B- Reviews / Book Reviews / C+ Reviewsbook adaptation / Crusade / discrimination / female doctor / First-Person / gender inequality / Historical / Italy / Jewish characters / Jewish-faith / medieval / murder mystery / Rape / rape survivor / Suicide / violence against women7 Comments
This book continues the story of Rebecca from Walter Scott’s 1820 novel Ivanhoe. The Ivanhoe backstory: Jewish women in medieval England do not fall in love with Christian knights like Ivanhoe. Neither do they heal knights from battle wounds. But Rebecca does both—and nearly pays with her life. Rescued by ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ Reviewschildhood friends / Contemporary / Dual Timelines / f/f / friends-to-lovers / Italy / LGBTQIA+6 Comments
Ice queen Ashlin has one passion: art. That shared interest drew Olivia to her for an intense childhood friendship, but after that friendship’s disastrous end, Olivia never wanted to see Ashlin again. Years later, when the two women run into each other in Florence, Olivia is shocked to discover that ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews15th century / Art / art history / History / Holocaust / Italy / Leonardo da Vinci / Milan / non-fiction / painter / Poland / war / World War II4 Comments
Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would ... more >
Book Reviews / C ReviewsCon / Contemporary / family relationships / farce / humorous / Italy / Movie / movie-star / older MCs / Small-Town6 Comments
The self-appointed mayor of a tiny Italian village is determined to save his hometown no matter the cost in this charming, hilarious, and heartwarming debut novel. Vacuum repairman and self-appointed mayor of Prometto, Italy (population 212) Signor Speranza has a problem: unless he can come up with 70,000 euros to ... more >
Book Reviews / D Reviewsbusiness / Contemporary / dog / dysfunctional family / female friendship / insta love / Italy / London / opposites attract8 Comments
Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsAustria / Biography / England / epistolary / Italy / military hero / non-fiction / Post WWII / teacher3 Comments
Ronnie and Hilda Williams met by chance aged 21 in Lancashire in November 1945, when Ronnie was home on his first leave after fighting in some of the most bitter campaigns of the Second World War in Italy. With the uncertainty of the future and Ronnie’s obligation to return to ... more >