The Last Prince of Florence

by Zoe Sivak

Based on the true story of Alessandro de' Medici, this sweeping novel follows a Black woman's secret plot to put her son on a Renaissance throne.

In 1490, a dark-skinned baby girl arrives at the Santo Spirito foundling hospital with a bronze dagger strapped to her chest. Raised by Iye, a scarred African nurse who teaches her to fight and survive, Simonetta refuses the only futures offered to foundling nun or wife.

She has bigger plans.

Years later, when a midnight brawl leaves exiled prince Lorenzo de' Medici owing her his life, Simonetta talks her way into the legendary Medici family—and finds herself falling for the beloved Medici son. But her dark skin and sharp tongue make enemies, and when the family accuses her of witchcraft, she's forced to reveal her secret she's pregnant with a potential Medici heir.

Alessandro's birth should secure her place in the family. Instead, it makes her their prisoner.

Her own ambitions thwarted, Simonetta is determined to do anything—lie, cheat, and kill—to put Alessandro on Florence's throne. European empires feed on the growing African slave trade, and the biracial boy threatens everything her enemies believe about power, bloodlines, and Simonetta’s legacy.

As the gulf between mother and son widens, Simonetta must choose between the crown she sacrificed everything for and the son who wears it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Italy

464 pages, Paperback

Expected publication November 17, 2026

About the author

ZOE SIVAK is currently pursuing both her Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a focus on women's health. She continues to advocate for diverse women in her writing, focusing on BIPOC and LGTBQA narratives in historical fiction. MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION, her debut novel, follows a biracial woman's tumultuous journey through the Haitian and French Revolutions. It arrives in 8/2/2022.

Reviews

[Tova]

As a staunch Alessandro de' Medici defender and Medici enthusiast, you have no idea how excited I am to get my hands on this! Praying to the ARC Gods on this one!

[Jacquie]

The Last Prince of Florence is an historical novel, highlighting Alessandro ‘de Medici and his mother Simonetta’s life through her eyes. Like any historical novel, characters and many know events are accurately portrayed, leaving author Zoe Sivak to creatively fill in the rest.
This was in many ways a fascinating book. Sivak highlights what was, for me, a little known aspect of Roman and Florentine life - slavery and the resulting children. She presents the historical Simonetta as a Black orphan, whose mother leaves her at a Roman orphanage to avoid having her born into slavery.
While I overall enjoyed the novel, it was a complicated story and I found it difficult to follow at certain points. If a reader were not passingly familiar with the history of Rome, Florence, or the Medici, it will likely be a bewildering read. A chart with characters and their relationships and perhaps an intro or afterward to pull together the history would be a valuable and welcome addition.
The explicit “romance” was a weaker and unnecessary part of the book, in my opinion.
The Last Prince of Florence will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans. If not for the explicit sex, which could be offensive to some readers, I would recommend it for my book club due to the many interesting points of discussion. Sadly, I don’t feel comfortable recommending it. Three stars.
Thanks to #BookBrowse and #Netgalley for the ERC.

[Charla Wilson]

In the mid 1500’s, Simonetta da Collevecchio is a foundling that grew up in a convent that cared for abandoned children. She was given up reluctantly, but being of dark skin and a single mother during this time, she knew it was impossible to keep her and raise her on her own. Simonetta was well cared for by an African nurse. She eventually went to work as a servant for the Medici family.

Simonetta finds herself in a similar situation as her mother before her, however, the father of her child is Lorenzo ll de’ Medici. Simonetta is determined that her son, Alexandro will one day sit on the throne of Florence. She is determined to do whatever is necessary to make this happen. In the process, she is in a constant struggle against the Medici family. This entire story is leading up to finding out if Alexandro does ever get to sit on the throne of Florence and if the struggle will have been worth it in the end.

[Anke]

THE LAST PRINCE OF FLORENCE is a historical novel that takes place in Renaissance Italy and follows orphan Simonetta da Collevecchio, a woman of African descent, who becomes a servant in the Roman de’Medici home after saving Leonardo de’Medici’s life. When her position is threatened, she tells everyone she is pregnant and later gives birth to Alessandro de’Medici, the first Florentine hereditary monarch.

It was a very interesting read, detailing life in ancient Rome, the role of the Catholic Church, and the everyday lives of poor and rich alike. There are a lot of characters that come and go, which was at times confusing but not too bad. Simonetta herself was fascinating, strong, and resilient. I think fans of Italy’s 1500s will really enjoy the book.

Thank you to BookBrowse, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing Group for the advance copy. Thanks also to Zoe Sivak for this interesting and entertaining book—I look forward to the next!

[Laura]

That 3 rating is generous. Set in Rome and Florence in the last 1500s and early 1600s, The Last Prince of Florence is a fictional biography of Simonetta de Collevecchia, who grew up in a foundling hospital, was mistress to multiple de Medici, and a ruthless assassin. She was also mother of Alessandro de Medici, the first hereditary prince of Florence, whose father was one of those de Medici. The book feature brutal violence, ruthless characters, and explicit sex -- probably realistic, but not necessarily enjoyable to read. Not really my cup of tea.

[Sara]

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. There is some graphic sex and violence. Underneath, I would characterize it as a woman's desire to rise and to help her son rise up when she plateaued. It's a bit hard to put it into a category although I'm sure it's described as historical fiction. I liked the beginning, but then stopped caring about the characters as it went on.

[Reader R]

A slightly upgraded Harlequin romance.

[Margot]

This book is a R rated Harlequin. Only gave it two stats because I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Rome.

[Janine]

An historical novel based on Simonetta da Collevecchio, the mother of Alessandro de’Medici, nicknamed Il Moro, due to his dark complexion, who became the first Florentine hereditary monarch.

It has been speculated that Simonetta was of African descent and the author begins there with her birth and being given to a foundling home in Rome by her mother. We follow Simonetta as she matures and eventually finds a way to leave the home (on her own terms) where she is able to obtain a position in the Roman de’Medici home after saving Leonardo de’Medici’s life. When her position is threatened - rumors of witchcraft - she tells of her pregnancy. The story then goes into detail about Simonetta’s life with her son ending with speculation on his death. That twist was interesting.

Simonetta is written as a strong, fearless, sassy and resilient character. The de’Medici’s are portrayed very much as they are historically - ruthless. Simonetta is as ruthless as well desiring that her son achieve the throne. Because the author is being as accurate to history as possible, I don’t think she’s given herself the most likable character to develop but I think given what I learned in investigating the history, she’s made her character credible, which I appreciated on reflection of my read.

This is a fine historical novel aiming at credibility and realism. It’s a perfect read for lovers of historical fiction about Renaissance Italy - or any reader who enjoys a good historical novel.

My thanks to NetGalley and BookBrowse/Berkley Publishing Group for granting me access to this ARC.