His Last Duchess

by Gabrielle Kimm

That's my last duchess painted on the wall…
Seduced by the hot sun and blinding passions of Renaissance Italy, sixteen-year-old Lucrezia de' Medici sees a gilded life stretching ahead. Her wealthy new husband handpicked her to be his bride, and his great castle in Ferrara will be her playground. But Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara quickly proves to be just as dangerous and mysterious as he is dark and handsome, and the stone walls of the castle seem to trap Lucrezia like a prison.
Only the duke's lover Francesca seems able to tame his increasing fury, as his desperate need to produce an heir drives him deep into precarious obsession. With her head full of heartbroken dreams, Lucrezia flees from him down a dangerous path that may cost her everything.
Step into the elegant world of the Robert Browning poem "My Last Duchess," as imagined by Gabrielle Kimm, where she brings to life the passions and people of sixteenth-century Tuscany and Ferrara. It is a chilling story of forbidden love and dark decadence that will haunt you.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Romance, Italy, Fiction, 16th Century, Historical Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2010

About the author

I am the author of three historical novels, all published by Sphere: 'His Last Duchess' (Sphere 2010), 'The Courtesan's Lover' (Sphere 2011) and 'The Girl with the Painted Face (Sphere 2013).

I live and work in West Sussex - writing and teaching English in a tiny performing arts school.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The real-life story of whatever happened to Lucrezia de' Medici is intriguing. Why, then, was this book so slow? Where was the drama, the tension and the mystery, and why didn't I care about any of the characters?

I ended up skim-reading the second half after really struggling with the first. Very disappointing.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I hate when you really look forward to a book and then you find yourself skimming and forcing yourself just to get through it. Lucrezia de Medici is one of those historical mysteries. A poem has been left in history about her "My Last Duchess" and historians want to know what happened to her? Alfonso, the controlling husband and Lucrezia the fun loving girl. Should make for a great novel right? The story never took off. It was very slow. The author didn't make me want to turn a page. I only did because I wanted to see what angle the author would take on what "happened" to Lucrezia. If you want to read about this time period, skip this one and read The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas. Her story covers the second wife to Alfonso, Barbara of Austria, with her trying to discover the mystery of what really happened to Lucrezia.

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeez, I'm embarrassed by how many days it takes me to read books...I had a lot of work to finish up and new projects to begin. Also, it's so important to create time to read, which I always get good at when I read a lot. For example, while waiting for dinner, instead of talking to my dad, I'd read a few pages. LOL, just small things like that. Not saying you should neglect to talk to the outside world, but 🤷‍♀️

Gabrielle Kimm's writing is so masterful. For instance, the way she described a sunset at the end of the book was so enviable.

I'm having a hard time pulling together my thoughts for this one right now (probably because I'm also listening to music), so I will return to finish this later. Also, the jacuzzi beckons 😏

This is a love story, not a romance, which is what I had secretly hoped for, even though it was not labeled as one at the library. I like love stories, but I love romance more, so I'm going to need to return to reading romance (for my next read).

[Natasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale of love and lust. Ms. Kimm does an excellent job of spinning the strings together to create a compelling story of love gone wrong and lust unsatisfied. At least within the confines of the marriage of Lucrezia and Alfonse. That does not mean it isn’t found elsewhere. Based on the poem by Robert Browning called, His Last Duchess, Ms. Kimm recreates the sixteenth century in its glory.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I'm a sucker for those Kindle daily deals. What a $15 book that's only 99 cents? And I've never heard of the book? I'll buy it anyway. After all, I did read that Robert Browning poem it's based on a couple of times...So it turned out to be something of a torrid and rather graphic Harlequin romance style book, with a higher vocabulary and more scenery. The one good thing about it was that the villain was not one dimensional as he very well could have been. Yet it was so predictable that I could skim large portions of it and miss nothing. Usually when I do some skimming, I have to backtrack at some point - wait, what's going on here, did I miss somehting? Let me go back and see. I never once had to do that with this book. There was nothing to miss, I guess.

[Ana Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Género Romeu e Julieta, mas com um verdadeiro vilão mentalmente perturbado entre o seu amor. Adorei!

[Chequers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I protagonisti si chiamano Alfons D'Este e Lucrezia D' Medici:si potrebbero anche chiamare Mario Bianchi e Anna Rossi.
Cambiate i vestiti e gli arredamenti, non fa differenza, si potrebbero inserire in qualsiasi epoca.
Per chi lo apprezza, un Harmony in tutto e per tutto, per chi cerca il romanzo storico, da evitare.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't really decide between 2 or 3 stars. The first 100 pages really didn't grasp me so that part is 2 stars I'm afraid, but after that it got better and it would be 3, perhaps.

I liked: the characters of Lucrezia and Catalina - loved those girls right from the start / the details on fresco painting - very interesting!! / the ending with Chiara's dad - I normally don't like coinsedences but this wrapped it up so nicely it felt very satisfying / the fact that the poem was implemented at exactly the right place in the book / the lovely cover - of course

I did not like: that all characters, even the minor ones, seemed to be thinking only about sex all the time in the first approx. 100 pages - it was just way too much, even though it might have been needed for the later story. This was my biggest turn off, sorry / the character of Alfonso and his dark thoughts and cellars / what happened to the dog.

[Lennora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent book and story. Well researched. There isn't anything particularly wrong with it, I just wasn't grabbed by it. I really didn't care about the characters, it had cliched characters abound, and it was very slow moving. Also the write up on the back of the book is inaccurate...which was annoying.

Definite trigger warnings needed for rape and death.

Edit: Taken down one star because a character was used as a convenient plot device and it reads like a part of her story was edited out. Hard to describe without spoilers but those who read it will know I'm talking about Chiara.

[A. B. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Svakako za preporuciti svim ljubiteljima povijesnih romana! 📜 Napisan je u tri povezana dijela, no razlomljena kroz par godina.

U prvom dijelu upoznajemo Lukreciju, njeno ponasanje, slobodu, ljubav prema zivotu, spontanost... i njeno vjencanje. Tu pocinje prica o zlatnom kavezu, gdje njen muz, vojvoda od Ferrere Alfonso d' Este, zeli zenu ukras. Njemu treba ona pokorna, ponosna na svoje prezime, da ne prica sa slugama. 🏰
Ali, to nije najvaznije. Problem pocinje kada ne uspije konzumirati brak.
Opet. Opet. Opet. Svaki put iznova, podbaci. Naravno, okrivljuje nju. A svoje komplekse lijeci na ljubavnici Francesci.

U drugom dijelu se govori o ljubavnoj aferi Lukrecije sa slikarom Jacomom 🎨, njihovoj zelji za bijegom i slobodom. Govori i o nekonzumaciji braka izmedu nje i Alfonsa. Vise nije samo nesiguran u sebe, postaje paranoican. Vjeruje da ona ogovara njegovu (ne)muskost sa poslugom, sa radnicima i ljudima njegove pokrajine. Tu se pojavljuje ideja o trovanju vojvotkinje. 🧴 A kao jos jedna stvar... Vatikan mu prijeti oduzimanjem teritorija, ako ubrzo ne dobije nasljednika.

U trecem dijelu, Jacomo i Lukrecija isplaniraju svoj bijeg, a Alfonso isplanira ubojstvo supruge. U to ukljucuje ljubavnicu Francescu, koja ipak odlucuje pomoci suparnici. 🌹

Prica je zanimljiva. Tece brzo. Nacin na koji je prikazan Alfonso je izuzetno uvjerljiv. Postoji nesto alarmantno u njegovoj naravi. Taj kompleks manje vrijednosti. Zelja za uzviscenoscu.
Nije toliko povijesna ⏳, koliko ispunjena spletkama, dramom, sukobima. Zasigurno vise fikcija, nego stvarnost. Ali je napeta.

Osobno mi se svidjela. Bilo bi mi malo draze da je vise docaran zivot toga vremena. Opisi okoline, ljudi, odjece... takve stvari. 🌠

[SidneyKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

You say Lucrezia and I say Lucrezia

You probably don't know this, but one of my favorite historical peeps in the world was Lucrezia Borgia, so when His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm was released I was very excited. However, even though my eyes were seeing the words Lucrezia de'Medici, my brain was interpreting those words as Lucrezia Borgia. So, when I began to read His Last Duchess nothing made sense. I mean really, I understand the words historical fiction. That is where you take history and change it to fit your fancy. But, this book was quite a stretch. I knew this was historical fiction, but Gee Willikers, this was really historical fiction. And then I reread the back blurb and saw the light. Wrong Lucrezia! Mind adjustment time. Now, it just so happens that everything turned out just fine, because this was a really good book.

It's been a while since I've read an historical fiction...I always find the rewriting of history intriguing. Especially, when things turn out a little happier than they actually did. As it turned out, Lucrezia de Medici was the daughter of Eleanor of Toledo, who happens to be the subject of one of my favorite portraits. When my mind finally figured out which person we were reading about, I also did some research of my own on Lucrezia's siblings...made for some fascinating reading.

In case you didn't guess from the mistake with the Lucrezia's, this story takes place in Renaissance Italy, a time and place that is vibrantly alive. This time period was filled with such opulent stories. It's a shame that it is mostly overlooked in Romanceland. His Last Duchess is Ms. Krimm's debut novel, however, it has a rich texture that brings the story to life. There were so many interesting things going on in this book, and the details on Fresco painting was quite engrossing. All of the characters in the book are vividly written, and Ms. Krimm does a fine job of weaving all the "what if's" into her story. Sometimes in historical fiction, I have a problem with the "what if's" b-e-c-a-u-s-e a lot of time there is a plethora of historical information out there and the historical fiction part of it too unbelievable...for instance Tudor England and Henry VIII. The Tudor's are really overdone, and please no more skinny people playing Henry VIII. However, in the case of Lucrezia de' Medici there is little written documentation, so we can create all manners of great stories about her.

His Last Duchess has some wonderfully poignant moments, some very suspenseful moments and a great villain (her husband.) This is a well written historical fiction book, rich in detail and if you like this genre, you'll love His Last Duchess.

And, yes this is based on Robert Browning's poem, but don't let that stop you.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little hard to pin down. I guess it's part of my lack of discretion when it comes to free/cheap e-books, but I generally don't look very deeply into the story synopses. Just from the cover and the brief on-line description, I just assumed it was another standard historical romance, set in medieval Italy. I suppose this could nominally be called a romance, but it's not standard by any means--it's much more a dark psychological drama, focused more on the sexual deviance of the Duke of Ferrera and its impact on the rest of the characters.

I found myself repeatedly questioning why the author would take the approach she did, but at the conclusion of the book, Robert Browning's poem "His Last Duchess", which was the inspiration for the story, was included and everything became clear. I don't specifically remember reading this poem previously, but its tone reminded me of my own favorite poem from high school, Browning's "The Laboratory." (and I freely admit I didn't remember the author nor the name, just the macabre subject matter--thank you, Google!) With that reference material in hand, I can say that the book was an interesting imagining of the story behind the story--the duke who is obviously obsessed with the painting (and love-hate memory) of his last duchess even though he did away with her and is now shopping for a new duchess. I agree with the author that the discovery that the poem is based on a real Duke of Ferrera and his wife, Lucrezia di Medici, makes the story even more fascinating.

That being said, I can't truly say that I "liked" it. I gave it three stars because it was decently written and I frequently had a hard time putting it down, but the subject matter was just too disturbing. When it comes to sexual situations in books, I'm pretty much fine with anything as long as it's between consenting adults. And from a historical perspective, I acknowledge that the intimate relations between noble spouses were most likely one-sided more often than not, and occasionally bordering on pedophilia, considering that women were generally considered little better than brood mares and from an early age. But the control-obsessed duke's impotence in the face of his innocent and fearful bride, and the downward mental spiral that brought on, resulting in increasing levels of abuse toward both his duchess and his mistress and eventually to flirting with necrophilia, was not a comfortable read. And though the author made some attempt to give it a happy ending, it wasn't enough to overcome the morbid tone. I've read plenty of books that disturbed me that I still came out of saying, "That's amazing!" but this one just didn't quite have that something to get it to that point.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am actually rating this 2 and a half stars, but since you can't give half stars, I am being generous. Gabrielle Kimm writes a novel based on a Browning poem about a man who admires a painting of his wife, but that admiration becomes hatred when it is clear that she met an untimely death.

Kimm writes her novel as historical fiction, setting the plot in Renaissance Italy. Lucrezia deMedici is a 16 year-old girl from a powerful family. She is betrothed to the heir of one of Italy's oldest and most influential families. As a young woman of wealth and status, her duty is to marry and produce and heir. Unfortunately, her new husband, the Duke of Ferrara has not been able to consummate the marriage. For some reason he is not able to perform and this produces a growing resentment towards his wife, as he blames her for his problem. The Church has warned the duke that his inability to produce an heir will cost him his title, lands, and wealth as it will reclaim all. The Duke's desperation propels him to unspeakable acts.

Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara is a depraved, violent psychopath. He sees women as whores who must be controlled at all costs. He has no love for anyone and flies into horrible rages at moment's notice, Lucrezia lives in constant fear of causing him any displeasure. She is thwarted at every attempt to establish herself in the castle and her need to feel wanted forces her into careless indiscretions.

From the beginning the novel has a very dark and depressing feel. Personally, I like to read books that make me feel good, or that if evil is present, it is thwarted when good finally triumphs. Yet, this book keeps me in a constant state of revulsion. The duke is a bastard and one hopes that he would get his, but the ending is anticlimactic and unsatisfying. I found some of the author's choices unbelievable. Historically, I can believe the situation of this unhappy marriage but I was hoping for Lucrezia to have a champion. The few people that are able to help her, however, do so in a very unsatisfying way. I guess I was hoping someone would beat the tar out of the Duke, yet he is left alive to see another day and continue his revolting exploitations.

C- read

[Manuela Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um romance de época com um enredo intrincado de personagens interessantes e fortes, bem construído e estruturado e com uma história cruel, desumana e perturbadora que me revoltou.

A escrita da autora é directa, clara, fluída e concisa.
Uma leitura agradável com sentimento, com um final inesperado e surpreendente que me agradou bastante, a autora deveria ter desenvolvido mais certos aspectos da história, tais como os personagens.

Lucrécia casa com o duque de Ferrara com apenas 16 anos, e imagina uma vida boa ao lado do seu marido. O que deveria ser um casamento mágico, depressa se transformou num pesadelo. Alfonso torna-se num homem reles e frio e quanto mais o tempo passa e não conseguindo que Lucrécia gerasse um filho seu, mais desprezível e arrogante se torna, procurando assim amantes.
Lucrécia é humilhada constantemente pelo marido, percebendo ela que afinal este casamento não passava de um mero contrato. Uma personagem adorável, cativante, simples e modesta que trata todos com respeito, consideração e dignidade, não fazendo distinção entre pobres e ricos. Tendo como sua confidente a dama de companhia.
Gostei das personagens de Jacomo e de Francesca, duas pessoas encantadoras, gentis e afáveis.

“O que aconteceu a Lucrécia de Médici”?

O livro é envolvente, perturbante, emocionante e seduziu-me da primeira à última página. Uma narrativa estimulante de perigos, tragédia, terror, raiva, confidencias, segredos, revelações e amor,
Recomendo a leitura desta história verídica, na visão entre a fronteira que separa a realidade da ficção. Também pelas pesquisas que a autora teve que realizar.

[Yin Chien · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to read a good historical fiction, this book is what you need. Before marrying the Alfonso, Lucrezia lives a happy, free life with her parents. She expects her wedded life to be blissful and felicitous, but she does not understand the man under the admirable facade. He is actually a cold and distant man who cares little for his wife and only views her as a rare treasure.

Gabrielle has written this book in a way that readers will immediately connect with Lucrezia's pitiful condition and vote for her happiness. She is an aristocrat, but she is actually a poor girl, because she can never pick her own partner. When she seeks happiness beyond the castle in which she is trapped, you will feel excited but scared for her. Her only friend is the kitchen maid she brought from her parents' residence, Catelina.

Alfonso's character is dark and depressing. I can't figure out his motives most of the times. He doesn't seem to have a heart. Well, metaphorically. He gives me an impression of a man without a soul. When he tries to do something terrible towards Lucrezia, I'm really shocked.

His Last Duchess starts out well, and the plot keeps building until the climax, which is totally awesome. I love the ending of this story because it gives us an exact idea of the aftermath of the terrifying event. Never lacking of suspense and thrilling events, His Last Duchess is a book that you will not be able to put down.

Parental guidance is suggested for teenagers under 18 years of age as there are adult contents in this book.

[Ana (O Mundo Encantado dos Livros) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este é um livro simplesmente surpreendente. Um livro que desde o início me suscitou alguma curiosidade, sendo amante confessa de História muitos são os romances históricos que li e assim que que me foi apresentada a sua sinopse quis lê-lo de imediato. Esta é uma obra que, na minha opinião, se encontra muito bem documentada e que mostra a valiosa pesquisa que a autora fez.
Apesar de no início me ter parecido que iria ser uma história com muitas descrições e detalhes não muito importantes para a acção, tudo isso se dissipou assim que foi realizado o casamento entre Lucrécia e Afonso. A partir desse momento toda a história deu uma volta de 180º e comecei a ver tudo acontecer a uma velocidade alucinante, algo que me fez crescer a vontade de virar uma nova página e continuar a leitura até ao final do livro, que acabou por ser lido em poucas horas. No final acabamos por aprender uma grande lição histórica acerca de alguns costumes comportamentais usados durante o século dezasseis. Apesar disso, é apresentado também um grande romance proibido que fará o leitor sentir-se deliciado com os obstáculos que irão sendo apresentados.
Ambiente sumptuoso, personagens fortes, acontecimentos marcantes. Estes são os três principais ingredientes que marcam todo este livro fantástico e que fará o leitor desejar ler mais obras desta autora.

http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel disproves the adage "Never judge a book by its cover" while rendering homage to Shakespeare's judgment on the futility of gilding a lily. Despite its archetypal Romance-novel cover, I picked it up for titular reference to Robert Browning's (most famous?) dramatic monologue. I'm passionate about many of Browning's monologues, and as this is among the shorter ones, I've had it memorized and enjoyed repeating it for several years. In fact, I even recently thought of the far-off possibility of writing novels based on some of those monologues.

First, I'll acknowledge that the novel did contribute to my understanding of the monologue through reminding me of the youth of the historical Duchess of Ferrara. However, the character was portrayed so much as a fiercely delicate, anachronistically bonhomie angel that she did not look "as if alive". Now, I realize that such is exactly the Duke's characterization of her, but in a novel claiming to deeply analyze character, Lucrezia comes out looking a lot like a stock romance heroine. The characterization of the Duke adds little that cannot be extrapolated from a close reading of the poem.

Despite its general blandness, the novel did pick up in the latter half. The ending was clever, but "false" -- false to what was historically likely, and false to the integrity of the story. In short, Browning managed to pack more substance into 57 lines than Kimm in 400 pages.

[Sue Uden · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first word to the very last word, I loved this book. I was entertained, educated and entranced. I was back there, in the 16th Century, living in Italy with Lucrezia and her deeply damaged and menacing husband Alfonso d'Este. I felt her pain, her losses and her passion. My mothering instincts identified with her nurse, Giulietta and her waiting-woman, Catelina. They, and I, desperately wanted to protect her from... well, you will have to read the book to find out what!

I have to say that I enjoyed being able to read some particularly vivid and explicit bedroom scenes quite naturally and sympathetically without squirming with embarrassment - as is sometimes the case with other books.

I am full of appreciation of the massive amount of research which went into blending so much 16th century Italian history in with the story and particularly to learn about the preparation and painting of frescoes in such fascinating detail.

My only consolation on coming to the end of His Last Duchess is that I can still look forward to getting to know better the admirable and courageous Francesca, who is Alfonso's long-suffering whore and whose life story is, I understand, continued in Gabrielle Kimm's next novel, The Courtesan's Lover.

I massively recommend His Last Duchess as a fantastic read.

[Anissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

With most books that I love (& by love, I mean rate with 5 stars) & recommend, I tend to say the least. Possibly because I've little to complain or criticize with the story & execution & if given the chance, I'd divulge every beautiful detail & plot point spoiling it for anyone else looking to read it. I will say this is a beautifully & vividly crafted story. I felt like I was there from the first page to the last. When you're reading & realize that your breath is hitched because the tenor of the scene has coiled taut around your neck like piano wire (or in this case, that cord of red gems), you know you're caught up in the story. I will definitely be reading more from Gabrielle Kimm & she will now be on my list of "always read historical fiction". Margaret George has been all alone on that list for a while now. LOL

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really well written book. It focuses more on the development of the characters and the plots rather than the history. However, the author has done a large amount of research on frescos and plaster work in this period to be able to write in such detail. The research shows on every little detail written. I'd recommend this book to anybody that wanted a good story(historical or not). I'm really looking forward to reading the next book written by Gabrielle Kimm, The Courtesans Lover.

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book. Too Dark. 2 stars feels pretty generous.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sa svega 16 godina Lucreziini roditelji su joj ugovorili brak s Alfonsom d`Este. Iako ga je prije nego što je došao po nju, vidjela svega par puta, sviđao joj se i mislila je da je nježan i da će biti dobar suprug. U to vrijeme, najviše vremena je provodila sa svojim bratićem Giovannijem s kojim je stvarala nepodopštine. Njezina sluga Giulietta se stalno ljutila na nju zato što je uništavala odjeću koju su skupocjeno plaćali. Kad ju je odveo u svoj dom, Alfonso i Lucrezia su se vjenačali. No, ona svoje vjenčanje nije zamišljala tako, osjećala se osamljenom i kada su trebali iskoristiti prvu bračnu noć, Alfonso se nije prema njoj odnosio kako je ona mislila da hoće, ali ni on nije mislio da će mu se zbog toga što ga je odbijala spustiti i neće moći odraditi bračnu dužnost. Kad mu se spustio, postao je ljut i ostavio Lucreziu samu u sobi. Lucrezia je sa sobom povela Catelinu jer je Giulietta bila već dosta stara i poželjela je da s Crezi ode neka mlađa djevojka. Catelini u početku nije bilo jsano Lucreziino plakanje, ali jednom prigodom Lucrezia je ispričala Catelini kako njihov brak još nije konzumiran, a od početka braka su prošle skoro dvije godine kad joj je to rekla. Alfonso je ponekad pokušavao konzumirati brak i napraviti nasljednika jer mu je papa priprijetio da će izgubiti imanje ako ne bude imao nasljednika. U njegovim neuspjesima uvijek se okretao svojoj ljubavnici Francesci s kojom je imao blizanke. Lucrezia se osjećala nemoćno u tom dvorcu u kojemu nije ništa smjela niti je imala pravo glasa. Alfonso joj je sve zabranio, da se brine o kućanstvu, da priča sa slugama jer ga je sve vrijeđalo. Odlučio je naručiti fresku od slavnog fra Pandolfa. Fra Pandolfu i njegovim dečkima Jacomu i Tomasu je trebalo neko vrijeme da naprave nacrte, zatim su sa nacrtima došli na imanje slikati fresku. Lucrezia ih je prvo iz dosade dolazila promatrati, a onda se postepeno počela zbližavati s Jacomom. Nakon nekog vremena su se zaljubili i počeli potajno nalaziti. Jedne večeri im je i Catelina u tome pomogla i tada je Lucrezia svoje djevičanstvo poklonila Jacomu. Sutradan dok je Catelini prepričavala događaje, naletio je Alfonso i sav ljut otpustio Catelinu. Mislio je da joj je Lucrezia rekla za njegovu nesposobnost u krevetu i da ga ismijavaju. Mislio je doduše, da je to svima ispričala. Nakon što je protjerana, Catelina je otišla do konjušara Giorgia u kojeg je bila zaljubljena i s njim je počela živjeti, a on joj je rekao i da će se vjenčati. U susjedstvu im je živjela Francesca sa svojim blizankama. Catelina je susrela Chiaru dok se porađala i odvela je kući kako bi se ova mogla poroditi, a u pomoć je pozvala Francescu. Od tada su postale prijateljice. Alfonso je odlučio ubiti Lucreziu kad freska bude gotova dok se ona s Jacomom dogovarala za bijeg kad se sve odradi. Pošto je Alfonso zamolio Francescu da mu donese otrov od ljekara, ona je odlučila da nekako moraju upozoriti Lucreziu. Sjetila se Cateline pa su po Francescinoj kćerci poslali poruku Giorgiu koji je to prenio Giovanniu i Jacomu. Osmislili su plan kako da spase Lucreziu, ali ona do zadnjeg neće ništa znati. Pošto je Chiara umrla u Giorgovoj kući nedugo nakon poroda, odlučili su njezino tijelo zamijeniti za Lucreziino. Kad se freska otkrila, tu večer Alfonso je donio Lucrezi vino. Nakon što je pala, misleći da je mrtva htio ju je silovati, ali ni tada nije uspio te ju je ostavio tako. Tada su Giorgio, Jacomo i Giovanni zamijenili Lucreziu sa Chiarinim tijelom i u tome im je pomogla i Giulietta kojoj su morali sve objasniti. Lucrezia je došla k sebi tek kada su bili na sigurnom i tada su joj sve ispričali. A prije toga su zapalili Lucrezinu sobu s Chiarinim tijelom tako da nitko ne uspije prepoznati da to nije Lucrezia. Kada su bili na sigurnom, Lucrezia i Jacomo su pobjegli zajedno ne osvrčući se. Smjestili su se u blizini Rima i osnovali obitelj te dobili sinčića.

[Allyson Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

By coincidence, I picked this book off the book cart well before Maggie O’Farrell’s “The Marriage Portrait” hit the shelves. I was struck by the audacity of retelling Robert Browning’s chilling “My Last Duchess” as a full-length novel at the time, but Gabrielle Kimm’s take on Lucrezia de Medici’s unhappy married life stayed on my TBR shelf until O’Farrell’s book began to get buzz. I started Kimm’s novel with the intent to contrast the two books, expecting that Kimm’s would be much more amateurish reading than a novel by the author of “Hamnet”, a book club selection success.

To my surprise, Kimm’ novel is darned good. Her Lucrezia is a rather child-like sixteen, first seen as a hoyden at play with her boy cousin Giovanni. When rushed into marriage with Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, she at first feels like Cinderella made into a princess overnight, but she finds almost immediately that her marriage bed will be a cold one, and life in Ferrara fraught with danger. Lucrezia has to grow up fast.

Kimm is very ingenious at working the words of Browning’s poem into the action of the novel, and as for the ending – a bit far-fetched, but very cinematic. Browning would either be spinning in his grave or sitting up applauding. An unexpected pleasure.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

She is beautiful. In this breathless silence she is truly beautiful. The perfect reflection has finally been restored and the glass is once again quite flawless.

I was so hopeful for a fantastic historical romance. All the pieces were there; Medici Italy, castle (or villa) intrigue, forbidden love. And yet, there is honestly nothing is almost nothing positive I can say about this book. The characters are flat and uninteresting, the love interest is bland, and there's next to no tension. The setting is little more than window-dressing and there is a side story line that is simply there to increase the page count. The villain is simply awful and not in a good way.

I really wanted to like this; I even picked up a companion novel from the author from the library. But after reading this, I'll just return it unread. I have no desire to read another page involving these characters.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about Lucrezia de Medici, but when I googled, it was a pretty tragic tale. A beautiful 16-year-old girl shoved off to a man of means who was emotionally abusive.

I liked the ending this book gave her. That turned it into a four-star book for me. I doubt this was what really happened - women are swallowed up all the time - but after 400 pages, I needed a happy ending for her.

And yeah, it's not really a romance, but I can see how they'd have trouble marketing the book otherwise.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly think this is a phenomenal book. You just need to get past the initial hurdle of it being a bit slow for the first 100 pages. Gabrielle clearly put in a lot of research, time, and effort into this story. When reading scenes with the Duke, I felt physically ill, which shows the true skill of Gabriellas writing. I was also very charmed with our main character, and I was rooting for her every step of the way. Also, I'm currently learning Italianso the few Italian expressions really helped my learning. Brava Gabriella!

[Loraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, but it did fall flat in places and I found myself skimming through boring sections of tedious explanations that took you away from the main plot. The last part moves at a faster pace and I was eager to discover how it would all pan out once it got moving. If it wasn't for the rather chilling prologue, I think I would have set this one aside. It was the only reason I kept reading.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's books like this that make me wish books came with a rating system, similar to the one movies have. This book would have a "mature audiences only" warning. I only got through about 15% when I got weary of reading the sexual situations. I was expecting a historical novel, not erotica. Whatever story may have progressed, the lewd beginning took away from.

[Ariel Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read half because I was horrified by how violent and misogynistic the “love” interest is. Despite the cover telling me its a “passionate love story”, there’s nothing but a disgusting horrible man who things all women are objects and a 16 year old girl who’s being abused. Hate it. I’m very disappointed.

[KeenReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a romance set in the 16th century, inspired by the Robert Browning poem "My Last Duchess". It was fine, but romance is not a genre I particularly enjoy, which is why I am lukewarm about it.