The
Silk Merchant’s Daughters, Book Two
New
American Library
April
2nd, 2013
978-0-451-41373-4
Historical
Romance
Paperback
Reviewed
by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained
by Publisher
When
Giovanni Pietro d’Angelo’s daughters are beauties in renaissance Florence but
with the disaster his eldest daughter, Bianca’s first marriage was, he is
determined that his second eldest daughter, Francesca, get to choose her
husband this time. But Francesca is making things very difficult. No one
catches her eye and she is slowly becoming a laughingstock in Florence and the
surrounding areas. When the Duke of Terreno Boscoso writes he is seeking a wife
for his heir, Rafaello, Francesca is chosen to go and is given the promise that
if she isn’t happy or that the duke’s son doesn’t suit her, then she can come
back to Florence. But Francesca is shocked after a few months of finding her
way in this little duchy that the choice is taken out of her hands when the
duke decides on the spitfire Francesca as his bride. Feeling betrayed and
angry, Francesca escapes the castle and finds herself wintering deep in the
forest where she finds herself learning the fine arts of inn-keeping as well as
finally becoming the woman she is destined to become. But what happens when her
secret identity is found out and she is forced back to the castle, ordered to
marry Rafaello. Can love bloom between these two strong people when each
carries a secret between them?
Author
Bertrice Small is a talented storyteller whose vivid stories showcase
intriguing characters. In her new series, we meet the second eldest daughter of
the d’Angelo family, Francesca, a spoiled, headstrong beauty who is determined
to find the love her exiled sister, Bianca, has found. With Francesca, the
reader is taken on a wild, madcap ride as she finds her place in the ever
changing world, where woman are nothing more than possessions and more. I love
this author’s voice and her way with creating characters that were strong, with
many layers the reader got to see through the course of the story but in FRANCESCA,
I was a bit put off by both the hero and heroine. I can’t say it was just one
thing about them that made me wonder where this author’s loves for her
characters have gone. It isn’t that they were unpleasant; they weren’t just a
bit spoiled, in my opinion. I would have loved for Francesca to figure out the
secret her husband was keeping and get really angry with him. Instead she
acquiesced rather easily for my taste especially with the few hints the reader
got in the story that never went anywhere. Rafaello on the other hand made me
want to cosh him on the head. He was wishy-washy one minute then the next,
quite dominant. There was no happy medium at times and I felt he needed to
choose one or the other. The story is quite a wild ride from start to finish.
The author’s lush setting-Florence to the duchy of Terreno Boscoso, the reader
is treated to the vividness that this renaissance period held back then.
FRANCESCA is a somewhat
satisfying read for lovers of historical romance and I enjoyed this next
chapter in the silk merchant’s daughter’s series though I have to admit, I love
it when Ms. Small delivers kick butt heroines who can go toe to toe with their
men. I am looking forward to seeing where the next book will take the readers
with the next daughter, Lucianna. I am hoping this daughter is a bit more
complex than Francesca was. If you enjoy a historical romance filled with lush
setting, delightful characters and sizzling passion, then you can’t go wrong
with a Bertrice Small story.
This
is an objective review and not an endorsement
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