures often take place outside of England.The descriptions of the places, important buildings, customs, and traditions are so vivid that you feel like you're actually there.

In each book (this is the fourth in the series, but I've read others out of order), there are mentions of her past adventures and several characters who are part of her life. Some are often involved in her investigations or appear even sporadically, perhaps writing a letter or making a courtesy call, which makes Lady Emily's life and character feel very real.

____CHARACTERS____
The characters are well-defined, each with their own distinct personality traits, both positive and negative.

While I generally like Emily's character, I sometimes get irritated because she rarely follows Colin's well-considered advice. She often acts irresponsibly on her own. In this book, Emily is pregnant; initially, she's unsure about being happy, but regardless, she repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations, risking the baby's safety.

I'm giving this Lady Emily mystery 3,5 stars for two main reasons:

1)__The complicated mystery is enthralling, but when things drag on without a resolution, it becomes frustrating and I lose interest in the book. I ended up skimming the last few chapters because, for my taste, it felt like the story kept going in circles without reaching a conclusion, and I grew tired of it.

2)_ When I was a child, I was fascinated by the stories of Aladdin's lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, by women dressed in colorful veils, and by sultans with amazing turbans.
But obviously, harems weren't entirely happy places. The women were prisoners, often kidnapped from their families, and even among them, friendships were difficult to form. Instead, they lived in constant rivalry, vying for the sultan's favor and a better life. This reality, also present in the book, prevented me from fully appreciating the setting, and to this day, the Middle East remains a fascinating place for me, but one I'd be reluctant to travel to. because of this the book didn't fully capture me as the other books.
Probably because of this, the book didn't fully captivate me as the other books in the series have.

( I'm Italian and my English isn't perfect, but I hope I've explained my thoughts clearly! )




If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #2 : A Poisoned Season

BOOK #3 : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

book #5 : Dangerous to know

BOOK #13.5 : Upon the Midnight Clear ( Christmas novella )




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Book review : Vienna Dawn by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Dawn
by Mary Lancaster
The Imperial Season book #3
GENRE : #regency-suspence-romance

My rating: ★★★★★

Actually 4.6 rounded up to 5 stars.

Another lovely regency romance by Mary Lancaster!
I adored the "Imperial Season" series ( 3 main works ) set in the capital of Austria during the 1814 Congress of Vienna.
The 3 books are all wonderful and well connected to each other. Each book tells the love story of a specific couple with several important side characters that we meet in all 3 books ( sometimes in the  main roles and sometimes in secondary roles ).

There is also a short story as book 4 in the series ( which I haven't read yet ), but it's very very short and with brand new characters that are not connected to the ones in 3 main books. The only thing in common with the other 3 novels in the series is the setting : 1814, Austria :  Congress of Vienna.  

__ PLOT in short __ Autumn 1814, Vanya's family (book 1), mother, 2 sisters and the husband of one of them, are going to Vienna. Following an argument, Dunya, the heroine of this story, runs away but runs into a libertine who tries to take advantage of her.Entering a random room in an inn, she meets the English captain Richard Trelawny, who lost an arm in the war, but has lost no gallantry, no generosity, no courage.
 Together with his faithful servant, he saves the girl and decides to help her in her plan to win back an old boyfriend, thus rediscovering verve and joy of living. Lies, misunderstandings and dishonest people will complicate the whole situation, bringing a whirlwind of negative and positive emotions until the happy ending.

____ WHAT I LIKED IN THE BOOK ___
Speaking of this 3rd installment I loved the main couple: Dunya, a young Russian countess without dowry and sweet and handsome and also penniless Captain Trelawny.

Their falling in love happened slowly and neither of them ever denied it to themselves.

There are only two kisses in the book (while I expected more like in book 2), but the plot, despite being light, completely involved me from the beginning.

---> I liked Dunya's liveliness, resourcefulness and ability to admit that she was wrong about some people.
---> Trelawny made me fall in love right away, not only because he is handsome and doesn't back down when faced with the needs of others, but because despite the horrors of war and the loss of his arm having dulled his desire to heal and live a little, he doesn't cry on himself.
Indeed, he gets involved in the girl's vivacity and without ever having an ulterior motive, he protects her and supports her in his plans so that she can find happiness.
Honor, kindness and honesty are not his only qualities. He's also smart and brave, in fact, the war has taught him to fight and despite not having an arm, he doesn't hold back when it comes to foiling an espionage plan or confronting the arrogant and despicable person with the sword.

---> I loved the fact that the protagonists of the 1st book (Lizzie and Vanya and the children with the dog and other characters) were secondary characters in this 3rd installment and I liked finding again, even if only in small cameos, the protagonist couple of book 2 ( Esther and Zelig).
Finding characters I was already very fond of and seeing them actively participate for most of the narrative allowed me to enjoy the whole story even more.

___ LITTLE THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE so as not to give 5 full stars___
I rated it only 4.6 stars ( rounded to 5 because Goodreads doesn't allow half a star ) and not a full 5 stars, like the 2 previous books, because though the love story is gripping and very sweet to read, there are some open doors ( especially one in the ending ) which not only weren't necessary but they lead the reader to think that some events and adventures will follow ( in this book or in the next one ), but the truth is that the series is closed ( the last book is dated 2017) and the short story written by the author as book 4 is not connected to either the events or to the characters of the previous 3 book.
This means that I finished reading the book with a bit of terrible feeling of dissatisfaction and things left unfinished.

TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T MIND SPOILERS and also TO THE AUTHOR just in case she reads my opinion, I will explain myself a little better :  
There are 3 things that remain open:

__ 1) the most important at the end : ___WARNING : SPOILER____ our couple is stopped by two highwaymen with rifles, who then change their minds and leave. Dunya asks Richard who the villain was with the gun pointed at them, since it was clear that he recognized Richard and therefore let them go without robbing them. Richard doesn't answer and the novel ends with something unfinished which is decidedly annoying for the reader. This cliffhanger would make sense if the series continued, but it didn't and it made me angry. ___SPOILER END ____

__ 2) The second thing is less important, but it seems like the introduction to a new story and instead it leads to nothing: ___ WARNING: SPOILER____in this book we find Misha, Vanya's trusted servant, brother of the novel's heroine. Misha convinces Dunya (the heroine) to take in a maid who was being mistreated and this is because it turns out that he is in love with her.
Maria, the maid and Misha, are mentioned a couple more times and then in the end Dunya and Richard leave on a trip with no definite return, around the world. Dunya says she wants to give Maria time to say goodbye to Misha and hopes that Misha will maybe ask her to marry him, but still he takes the maid with him, separating her from her beloved... BUT WHAT'S THE SENSE? The author could have written that Maria married Misha and they both remained employed by Vanya or another solution for them to be together. What the hell is the point of introducing a newborn love and then separating the characters forever, other than disappointing the reader? Let's remember that these are light romances where there is a happy ending for all the good characters (and here we even had a happy ending for a really bitchy girl, another thing I didn't like) ___SPOILER END ____

__3) This third thing is perhaps not so important, but it bothers me that it doesn't make sense:
___WARNING : SPOILER____ at a certain point in the novel, the heroine's mother says a sentence that has nothing to do with the important events and characters at that moment.
He asks her if she treats her daughter-in-law (Lizzie, heroine of the first book and Vanya's wife) badly. Everyone answers yes in unison, then the whirlwind of events continues its normal course.
THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION and THAT ANSWER make the reader assume that there will be a clarification between the two characters and that Vanya's mother-countess will finally begin to treat her daughter-in-law with affection... NONE OF THIS... nothing happens in this book or in the next one because there is no continuation of the events of these characters.
At the end of the book Vanya says that Lizzie will try to talk to the angry countess... but then nothing more is said, no scene between the two women is described and she will no longer know anything about their relationship.
It seems that the writer thought about improving the relationship between the two characters, but then changed her mind (did she forget? Did she no longer want to dwell on the novel? ) well, in this case, before printing the book she should have deleted that question and that answer from the others... IT MAKES NO SENSE ___SPOILER END____

___ __IN CONCLUSION: do I recommend reading the book? Certainly yes and even if readable as a standalone, I recommend reading the series in order or at least the first book, because you will be better able to enjoy the presence of the side characters and their actions.
---> Book 2 is not important to enjoy book 3, but book 2 for me was absolutely the best, so don't miss it!

:-) Apologies for my faulty English, which is not my native language, thank you for reading my review, I hope it can be useful to you in choosing whether or not  to read the book.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #2:
#1 Vienna Waltz
#2 Vienna Woods

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Book review : An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton

An Honourable Thief
by Douglas Skelton
Company of Rogues book #1

My rating: ★★★★☆
3.7 rounded up to 4 stars is my actual rating.

It really took me a long time to get into the book and to get fond of the characters but finally, almost halfway through the novel I felt involved in the plot.

The author divided the story into 3 main parts.

-----> Part 1 starts with a lot of action and humorous lines by the main character and the villains and other people around him.
I generally love action and also humorous books. I dare say that action+humour+mystery-or-and-adventure is the perfect mix for me, but I had a great problem with this story.
The humorous lines were indeed so exasperated and the dialogues with jokes so long that they sound ridiculous, it sounded like reading an old hard boiled starring Sam Spade ( do you know The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett ? ) with a fatal female or some comics starring Spider or Batman... I expected to read "boom, splash, boing, gulp, crack and so one " at any moment !

I take the author wrote PART 1 of the book as a sort of introduction to the hero and his way of living... but too many chapters with action and jokes with no real substance...it felt more like a competition between the hero and his adversaries to prove who was the coolest.

___ THE PLOT begins in fact with Jonas Flint, the hero, who despite having been a thief and a scoundrel, works as a sort of secret agent for an important character who in turn works for the monarchy.
The action I was talking about takes place during a mission, in which the character shows off all his James Bond skills, with guns, sword and dagger and during the danger and fighting he also has time to joke non-stop.
We are in 1715 London and the main mission of the book is to recover a document written by the dying queen, which could compromise the future of the throne and the stability of England in a period in which the Jacobite uprisings are already causing unrest and death.

Part 1 also introduces the historical setting of the novel.
When a sovereign has no direct heirs there's always great tension and a great risk of riots, revolts and wars to gain power...

------> PART 2 was a little more serious and far better than the first one.
It takes the reader into the hero's past life and and deeper into the patriotic feelings of the people, especially the Scots towards the English monarchy, in the daily difficulties of common people and in the dullness of thought that, at that time, saw slavery as normal.
The intelligence and sensitivity and goodness of heart of a few people were unfortunately subject to the arrogance of rich people and those of aristocratic rank.

In this second part there is no shortage of moments of lightness or ironic and nice jokes, but here I was able to appreciate them because they were well-dosed (not too many and forced, nor non-existent) and skilfully mixed with deep feelings and emotions.
In this second part I began to grow fond of the characters and suffered with them in difficult moments.

Although Jonas' mission was always important and always his final goal, the second part explores more the introspective side of the main character and his family/friends.

Talking about characters, the main ones are fictional, but they are well blended with real historical figures and you'll find many clarifications on the matter in the author's final notes.

---> Part 3 is also interesting and engaging.
Even if it's more focused on the main mission (to recover the important and dangerous document), all the events of the second part come to a head.
There are a couple of very important twists and if one is a little bit predictable by the reader ( I expected that ), the other one is really surprising and I have to warn you: it's a little bit sad and bitter.

Overall I'm happy to say that I liked the book and I'm thinking of reading the next one in the series too.
The series is named "Company of Rogues" and it includes 3 total works.
Each book is readable as a standalone, but I think that reading all three in a row gives the reader a more complete vision of the soul of Jonas Flint, the hero. This is very important because Jonas is not a hero without reproach and I must admit that at the beginning I wasn't happy to have a protagonist who killed people left and right, even if they were villains... But his past helps the reader to accept him and at least in this first book, we also see the good sides of his soul and the shame he feels in having led a certain kind of life.

WARNING : some crude and bloody scenes are present in the book, just as the language of certain characters is crude and trivial.

Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native language and thanks for reading my review.
I hope my opinion and impressions can be useful to you when deciding whether to read this historical fiction or not.


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Book review : The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley

The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,7 rounded up to 4 of 5 stars

The French court of the Sun King, a large 115-carat blue diamond, a love story...

I love fiction inspired by true events; if you add romance and an unusual context, such as that of stonecutters, it's the perfect recipe.

The premises of the plot of the book are therefore fascinating and in fact I liked the story in its entirety, unfortunately however the author's narrative style did not allow me to become passionate about the characters or to jump with emotion for what was being told.

The story is narrated by the heroine of the book, while she is in prison and has to give a statement.

__THE PLOT _ Juliette Pitau, sixteen-year-old daughter of King Louis XIV's former jeweler, finds herself in a cell in the Bastille.
She is accused of stealing the Tavernier Violet, a large, deep blue diamond, which her father had been tasked with cutting and making as bright as the sun. Unfortunately, making such a dark diamond shine was an almost impossible task, which only the man who had cut Mazarin's famous diamond collection could have performed with precision.
To go to the aid of her father, Juliette devised a plan that was not entirely legitimate, for this reason she is also accused of treason and of having conspired against France together with a family of Jews, who at that time had been exiled from many European countries including France.
Giving testimony that shows the king her good intentions and that clears her of the charges is the only way she can avoid the death sentence. Unfortunately, her well-intentioned lies and the wickedness of some greedy people have made her guilty even in the eyes of those who loved her, like René, the young man who has to write down her declaration of innocence.
_________________

As I have already said, the story itself is fascinating and took me into a world I knew nothing about: that of precious gems and the different types of cuts to make them more brilliant and precious, in the world of diamonds and jewels of crown and the legends in which they are surrounded.

Some things are explained at the end of the book in the author's notes, others can be read in the hundreds of articles found on the web about the Tavernier Violet, which was cut and then transformed into French Blue, which then disappeared for many years afterwards during the French Revolution and which then reappeared, differently cut, as Hope Diamond.

What didn't allow me to fully enjoy the story was the narration told by Juliette herself.
The story is reported a bit like a "news story" and even if from time to time the dialogues that the protagonist remembers are reported, this is not enough to give emphasis to either the facts or the characters. For me it was all unexciting and lacking in suspense.

Not even the fact that the person who took the deposition was Juliette's lover, who initially believed her to be guilty and greedy, while slowly realizing the suffering that led her to make desperate and catastrophic choices, did not help to excite me.

There are several kisses in the book, some sweet, some more passionate and a sex scene without explicit descriptions... however in my opinion, not only were they not very believable inside a cell where you can be seen from moment to moment 'more from the guards, but the description didn't involve me or make me feel butterflies in my stomach, which often happens to me with other clean romances where the author manages to excite me even just with glances and small stolen kisses.

I liked the characters for better or for worse, but each of them should have been explored more.
I liked the choice of the two protagonists, in love, but fragile in the uncertainty of being loved only for appearances and not for who they really are.
I would have preferred a father who goes out of his way for his daughter and not a cowardly drunk who only knows how to cry about himself while his daughter tries to move mountains to help him, but an involuntary villain could fit in.

I liked the other positive characters and the 2 tyrants of the jewelers' guild (the head of the guild and his wife), I also liked the capricious Sun King in his selfishness and egocentricity...
When I say that I liked the characters, it means that they made sense to me and were in the right place in this story... but for each of them, as a reader I got an idea of their character, but the monotonous way to tell the story chosen by author did not allow me to savor them fully.

I think if the writer had told the facts in real time (and not through a story told afterwards by the protagonist while she is in prison), she would have been able to develop the dialogues and characters more.
If the dialogues had been expanded and the characters more in-depth and with more space, they would have indelibly captured my soul as a reader and the author would have equally had the opportunity to show us the romantic love with ups and downs between René and Juliette.
In fact, the point that I liked most was the ending, when the events finally take place outside that dark and damp cell and we finally perceive the pathos of what could or could not be.

Of course it is a matter of taste, because I have read many nice reviews on this book, but my personal opinion is this and this does not make me want to read the next book in the series, nor I will never reread this.

It is a book suitable for young adults and perhaps it can have a stronger emotional impact on them than it had on me and as I said the story is still a good story.

Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native language and thanks for reading my opinion :-)

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Book review : Vienna Woods by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Woods
The Imperial Season Book 2
by Mary Lancaster
GENRE : #regency-spy-romance

My rating: ★★★★★
5 FULL STARS !! :-D

Wowwwwwwww!!
This was a fabulous read!!

Not only do I give 5 full stars, but I decided to establish a 6th star, i.e. a GOLDEN STAR for those books, like this one, that I would start reading all over again immediately !!

The genre of this novel is: clean romance.

----> The recipe includes :
the right dose of joy and lightness, a nice handful of adventure and a little espionage suspense and a few splashes of drama and tension, just to make our hearts beat faster!
Oh I forgot: fantastic HERO and HEROINE, very different from each other (she is brighter, he is more introverted and mysterious), but they're perfect together.

Before I delve into my opinion, let me introduce you to THE PLOT:

__1814, Congress of Vienna.
Esther Lisle, is the daughter of an English general, now a diplomat in a small European kingdom and unofficially engaged to the heir of the aforementioned kingdom, a man whose bad reputation, meanness and arrogance are known to many.
__ One day Esther wakes up in the woods of Vienna, with an agent of the tough and feared Austrian secret police in front of her, who asks her questions about her relationship with Prince Otto, whose corpse is just a few steps away.
__ Secret Agent Zelig, also called Agent Z, has the task of maintaining security in Vienna and above all foiling any conspiracy and devious plan that could ruin the important congress and peace negotiations that will be discussed by the heads of government of the whole Europe.
__The death of the prince has a heavier weight than it may seem and although Esther and Agent Z don't know if they can trust each other they will try to collaborate to get to the truth.

In a world where you have to pay attention to every word said, because everything can be conspiracy and betrayal, it will not be an easy task.
Between masquerade balls, tournaments and all the "bon ton" prejudices of the time, reality and truth will be even more confused and elusive. To increase the tension and emotions there is a pleasant physical attraction, not foreseen by both, but which, little by little, will transform into a strong feeling and bond.
__________ ________

I REALLY LOVED THE CAST OF CHARACTERS:

1) the HERO of the story is not the usual consummate libertine (as is present in almost all romances) and who when he meets true love magically redeems himself (it's an overused cliché).
He is a very good young man of few words, very mysterious also because of his job, who despite a past of poverty, does not feel sorry for himself and does not resort to alcohol when he is desperate.
He earns his living with his work, which he is really good at and does not solve problems with the bottle, but by throwing himself headlong into his duty.
Put like this, he may seem like a boring boy, but he is not at all devoid of passion.
His icy gaze in contrast with his kind and polite ways, his tender gestures towards Esther and some street kids, whom he takes care of, fascinated me. I loved his hidden and barely visible smiles
And the way he kisses Esther...I wanted to be Esther! 😜😁

2) I also loved the HEROINE of the novel: yes, a beautiful girl, but above all with charisma. A young girl, but with a good head on her shoulders and who knows how to respond with intelligent and playful jokes, even if she is taken by surprise.
Esther is courageous and generous (but without being too saccharine or far-fetched) and the thing I like most about her is that she doesn't classify people based on social rank, but knows how to make friends with every good person.

3) among the complementary characters that I adored, there are the two main characters of book #1, plus 3 street thieves who help Agent Z in some unorthodox missions.
They are just over fifteen years old and like all young people they exude energy, liveliness and spontaneity from every pore.

This is the second book in a series of 4, all romances and with a hint of adventure/mystery.
I really liked installation #1 and rated it 5 stars, but this #2 is absolutely superior to the first.

I LIKED THIS SECOND NOVEL MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST because the whole story mixes romance, mystery and espionage well, keeping the reader in the tension of "what will happen next?", so much so that it made me turn the pages one after the other with voracity.

Compared to the first novel we have more romantic moments in which the emotion of the couple's attraction and falling in love are truly palpable...indeed, despite being a slow-burn romance, the heartbeat and courtship begin immediately.
The kisses are clean, but described so well that it's like watching a movie.
Final sex scene, also clean with nothing explicit or vulgar and therefore readable even by younger people.

---> I want to remember one thing though: the books are born as romances and even if there's a little mystery adventure, they are not comparable to real "mystery crime or spy stories", if you're looking for that genre , this is not for you).

Each book develops around a different couple, so you can easily choose one as a standalone, but my advice is to read them all in a row, because the main characters of one book become secondary ones in subsequent ones and the stories, in one way or another, are intertwined.
In fact the protagonist of this book, Garin/Agent Zelig, was not a simple extra in installment #1.
He had a small active role, so when I started reading this story I felt already a little fond of the character
As a counterpart, the main characters of book one ( Lizzie, Vanja and family ) have an important role in this adventure

---> UNLIKE THE FIRST NOVEL, here the historical figures of the time are only named and have no active role. However, the plot was so intriguing and engaging that I didn't miss it.
The description of the balls and the display of opulence, the subterfuge, the lust for power, the corridors of the Hofburg and the rides in the Viennese woods, make us imagine the setting and the political context.
Furthermore, if like me, while reading, you listen to the notes of the waltz in the background (you can find hundreds of wonderful playlists on Youtube) then you will feel directly catapulted into 1814 in the glittering Austrian capital!

I will definitely also read books 3 and 4 in the series, but first I have to take a break with a mystery where love has nothing to do with it, because I was so involved in this one that if I read another one I wouldn't be able to enjoy it... I must first get rid of the very pleasant intoxication.

Thanks everybody for reading my review and please be lenient with my English as it's not my mother tongue.
I hope my opinions have been helpful to you and if you read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #3:
BOOK #1 Vienna Waltz
BOOK #3 Vienna Dawn

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Giveaway : March 2024 Free Printable Calendar

March 2024 free printable calendar

Hello everybody,
the month of spring is about to arrive!

Like every month, I have prepared a colorful and lively planner, which you can freely download and print.

I use to do it for myself, printing it in original size to keep on my desk, but sometimes I like to print it in a postacard format ( you have only to reduce the size with a free app ) and then I use it as a bookmark or I put it in my bag, just to have a mini-calendar to consult on the fly.

To download, simply click on the preview image and save it on your device.

@TizianaFragnerGraphic
March 2024 Calendar
Size 1634 x 1264

Please forgive any errors in my text, since English is not my native tongue :-)

Enjoy my monthly planning and have a happy March ! See you soon :-)

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Book review : Vienna Waltz by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Waltz
The Imperial Season Book 1
by Mary Lancaster
GENRE : #regency-spy-romance

My rating: ★★★★★
5 FULL STARS !! :-D

This is a lovely clean romance, with a hint of espionage that will delight every regency light romance fan.

Set during the famous Congress of Vienna in 1814, it brings us not only among the sparkling ballrooms of high society but also among intrigues, lies, dangerous papers and secrets concerning the politics of that time.

The novel, basically, follows the love story that slowly arises between the two main characters: Lizzie, the daughter of an English baron, who died not long before, and the ambiguous thief Johnny, whose acquaintance began thanks to a big misunderstanding.

__THE PLOT IN SHORT__ 1814 Vienna. All the nobility of Europe and the biggest names in politics participate in the event and in the most sumptuous parties and masquerade balls.
---> Lizzie, daughter of an English baron, and her siblings have recently lost their father and with him the inheritance of the house which went to a mysterious and hateful Russian cousin, with English origins.
Having been welcomed by their uncles, they now all find themselves in the glittering Central European capital, on the occasion of the great peace congress.
While aristocrats and diplomats delight in courtship, dancing, gambling and espionage, Lizzie only thinks about how to get the money to find a new home for her sisters and step brother, herself and the lively and unpredictable big dog.
She therefore devises a very unorthodox plan, involving a brazen yet charming thief, thus getting herself into one mess after another.
---> The heartbeat, however, does not only come from the dangers, but also from a charming and fiery young Cossack colonel, met at a masquerade ball, who will help her not only solve her problems, but also those of her cousins and uncles.

___MY OPINION__ I loved it simply because it had everything that can put a romantic and bored (and perhaps lately a little depressed) female reader in a good mood:

1) a handsome and gallant hero, cheeky enough to please all women, but with a good heart, who cannot say no to the request for help of an impoverished young woman and her lively and friendly siblings.

2) an enterprising heroine. Inexperienced enough to still be innocent and without malice in contact with men, but also courageous enough to throw herself headlong into desperate undertakings for the good of her sisters and illegitimate brother, who are still children and at the mercy of an unjust fate.

3) funny situations created by misunderstandings and small romantic skirmishes.
THE LOVE STORY in fact grows little by little, but you don't have to be half through the book to enjoy sweet emotions and romantic sparks... OUR HEROES MAKE US DREAM DURING THE WHOLE STORY.

4) Pleasant supporting characters, who make the atmosphere light and cozy:
- smart children and the troublemaking dog.
- the beautiful and rich countess who gives great emotional and material support to Lizzie.
- a secret agent, gruff and lethal, but ultimately good (and protagonist of the next book in the series)
- Lizzie's uncles and 2 cousins, a little naive but good people.
- our hero's good friends, a bad guy to kick, a slimy guy to kick too, a hateful mother and all the real prominent characters of the time (starting from the Tsar of Russia up to the most courted noblewomen of 'Europe, such as the Princess Bagration and the Duchess of Sagan and her sister Dorothéé de Talleyrand).

_WHAT IS MISSING IN THIS CLEAN HISTORICAL ROMANCE? __
I could say that, with the exception of the historical characters, cleverly inserted among the fictional ones, there's no historical analysis of an event so important as to change the fate of the whole of Europe, nor some descriptions of the city of the time.
The author limits herself to indicating important names and a delicate political situation.
----> Being this a pure light entertainment read, the lack of historical depth didn't bother me and I didn't miss it.
While reading I was able to fully enjoy all the lightness and joy of a clean love story that the novel offers, so much so that I have already started reading the second book in the series. After all, why leave this bubble of well-being?

AS ALWAYS I ADD: forgive my English, it's not my native language, but I still hope that my review can be useful to you in some way.

READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #2 and BOOK #3:
#2 Vienna Woods
#3 Vienna Dawn

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Book review : The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley

The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3.5 rounded to 4 stars as historical fiction.
Only 3 stars ( or 2.5 rounded to 3 ) as romance.

__THE PLOT__ England 1666.
-->Chloe is a girl of about 20 who lives with her stepbrother, an aristocrat who spends all his money on gambling, alcohol and women.
One evening, having run out of money, he gambles his stepsister: if he loses, she will become the property of his opponent.
-->Alex, 30, was a Royalist soldier in the English Civil War.
He is very handsome and always ready with a joke and has friends who really care of him, but he has a bad temper and a disappointment in love leads him to alcohol and senseless actions.
--> One morning Alex wakes up after an incredible hangover and discovers that he is married to an innocent 20-year-old girl, Chloe.
They immediately decide to proceed with the request for annulment, meanwhile England goes to war with Holland...

***
The book is divided into 3 parts, of which I really liked the first part, cheerful and lively, it made imagine a romance full of funny scenes.


The second part, the central and broader one, was to me very disappointing.
Any romance there, no connection between Alex and Chloe, the 2 main characters of the story.
They are married but he continues his life as if she didn't exist and she goes about her life thinking about him from time to time.
When the author finally gives us a beautiful escape scene together, with a bit of action, a kiss happens.
It's half way through the book and it's easy to think that a little chills and emotion will finally arrive...Instead: nothing romantic again, at least until the 3rd phase (which begins more or less 75% of the way through the novel).
The historical part is well developed but didn't involve me.
There is a betrayal situation that the protagonists are supposed to discover, but I didn't find it so intriguing.
BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM TO ME WAS :

___THE HERO ___ So handsome, but an ass !
I only fell in love with the male protagonist at the end, in the last 25% of the book while in the entire previous 75% I couldn't stand him!
He was beautiful and charming in his laughter and ironic jokes, but very irascible and deeply selfish because he only thought about his disappointments and dissatisfaction and vented his bad mood in the bottle and on his friends, while they, his friends, always tried to get him out of trouble and acted always very careful to avoid to provoke him, so as not to make him angry.
HOW CAN YOU LIKE A MAN LIKE THAT?
...Of course we stupid women always love those wild and dangerous (and this makes me angry!) while the sensitive and polite men are trampled upon (but usually those ones are ugly... instead here in the fiction the good, sensitive man in love was also a beautiful one...but unfortunately the scoundrel always wins)

My dislike for this character, who should have been the hero of the story, not only didn't allow me to enjoy reading the book, but it ultimately left me with a sense of hunger for something that only began at the end of the book.
Yes, the real romance only started at the end of the book... and so I feel dissatisfied.
In the third part the character suddenly loses his bad ways and like a true hero works for the good of the city that is going up in flames.
We are in the middle of the second major fire in London (September 1666) and this time all the scenes described by the author fully involved me, making me feel as if I was really on the scene, there in that city, in that historical moment.
In the third part Alex feelings for Chloe change too...few chapters..the happy ending..but I feel dissatisfied..I want more!... but unfortunately I was at the END OF THE NOVEL!
I don't know if I explained myself well: imagine eating a cake and you feel that it's not as good as you would like, finally you start to like the last slice... but it's the last slice and you're left with that unsatisfied craving which is irritating!

_ CONCLUDING __ I've only read one other novel by Stella Riley ( A Splendid Defiance) and I was thrilled with it .
It doesn't matter if the love story burns slowly, that's fine too, but in this novel the hero was difficult to love from the beginning and above all there was too little of the two main characters together.
It would have been nice to have more emotions throughout the story: more intense looks, a shiver on the skin during a casual touch... more interest on Alex's part towards Chloe, not just at the end, instead the whole love story was flat and one-way for too long.

Even though it wasn't what I expected, this doesn't discourage me and I will definitely read more of Stella Riley's novels, because I think she's really good and I appreciate her writing style.
My review shouldn't discourage you either, because I gave my opinion based on my personal taste.
Remember though: very slow-burn romance and pages dedicated to history, therefore not suitable for those looking for hot scenes and only frivolous novels.

NOTE: I'm from Italy and so English is not my native language. Please, forgive any errors you may find in my text.




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Book review : Scherzo by Jim Williams

Scherzo
Murder and Mystery in 18th Century Venice
by Jim Williams
GENRE: #Historical-mystery

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,8 stars rounded up to 4.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYBODY !!!

A week ago I was looking for a Carnival-themed mystery or at least in which Venetian masks had an important role, given that in Italy we are celebrating Carnival ( started on January 28th and ending today February 13th, which is Mardi Gras).

I chose this book and perhaps it's the strangest mystery I've ever read and if there hadn't been some bad scenes and a couple of chapters, I could have given it 5 stars.

___THE PLOT ___
Ludovico the German, a young 21-year-old eunuch, actor and singer in 18th century Venice, is hired by a Venetian nobleman, Signor Morosini ( Mr. Morosini) as a singing teacher for his daughter and as an entertainer in evenings with guests.
One evening, after a dinner attended by several aristocratic people, he and Monsieur Arouet, a French philosopher, heading home, discover a corpse with a mask and cloak, hanged from a bridge.
It soon turns out that the dead man was a nobleman, a friend of Mr. Morosini and part of an important political body, the Council of Ten, which had an important role in the management of the Republic of Venice.
Among the alleys and canals of Venice, among the gambling houses and other vices and the political and religious intrigues, in pursuit of enemies or chased by enemies, the French philosopher and his new friend Ludovico will try to unravel the mystery and bring the truth to light.

The eighteenth-century setting fascinated me and I liked the fact that an actor-singer was narrating the story even more.
The inclusion of other historical characters increased my enthusiasm for reading as I proceeded with the story told. However, as I already mentioned, I would have shortened some chapters or even avoided them altogether and I would have avoided some crude scenes in the final part.

___ WHAT I LIKED __
__LUDOVICO, THE MAIN CHARACTER__ I really liked the main character, who tells firsthand most of the events that led to the discovery of the body, its investigation and the solution.
Ludovico is a boy of only 21 years old, with a lot of life experience on his shoulders.
The fact of being a eunuch ( in those days young singers were emasculated before puberty, in order to maintain a high-pitched voice in adulthood), having had a hard life and having suffered abuse and being despised by society as a person, because neither man nor woman, did not undermine his good heart and soul.
In a story where the Venetian society of the time is portrayed at its worst, Ludovico and his humor and self-irony always managed to put me in a good mood.

___HISTORICAL FIGURES ___ The nice surprise was the participation in the story of 3 very famous historical figures, but since the whole plot takes place in the balance between truth and illusion (as is also the function of the masks), the author does not reveal the 3 official names to us well known throughout the world, but the real names of the 3 men. So if it had not been for my passion to check everything on Wikipedia, I would not have known about these 3 historical figures until the end, when the author reveals it.

- The first historical figure of the three I mentioned, leads the investigation and makes Ludovico his assistant.
I'm speaking of Monsieur Arouet, a French philosopher , better known to the world as VOLTAIRE. In this book you will be able to read some of his real letters.

- Many films have been made about this historical side character. In this novel he is a good friend of Ludovico and his adventures are intertwined with some characters indirectly and directly involved in the crime.
I'm speaking of Jaque De Seingalt, a great Italian seducer and libertine, very well known to the world as CASANOVA.
In his memoirs, written in French as was the fashion of the time, they report his full name: Jacques Casanova de Seingalt.
We find some extracts right here in the story

- The third historical figure I was referring to it's someone that seems to help the investigation with his knowledge, but actually he adds even more fog and illusion to a plot that is deliberately complicated and misleading for the reader.
He has a smaller role than the others, but I liked the inclusion because in real life, he was imprisoned and died in a stronghold which is located a few kilometers from where I live and I have visited it many times. So I know this character since I was child.
I'm speaking of Signor Giuseppe Balsamo, an Italian occultist, alchemist ( and many other things, including to be a charlatan), known in the world with the name of COUNT OF CAGLIOSTRO.

__ THE INTERTWINING OF THE MYSTERY __
Although at the beginning the book started with several chapters that seemed unrelated to each other and it took me at least 15% of the novel to be able to orient myself and fully get into the story, I must admit that the mystery plot was well thought out and the author managed to connect all the threads of the canvas in a skillful way.

I happened to read some whodunits with a complicated plot, where the author himself got lost, failing in the end to give a probable solution.
This is not the case: here everything adds up and the air of confusion that reigns is only a trick of false truths and illusions that the author wants to insert into his story.

___ WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED __
-- The main narrator of the whole story is the young Ludovico, but his narrations are alternated with letters from Mr. Arouet to his nephew, from Signor Feltrinelli to his sister, from an elderly countess to an old lover of hers and extracts from Monsieur Jacque De Seingalt's memoirs.
Letters and memoirs were a little too long and a bit boring to me.

-- I knew that this wasn't a cozy mystery and therefore I could expect something more raw... but there are some scenes in one of the final chapters of the book, which are truly disgusting ( they represented imaginary scenes from Hell... and that is not my cup of tea !!!).
I read them quickly, but if they hadn't been there at all I would have preferred it and also it wouldn't have damaged the intrigue and mystery.

-- The depravity of Venice at the time told in a non-vulgar but quite clear way, in long sex-scenes that I would have preferred to be shorter... it was boring

-- You will have noticed that in my review I use the words Signor and Monsieur... this is because the author himself, in his book written in English, inserts not only these two words in Italian and French, but really MANY Italian words, typical of the place and time, but also not typical (and which he could therefore translate into English), many references written in French and also in Latin.
---> I am from Italy and of course I had no problems with Italian words.I also speak French and had no problem with that either.
Luckily Latin had the translation in a note, BUT THERE WERE NO NOTES WITH TRANSLATION for the dozens and dozens of Italian words inserted... how can an English-speaking reader read a book with foreign words inserted almost on every page and of which he doesn't know the meaning?
I have read books with medieval and Victorian settings that contained a small vocabulary for the words used at that time, so that the reader could fully understand everything.
In my opinion the publisher and the writer were negligent in this case.

__ IN CONCLUSION __
If I had read a review like mine before choosing the book... I WOULDN'T HAVE READ IT, because of the things mentioned among those I didn't like... also I really hate long length books.
But I have to admit that now that I've read it, overall I liked it.
--> So before marking it on your WTR shelf or discarding it, think carefully.

NOTE : English is not my native language, I hope I was still able to explain everything in an understandable way.


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