Night of Fire

St. Ives Family #2

by Barbara Samuel

Enjoying her widowhood and reluctant to ever marry again, beautiful Lady Cassandra St. Ives engages in a long-distance correspondence with a mysterious and intriguing pen pal, but when he invites her to visit his home, Cassandra finds herself swept off her feet by the dashing Count Basilio Montevarchi, despite his long-standing betrothal to another woman. Original.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Friends To Lovers, Forbidden Love

376 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

About the author

Barbara Samuel is a multiple RITA award-winning author with more than 38 books to her credit in a variety of genres. She has written historical and contemporary romances, a number of fantasy novellas with the likes of Susan Wiggs, Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney. She now writes women’s fiction about families, dogs, and food as Barbara O’Neal.

Her work has captured a plethora of awards, including six RITAs; the Colorado Center for the Book Award (twice); Favorite Book of the Year from Romance Writers of America, and the Library Journal’s list of Best Genre Fiction of the year, among many others.You can find a full list of all titles here.

Now living back in her hometown of Colorado Springs, Barbara writes in a study overlooking Pikes Peak, a pin that draws her home from her travels. She shares her home with Christopher Robin, a British endurance athlete, a gorgeous and lovable chow mix named Jack; a very, very old Siamese named Esmerelda; a rescued street cat who has become the fattest silver tabby on the planet, and the wonder twins, two tuxedo kittens from a local shelter, whose names have changed several times. Yes, a lot of animals.

An avid photographer, cook, and traveler, Barbara keeps a log of travels, recipes, and photos at her blog, A Writer Afoot, where she also sometimes posts writing advice. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, but she doesn’t promise to be particularly interesting there.

Reviews

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHY AREN'T WE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK???!!!
So beautiful so vivid so unbelievably exquisite and moving this story blew me away and I am still reeling from it.

...and from Basilio, the 🔥🇮🇹 Count.

One of the best HR's I've ever read.

♥️♥️♥️

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance Summary
Lady Cassandra St. Ives, is a widow and is grateful for her status. Her marriage wasn't what she had dreamed about. She is ready to start a new chapter in her life, one where marriage will not be in her future. She desires to be a writer. But never expected to build a friendship with a man, who saw her writings and initiated contact. Over time, they have become close friends through letters. She believed Count Basilio to be a middle aged man who saw life with zest and intensity and passion like she did. When he asks her for a visit, to see his beautiful world in Italy, she surprises herself by being daring and bold and visiting his estate. Count Basilio is not middle aged, is young and virile and soon their friendship turns into a sensual love affair. But Basilio has a secret, a secret that prevents him from having the future he wants with Cassandra and will be forced to marry another. Will Cassandra and Basilio find their happy ever after or be forced to let go of the love they share?
The Hero
Count Basilio Montevarchi has had to live under his fathers rule for too long. Basilio didn't have the best upbringing, he lost his mother and two older brothers to a plague that swept the area. And was forced to take up the responibility as his fathers heir who despised him for reasons unknown. Basilio has a passion for life and beauty and...love. He writes compelling poetry that is heartbreaking and beautiful and doesn't realize of his true gifts. He is supposed to marry a woman that he doesn't love and is willing to risk it all for one Cassandra. I really liked our hero, he was quite the poet. He isn't the typical alpha hero. He is beta but what a well written one. I adored his character and how devoted he was to Cassandra. His personality could be intense at times though, but I really liked the way he looked at the world.
The Heroine
Lady Cassandra St. Ives is a young widow. Cassandra suffered abuse from her late husband and is not willing to enter another marriage that is practically slavery in her mind. She doesn't wish to be under any man's thumb ever again. When she starts writing to a Count in Italy, she never thought that it would lead her on a path that she had no control. She starts to believe in love and affection and a beautiful future. But she soon realizes that life is never that simple. Cassandra is a heroine that does what she has to. She can be bold and confident, but is the quiet sort. She loves to write and share her thoughts with those of the same thinking. She is pretty courageous and what she does for Basilio is heartbreaking but commendable too. Because we see the lengths she goes to for the man she loves, to do what is right even if it breaks her heart.
Plot and Story Line
In Night Of Fire we have a sweet and charming romance that had me mesmerized by this couple. Now this book wasn't what I expected at all, and the authors writing was very compelling. I love the way she just draws you into the story with a scene from the future where our main couple Cassandra and Bisilio are serperated and I was hooked. I just had to know what happened. We then are taken to England where our heroine decides to be brave once in her life, and go on an adventure to visit a friend in the beautiful land of Italy. And the chemistry between these two is pretty potent. I really enjoyed seeing the way these two begin their love affair. Its sweet, playful and deep. They are the best of friends and decide to develop something more. But then right when life seems to be bliss, Bisilio reveals the truth to Cassandra. He doesn't want to hide the real truth from her even though he decides not to go through with his arranged marriage. But life never goes as planned, and he learns some horrible truths about the fate of his intended bride if he doesn't go through with it. Now Analise was a character I wasn't sure I would like. Because I just had to see that Basilio and Cassandra get their HEA. However she proves to be such a noble character. And there is NO cheating in this one. Just so you know, but the way that the author writes this is very delicate. I have never seen such a love triangle work out so well. But yeah, I was hooked on all three of these characters and how the plot develops. Not quite the way I expected when I first started reading. It does get a bit heartbreaking at times, especially with this forbidden love and love triangle thrown in the mix but this author did such a splendid job in writing the development of these characters and the growth of the romance.

Over the months they shared many letters, telling their deepest thoughts to one another. And when he invited her to see his country, she recklessly took his invitation."

"And then she discovered a virile stallion." He teased wickedly

Cassandra shook her head "She discovered a man who was beautiful inside and out, when she had despaired of ever knowing such a man."

The Cover
What a wonderful cover. Both this cover and the kindle cover is pretty fantastic. But I love these old school ones so I just had to post this one up. Such a dreamy and sexy cover. I love the sunset colors used.
Overall View
Night Of Fire is a story that enthralls the reader from the very beginning and will take the reader on a journey of heartache, loss and the strength of love...

Click To Buy On Amazon
[foogallery id="24135"]

[britta ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

highly passionate tuscany to London with some angst tossed in. Love a romantic MMC but the end was too drawn out for me. No epi. 💛 on KU.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely devoured this book. It's hard to even describe how it made me feel. Such a beautiful and intense romance. Two things I love about Ms. Samuel's writing style is her ability to really make her readers feel the emotions that her characters are feeling, and she always gives her characters genuine, honest, REAL reasons to be in love. This is a rare and beautiful romance novel, and almost as excellent as "A Bed of Spices," which I adored.

[Zumbagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while a book comes along that really takes my breath away - it's hard to describe how or why it happens, but it leaves me feeling awestruck - Night of Fire is exactly that book. An author can have a great story line, strong characters and dialogue - excellent ingredients. But when an author appeals to all of your senses and your heart in such a way that you are completely enveloped in the scenery and situation the characters are in - it's like you become part of the book. Beautifully written does not begin to describe this story. Part of it is set in Tuscany and I actually felt the warm Tuscan sun on my face; they went to the beach to run in the water and I felt the water on my feet; they ate luscious, sweet plums and olives and I tasted them too. That's when I knew I had a problem: I was going to feel their pain as well as their pleasure. This was rather gut wrenching and angsty.

Cassandra is a young widow and it is eluded to that her dead husband was abusive to her - sexually - and she has invisible scars and fears regarding intimacy and marriage. She now has the freedom to do what she loves: writing and research for translations. She's skilled at this and wrote an essay that the hero, Basilio, admired and wrote to her about. They began a letter correspondence and a friendship developed. He is also a writer/poet and both are passionate about their work. Neither knows much about the other - how old they are or what they look like. So when Cassandra accepts his invitation to visit with him in Tuscany, imagine the surprise when they both realize they are both young and beautiful - they were already more than half in love with each other because of their letters. They had connected on an intellectual level and had many common interests. But there's a major problem: Basilio is betrothed and supposed to marry in one month's time. It's an arranged marriage by the parents and the intended, Analise, who is 16 and living in a convent because she wants to be a nun, but needs protection from her father and another possible suitor. There's also land, money and politics involved in their union. Basilio is the third son, but his brothers died so he has to assume this responsibility. So we sort of have a love triage (or love square): Basilio and Cassandra love each other; Analise loves God; Basilio and Analise must marry.

The time that Basilio and Cassandra have together in Tuscany is overshadowed by his obligation and honor to his betrothed. But they have very special moments. Their love for each other was so intense, from the very beginning, they never denied it or were stingy with it. The writing was very sensual while not sexually graphic. Here's an example and I love this part: Moments, Basilio had said. Perfect moments. This would be one she'd save: lying peacefully in the grass with Basilio nearby, his hair against her ear, his simple presence making her feel whole. Impulsively she reached for his hand, and found it coming toward hers. Their fingers twined and fell to rest. Behind her eyelids, Cassandra saw plums, and then just the color of plums. She was aware of her banked need of him and was oddly content to simply feel it, rising and falling with her breath, pulsing now here, now there, as if looking for some break in the wall so it could come spilling out. His thumb drifted over her index finger. Hers touched the heart of his palm. Love, pure as morning light, moved through her, and somehow mingled with the color of plums.

Honestly, this book was amazingly provocative without being lewd. Sometimes a romance book lacks romance (huh? sounds strange, but it's true) - not this one. There's so much romance but yet sadness because of this impossible problem.

Analise is a truly amazing woman too, very wise for her young age. Some may not like the fact that this book has some religious undertones to it. With Analise wanting to be a nun, she has visions, both in the present and in the past, of the Virgin Mary, which is what has led her to want to be married to God. She has tremendous faith in God but struggles with what His will is specifically for her. The point of how one little or big decision we make has such a profound effect on others, it's a ripple down effect, and sometimes we don't know how to stop the avalanche. I was really worried that there would not be a solution to this problem that was plaguing these three people, whose lives were just in turmoil or torture. None of them were happy and the longing would never abate. But this does have a happy ending, so don't despair. Ms. Samuels is now an all-time favorite writer of mine and this book makes it up into my top 5:)

[Cecilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kind of threw me right at the outset, and on reflection, I think I shouldn’t have read it. It starts with a dramatic emotional scene that is very short, then goes back 18 months. This next scene, with the heroine Cassandra, sets her gloomy mood and tells the reader that she has been corresponding with the hero, Basilio for two years. We find out about how wonderful these exchanges have been, but don’t get to see any great letters. We find out how brilliant she is at interpreting the bawdy humour of Boccaccio, but never see any in her. The letter that arrives in this scene, now that I look at it again, probably should have been a more obvious warning to me, containing passages such as

How to capture the perfection of a moment, when the sunlight falls, just so, across the gray branch of an olive? And yet I am driven to it, again and again, like the painters who come here to revel in the light, driven to attempt to capture God in some small way. The holiness of a child’s innocent smile, the way a woman bends her head and shows the soft clean place on the back of her neck – even the burst of sweetness from a plum, plucked from the tree, its juices sweet and hot from the sun exploding from that tender layer of skin into my mouth!

The scenes featuring the hero and heroine are a lot of this sort of treacle; this would be enough to turn me off, but it was exacerbated by the fact that sometimes it seemed like outright filler – at times descriptions (like the “soft clean place on the back of her neck”) are repeated word for word, sometimes entire passages, scenes or letters are repeated, as if they are precious gems to be admired. However, as huge as the effort to make the book seem poetic seemed, it didn’t really work for me. Partly this is because it felt so laboured, and partly it was because none of it really felt genuine.

I think the main cause of my feeling of inauthenticity was the constant telling that was not backed up by any other evidence. For example, there are frequent references to Boccaccio and his bawdy humour, and yet the sensibility of the book was anything but humourous. Painfully earnest, sentimental, even maudlin, are words that seem more applicable. For another example, a bunch of the plot relies on the actions and choices of the father of the hero and the father of his fiancée. Yet everything we know about them (except for one tiny section involving the hero’s father), is merely reported. We never get to actually see enough of them to understand their motives, or feel their substance as characters; they come across as mere agents to make the plot happen. This is despite the fact that the narrative bounces around from perspective to perspective (and no visual clues in my ebook that this was happening – one paragraph you’re in a villa, the next you’re in a convent. Very annoying.)

Anyway, it was not a book I enjoyed.

[Katie(babs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night of Fire is a classic love story by Barbara Samuel and one of her last before she decided to leave the historical romance genre all together. A story like this is refreshing and heart wrenching as our two lovers start out as friends and then realize their love is all consuming. In the hands of a less than experienced author, the characters would have been dull and stereotypical, but here they shine.

Cassandra is an English widow who was abused by her husband. But regardless of this, she has desires and wants. She starts a correspondence with Count Basilio who lives in Tuscany. Already these two are half in love with each other just by their letters alone. When these two meet, their passions collide. Basilio shows her that lovemaking is enjoyable. Those love scenes are scorching.

But of course the road to their "happily ever after" is not easy. There are walls they need to breach in order to be together, including Basilio's betrothed, an unfeeling father and Cassandra's fear of marriage including her own life back in England.

Such an incredible love story told in a beautifully described setting that is a recommended read for any historical romance enthusiast.

[Siany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eugh! No idea why I stuck it out for the whole book...I skipped pages then chapters...it was pretty dire.

All characters apart from one were apparently "not" religious...but then all they talked about was their sin, his sin, what they were doing was a sin...blah blah blah then God was mentioned on practically every page. I feel like God was rammed down my throat in this.

But I kept reading on because surely it would get better.....nope! I should have given up.

I didnt like any of the characters, I feel like I was fudged on the blurb. I mean in these stories the guy doesnt generally marry the girl he is betrothed to. But this book was an exception.

Was my second read by this author and I didnt enjoy this at all.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Basilio is the true brooding hero who values honor, and loves deeply. Cassandra is strong, intelligent and his equal. The true hero is Analise, but a wonderful story. Too sad the author has stopped writing and this is her last romance book.

[Heroes & Heartbreakers]

Basilio, Count Montevarchi, scholar and poet, is the most Romantic hero I’ve ever read. I’m talking Romantic with a capital “R:” extravagant emotion, an emphasis on honor and truth, idealism, seeing beauty in the ordinary, loving with one’s whole heart and being. These kinds of Romances are rare and I know some people can’t get into the over-the-topness of it, but Barbara Samuel served up a doozy of one for her last historical romance, Night of Fire, written in 2000.

Basilio has kept up a two year correspondence with the widowed Cassandra St. Ives, who lives in England, herself a scholar of some note. The letters began as scholarly debate, and that continues to be a part of their relationship, but they have found in each other kindred spirits and already love each other dearly. When Basilio senses Cassandra’s restlessness, that she is ready for a new adventure, he writes: “Come to Tuscany, my lady. Breathe new winds.”

Each has an image of the other as your typical middle-aged scholar. Very safe. When they meet and see the reality of the other—vibrant, sensual, beautiful beings—it is a shock. Each immediately believes the meeting to be a mistake. They already love each other’s minds and souls, but when it is combined with physical attraction and lust, the combination is potent and combustible. Their first kiss is explosive.

See the full breakdown of the "Memory of Her Hair" scene in Barbara Samuel's Night of Fire at Heroes and Heartbreakers: http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...

[Suzy Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night of Fire by Barbara Samuel (2000) is one of the most sensual and romantic love stories I’ve read in ages … all beginning with an intellectual exchange of correspondence…. an epistolary trope.

The heroine, Lady Cassandra, a widow living in London, is a translator and writer; the hero, Count Basilio Montevarchi who lives in Italy sends her a letter congratulating her on one of her scholarly works, and they proceed to send each other letters for over a year as their friendship deepens. He then invites her to Italy thinking she is a typical widow. Both discover their imaginations are wrong and a passionate love of soul mates develops and consumes them. But then obstacles arise and both are utterly devastated…. as Basilio must honor a commitment from the past.

It’s hard to explain and describe how exceptionally sensual this book is with its exquisite poetic language that paints vivid emotional pictures of their love scenes and ongoing letters .., the settings, especially Tuscany, sharing tantalizing food … salty olives, juicy plums…. the writing is luscious and ripe. Un bel libro!

[charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wrecked me! Oh my goodness it was so beautiful. The first half was the most romantic writing I’ve ever read. So passionate and beautiful. I felt the emotions and experienced the scenes like I was part of it. The second half was gut wrenching. Like tears falling down my face sobbing. It made the ending so so sweet. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the hero and heroine loved as much as these two did. This is one of my favorite romances I’ve ever read.

[Lea's Audiobooks Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come at Speaking of Audiobooks

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Cried buckets (sign of a good bk). Looking out for more of her bks

[nanoreadsxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🌟 First half of this book is solid 5 stars for me… just pen pals & total romance. Towards the second half however I feel it gotten a lil bit draggy with the wife drama conscience. But overall, the writing is beautiful, I just want them to be together

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on a romance-novel reading tear at the moment for some personal reasons so ... I read the second in Barbara Samuel's (very short) series about the St. Ives family. (I STILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT JULIAN AND GABRIEL, ARGH!) In this one, Cassandra, the bluestocking younger sister of The Black Angel's heroine Adriana, travels to Italy to meet her literary correspondent, whom she expects to be a middle-aged guy, but instead he turns out to look like this:

Cassandra, despite her own bad history with her husband, is immediately smitten, 'cos, well, look at him, also, he's a poet, he owns a castle in Tuscany, he's very rich, and he's also a good guy who wants to keep the promise he made to his dead mother to marry this girl who wants to be a nun. (I guess you had to be there.)

SOMEHOW THIS ALL WORKS, partly because all three of the people in the love triangle are actually good, decent, people who are trying their darnedest not hurt one another and I'm not ashamed to say that I did cry from time to time. Thankfully, we don't get a lot of Basilio's poetry (also, I wish he had a different name, because I just kept thinking of Don Basilio from Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" and he's a distinctly comical figure and I like to think they were actually listening to that at the opera, because it would have been funny!). So I dunno, this one clicked much better for me than the first one in the series, and then imagine my disappointment at learning that I will never, ever, ever find out what happened to Julian and Gabriel. (Do we sense a theme? Don't hint at pirate adventures and never tell me what they were :()

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, if this says anything, I am on Round 3 of reading this back-to-back. I just can't get enough of her descriptive and emotive writing. This couple especially, the wrenching heartbreak of losing a soul mate to family and political maneuverings and how Basilio and Cassandra try so hard to do the honorable thing and not betray the trust of the person Basilio is duty-bound to protect.
That his wife, Analise, should come up with the solution to solve all three of their dilemmas was interesting to watch play out, and not at all how I expected it to be. It was refreshing to have a character with such firm faith and that her faith would allow the resolution without compromising the other characters.
The only thing I would say is... whoever did the art for the cover, PLEASE read the book. How is her hair even remotely red? And please, to the author, I am so dying to know what happens to Cleo, and Julian and Gabriel and Phoebe... One of these days, St. Ives Family #3, #4, #5 etc. are in order!

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech. I read the first in this series as a free offering for the Kindle and I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I added the next to my "to read" list. I found it recently at the used book store, so I picked it up.

No. It's the EXACT type of romance that turned me off of the genre for so long. It's overly flowery without an ounce of humor and tons of angst. For a long time, I thought that most romances were like that, so I didn't read them. These days, it's the rare one that comes to me that's just too saccharine to be palatable. So, I'm lemming this one after about 70 pages or so. Yuck.

[Frances Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

One of the most enjoyable books I have read of late and I read a LOT! Full of passions and the feel of Italy and the passion of real love battling through adversity. I have loved both books in this series as the family feels very real .Surely Ms Samuel we will hear Julians backstory and what happens to Gabriel ,Cleo and the others.

[MrsMascara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, sad melancholic quality to it. Loved both characters. So wish there were books about all the siblings, hope Barbara Samuels writes them!!

[Z.]

Such a good first half ruined by such a mawkish, inane second half. The characters meet irl for the first time in the beginning, after having exchanged letters long-distance for a while, they're both surprised that the other isn't middle-aged and unattractive, and they obviously hit it off immediately. (The book would really have been more interesting I think if they were middle-aged and unattractive - at least the second half wouldn't have been like that.) They both have strong reasons not to act on their attraction, and the whole yearning push-pull situation is written really well. She's a widow and her husband was really shitty. Meanwhile, he's betrothed to a sixteen-year-old who wants the arranged marriage as little as he does, but he feels obliged to go through with it because of their family circumstances. Unfortunately it all goes progressively off the rails in the second act as the main characters stumble around having big feelings and fucking things up, until a teenage nun-to-be cuts the gordian knot for them.

One thing I like about historical romance in general is that existing in a society with different ideas about morality gives characters problems that would be a non-issue or have an obvious solution in our world. So, I typically enjoy situations where a character is all "alas, I am honor-bound to do [the absolute dumbest thing you can think of]." But in this case the main characters were wildly stretching the definition of "honor" to justify stuff like visiting your situationship's child bride, maintaining the pretense that you are not having an affair with her husband, and trying to persuade her to "be a proper wife" and have sex with her husband. Even though she's made it clear that she has absolutely no desire to do that and you know that all she really wants in life is to go back to the convent where she grew up and become a nun. Because you decided that the only way you and the guy you're in love with will be prevented from the "dishonor" of having an affair is by pressuring this girl into fucking him. And that would be fine if the author wasn't presenting this whole relationship as transcendent perfect divine love between two wonderful people who are tragically thwarted by the universe (until a teenager decides to solve their problems). Reading about kinda shitty rich people having affairs can be fun! This book isn't.

[Gator Girl Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook owned
4 stars

I enjoyed the book. This book is about Cassie, the widowed sister of Adriana from the Black Angel book.
(The St Ives Family series Books…..which I thought there would be more?!?!?! Big family. Lots of romances that could be written.)
Anyways, Cassie was rather cold and unfeeling in the first book. There are legitimate reasons. But she starts writing back and forth with a gentleman in Italy. He invites her to his home to look at some works of an Italian writer. They share similar talents for writing and poetry. Both assume the other is a middle aged person and so no expectations of anything but friendship and a shared passion for writing. But…. They’re both gorgeous and it’s instant attraction.

Basio, the Italian poet is being forced to take over his father’s estate after the deaths of his mother and two older brothers. His father does not care for him and he’s also forcing him to go through with the betrothal to a very young lady (16 yrs old!!!) who has always wanted to become a nun. So there’s a huge obstacle in Cassie and Basio’s romance. They both want to be honorable but have a hard time denying the intense attraction to each other. They give in and kiss but the intensity of the passion triggers Cassie’s fear as she was abused physically/sexually by her husband. Basio backs off but Cassie wants to continue. They slowly, over a few days, allow Cassie to learn how to be loved physically and to enjoy it. Basio writes to the young lady, breaking the betrothal and also writes his father, telling him off.
And they indulge in a love affair. They are truly in love with each other.
But then…..Daddy shows up. Beats on him. Cassie jumps in. Gets punched. Bad news.
Anyways…Cassie who never wants to marry again or be a mistress, sacrifices her love for Basio so that he may fulfill his duty. Back to England she goes.
Basio weds the baby nun. ( sorry I forgot her name. But she’s a very sweet character.) He does not consummate the marriage. After finally writing a book of his poetry, he’s asked to come to England for readings, etc. He brings his child bride.
Of course Basio and Cassie are going to run into each other. But it all works out. I won’t say anything else.
It’s a decent read.

Sort of bummed that there doesn’t seem to be any other books about the other brothers and sisters.

[Lynne Spreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the late 1700s in England, Cassandra is happily widowed; her husband was a cruel sadist who hurt her during their brief marriage. Now she's free to indulge in her work (translating poetry) and live the life of the mind. When a reader writes in response to an essay she published, a heartfelt correspondence begins and they grow close over the course of two years. He invites her to visit him in Italy, expecting a middle-aged woman. She expects a rounded older man. Instead, they're both young and beautiful. After the two year courtship via letters, their deep friendship quickly turns to love, but he is promised to another and will wed in a month. It's an arranged marriage. The outcome of this story is predictable, but the pathway is not.

What I enjoyed about this romance was the sensual landscapes, food, clothing, and scenes. The friendship between Cassandra and the fiancée, Analise, is uplifting, and the description of the latter's spirituality is quite moving. A good story.

[Gemma]

This author is very hit or miss for me. I loved Lucien’s Fall and A Bed of Spices, others were DNF.

Unfortunately this is another DNF. I love slow burn romances but I’m at 17% and nothing has happened, I’m BORED. When I read the synopsis and saw that the hero/heroine first make an emotional connection via letters I was so excited, but the letters are almost entirely “off-screen” and we see very little of them.

Maybe I’ll give this a try another time, IDK. For now I’m deleting it from my kindle.

[scarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5ish hey I liked this stars!

This is my first Barabara Samuel book and her writing was lovely! This books has two larger sections - the beginning is in the "past" and the second is in the "present." Much of the past section is so good but I think it could have been shortened a little bit to give more of an edge for the present scenes. I bought this book because I wanted to begin reading Samuel AND because this cover is absolutely stunning! (also Judith Ivory blurbs it! and I don't even give a shit about blurbs but I did scream when I saw Judy on the cover)

[Margerm, Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off so well but the solution to the conflict coming from a religious vision didn't feel real to me. Going to read another book by the author to see if this was specific to this book. H marries his betrothed who wants to be a nun to save her from being sold to the highest bidder by her father. He does his duty despite being in love with his soul mate, a widow that he has corresponded with for 2 years and spent a glorious week with when she visits him in Tuscany.

[Kia Workman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I wish the ending was longer!! I love Basilio and Cassandra's pure love. It just jumped off the pages. This book also made me ponder that poetry and love letters are a lost art. Loved this book!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Hooked by the first few sentences of the prologue. This was exactly what I was seeking - a sweeping romance in distance and emotion, UK and Italy and the epistolary friendship traveling in between. Lovely prose. Peak yearning and angst.

[LOVEROFBOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before this book, I had never read a Barbara Samuel book but this was recommended to me. I've also never read a romance book that takes place in Italy. Usually I stick with England/Scotland area.

This book makes me full of emotion and warmness! There are so many beautiful passages between Basilio and Cassandra. So much beautiful prose I kept note of some of my favorites.
For example: "A ripple went through her, an echo of the fierce, started hunger she'd felt, seeing him hurtle down the hill so intent on her, his hair and sleeves flying behind him. And then his strong hands with their calloused palms hard on her face, and his mouth urgent and hot and tasting of woodsmoke from the bonfire. Never in all of her life had a man looked at her that way, as if he would die if he did not kiss her."

And this, Cassandra writing in her diary: "It is Basilio, born of this golden light and the sensual feast that is his country, who has freed me, introduced me to this new side of myself. How did he know she lurked all this time within me, when I did not know myself?"

Or this: "Sitting side by side on the divan, they read aloud from Boccaccio, nibbling from each other's hands the marzipans and chocolates he'd stolen from the kitchen..."

There is much sensuality and humor between the characters. I love the way they talk with each other, such gentleness, ease and respect.

The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because after they returned to London, it slowed a bit and I liked it less. I wanted them to return to the Tuscan countryside full of sunshine, hills, sensuality and ripe plums.

The author had me guessing till the end of just how things would work out between the arranged marriage and Basilio and Cassandra's love.

Usually after I'm done with one book I started another one that same day, but I did not want to after this one! I wanted to ponder the rich words, the beauty, the characters and everything about the story, so I did just that.

[Jane Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had great expectations for this book but about 1/4 of the way into it I was frustrated. Nothing was happening. The lovers went for walks, ate fruit, flirted, had trysts that were, up to that part, chaste but pomised to soon become steamy.

Drawn By Count Basillio's writing and poetry, Casandra St. Ives, a very contented widow, had come to Italy expecting a soul mate of a more advanced age. Count Basillio was expecting the same. He has been pledged since youth to a woman who wants to enter the convent but each party was too honorable to break the engagement, what to do. I was too bored to wade through the rest of it to find out so I put in the last disk to see the outcome.

Of course, there was a happy ending for all. Maybe the book reads better because the reader can take the interactions at a more intimate pace.