Book Reviews

Book Blurb

In 18th century Siena, Count Salvesto Masello returns home to find the family villa and his father’s estate deeply in debt. In order to save it, he sells valuable heirlooms, but he is running out of silverware. Somewhere in the villa, his deceased father has hidden the art treasures that will pay the debt—but Salvesto can’t find them anywhere.

Amadeo Neruccio has been on the run from the vicious pimp, thief, and pawnbroker Guelfetto, whose toughs finally catch him and bring him to the cellar where Count Masello is selling off his silver. When the count learns what fate Guelfetto has in store for Amadeo, he intervenes, and trades the last of his mother’s dowry for the young man’s freedom.

Salvesto left home over ten years ago to live the life of adventure he craved and leave his broken heart behind. When he rescues Amadeo, he does not expect to find love again—or the start of his next adventure.

 

Book Review

Gorgeous, adventurous, and lush with exquisite settings that transported me to a dark, moody Italy of old, I found this story truly enchanting. The tale holds an amazing amount of depth and vision for a book of this length. I found it well-paced and tremendously satisfying and immediately rushed to see what else this new-to-me author had written. But on to what I loved about this story…

The blurb captures the premise perfectly, but what really captivated me was the author’s ability to sweep me fully into another time. A time where war, poverty, wealth, and cruelty touched the lives of nobles and serfs alike; a time of thieves and plague, where beauty and peace could morph to greed and violence at the turn of a misspoken phrase. From the opening page I was surrounded by the stink and clogging dankness of the underbelly of 18th century Italy, and I loved it! Honestly, I felt like I had stepped into any one of Caravaggio’s provocative and moody paintings. And the lead characters only enhanced that sentiment.

To my eye, Count Masello held a touch of wild gypsy in his bearing, which played wonderfully against his emotional angst and lent him the air of an Italian Bryon. And young Amadeo’s spontaneous spirit and fiery temper are well-balanced by his quick intelligence, melancholic regret, and his yearning to be a better man. I enjoyed inhabiting both of these smoking hot Italians. Their delightful Chip and Dale approach to love was charming and very entertaining and played out wonderfully against the vivid darker tale of blackmail and thievery. I highly recommend this romantic and spirited adventure of two courageous men finding a second chance at happiness amidst the splendor of old Italy.

Thank you, Heloise West, for sharing this captivating romance short… Lovely!

“Atmospheric, Lush, Enthralling!”

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 59 pages/19553 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-September-2015
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/if-i-were-fire-by-heloise-west-5189-b