The Apprentice: Love and Scandal in the Kingdom of Naples

by C. De Melo, Andrea Zuvich (narrator), www.cdemelo.com (publisher)

Naples, Italy 1600: In a desperate attempt to avoid an undesirable fate, “Carlo” dispatches an urgent letter to his estranged cousin, Giovanni Balducci, on the eve of the Florentine Maestro's departure to Naples. The deceptive youth convinces Giovanni that he needs an apprentice, so they travel south to complete important commissions, including the adornment of the macabre San Gaudioso catacombs. What began as an adventure takes a perilous turn when the apprentice falls in love with a local monk.

Carlo meets the famed nun, Sister Giulia di Marco, and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, a few years later, while restoring an altarpiece in a church. The charismatic pair gradually draw the lonely artist into their scandalous Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses a big secret to Sister Giulia. The crafty nun wastes no time assigning the novitiate a prominent role within the cult, which soon captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition. To make matters worse, the priest leading the investigation is someone the artist knows all too well.

This gripping account of forbidden love and danger revolves around actual historical accounts. The author has spent considerable time researching in Naples, especially within the mysterious and bizarre underground catacombs.

Genres: Historical

Audible Audio

Published September 21, 2023

About the author

I perform CPR on history & breathe life into the past...

Hello and welcome! After obtaining my Art History degree from UMASS Dartmouth in 2000, I was hired by an American university to coordinate educational programs throughout Italy. In 2007, I settled in Florence to work as a museum guide. I've been a full-time author since my first book (SABINA) hit #1 in 2014.

My specialty is historical fiction set in Italy, although I do write different genres. I'm a globetrotter and do my utmost to visit every city and historical site mentioned in my novels in order to provide readers with vibrant descriptions.

NOTE: Unfortunately, goodreads does not update book covers, so some of these here are outdated. Please visit my Amazon page by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/C.-De-Melo/e/B...

Reviews

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just wow. I do love a book by this author and always the narrator suits and this one was no disappointment. This one was so different to the other books, it was so scandalous (hence the title) I just had to keep listening. All the other books have been great but this one just had such a different vibe.

You can tell how much research has gone into this book and it has made history so exciting.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical romance had an interesting storyline of a teenage orphan girl who dresses as a a boy to survive the 1600s in Italy. She becomes a professional artist and finds love. Her naive decisions almost cost her everything. The narrator did a great job.

[Brittany Elizabeth Cartwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was scandalous and it kept me wanting to turn the page. All of these books written by the author are enticing. This one was just so different than the others! Loved it!