The Treasures of Venice by Loucinda McGary (Book Review)

Title: The Treasures of Venice
Author: Loucinda McGary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

First sentence: Samantha Lewis gazed over the nearly deserted square at the bulbous crown atop St. Mark's Cathedral.

My synopsis: Sam was not enjoying her time in Venice. What should have been a romantic honeymoon was a lonely solo trip to one of the most romantic places on earth - until an unexpected meeting with Keirnan Fitzgerald.

Keirnan was handsome and charming and any woman's dream so Sam could not figure out what had drawn him to her. Since she was suffering a broken heart, she wasn't feeling very charming or beautiful. From their first touch, though, the very air around them seemed to sizzle.

Keirnan was in Venice to save his sister Kathleen who had been kidnapped. He didn't want to share this information with Sam as he didn't want to get her involved. Unfortunately circumstances were not in his favor, and before he knew it they were in over their heads.

Kathleen had been kidnapped and the ransom was the Jewels of the Madonna. These jewels had been missing since the 15th century, but Kathleen had been studying and trying to find them for years. They had disappeared along with a pair of young lovers, Nino and Serafina. Serafina was the daughter of a wealthy man and had been promised to her deceased sister's husband. She met Nino by chance and fell instantly in love with him. He was a poor sculptor and felt he had nothing to offer her. A greedy monk set the plan in motion which would free Serafina from her family, but it would doom Nino's soul as he had to steal the jewels.

My thoughts: I loved the way that the current story was told along with the love story of Nino and Serafina. They do say that history repeats itself! The book was filled with rich descriptions of places I can only hope to see in person some day. I enjoy learning about new places, and even though this was a fiction book, some of the characters were based on real people and the places were - are real places in and around Venice. I could easily see this couple going on to star in other adventures based on historical "rumors"! The story was told from Samantha's point of view in the present and from Nino's point of view in the past. This was a nice contrast as it actually showed both sides of a very similar story. If you like historical romances, I believe you would like this one. I do have to say one thing on the critical side though - I have had enough of the word "libido"...

I am hosting a giveaway from Sourcebooks for one set of the two books: The Wild Sight and The Treasures of Venice. You have until Sept 29th to get in on the action! Visit my guest post from Loucinda McGary to find out entry details!

The Treasures of Venice
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablance, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2670-0
352 pages