Noć karnevala

by Hannah Fielding

Izgubljena ljubav. Neobuzdana strast. Neočekivana izdaja. Duboko razočarana u ljubav, mlada Veniša odlazi u Italiju i tamo započinje novi život. Uspešni arhitekta, ona je godinama marljivo gradila i neprobojnu tvrđavu oko sopstvenog srca. Međutim, kada je jedne karnevalske noći u Veneciji zagonetni Paolo spase od maskiranih napadača, njena uspavana osećanja rasplamsaće se neodoljivim žarom. Uprkos brojnim glasinama i Paolovoj reputaciji ženskaroša, Veniša ipak ne može da se odupre tajanstvenom muškarcu koji je uspeo da otključa sve kapije do njene duše. Kada dobije novi projekat u Paolovoj velelepnoj kući u Toskani, Veniša će biti prinuđena da se uhvatiti ukoštac s nizom poteškoća koje prete da ugroze njihovu romansu – lepoticom odlučnom da Paolovu ljubav pridobije za sebe, mračnim grofom čije su namere daleko od dobrih i demonima prošlosti koji vrebaju iz senke. Da li će ih poražavajuće tajne zauvek razdvojiti ili će uspeti da se izbore za svoju ljubav? Sve što znam jeste da si ti osvetlila moju tamu blistavim svetlom i sada sve struje moga bića teku ka tebi. Ti, samo ti možeš me ponovo učiniti celim. „Egzotično i neodoljivo!“ – Sandej tajms

Genres: Romance, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Italy, Book Club, Historical Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Hannah Fielding is an incurable romantic. The seeds for her writing career were sown in early childhood, spent in Egypt, when she came to an agreement with her governess Zula: for each fairy story Zula told, Hannah would invent and relate one of her own. Years later – following a degree in French literature, several years of travelling in Europe, falling in love with an Englishman, the arrival of two beautiful children and a career in property development – Hannah decided after so many years of yearning to write that the time was now. Today, she lives the dream: writing full time at her homes in England and Ireland, and in the South of France, where she dreams up romances overlooking breath-taking views of the Mediterranean.

To date, Hannah has published eight novels: Burning Embers, set in Kenya; The Echoes of Love, set in Italy; the Andalucian Nights trilogy (Indiscretion, Masquerade and Legacy), set in Spain; Aphrodite’s Tears, set on the Greek islands; Concerto, set on Lake Como; and Song of the Nile, set in Hannah's homeland, Egypt.

Reviews

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is an odd book for me to rate because I found the first half of the book to be 2 stars, but the second half was 4 stars. My final rating for this is 3 stars, which is the average of the two.

On an unrelated note, when I first saw that one of the epigraphs was an excerpt from Burnt Norton I was really happy. I love that poem mainly because Lana Del Rey recites it for her interlude on her Honeymoon album and I love Lana Del Rey.



So the first half of the book was 2 things: slow and cringe worthy.

In regards to its slowness, I thought that it took way too long to get to Tuscany. It took nearly 150 pages for our main character, Venetia, to finally get there. I felt like the story didn’t actually start until she arrived. A lot of the first half of the book was Venetia being wishy washy towards Paolo. She would think to herself, I love Paolo. Then the next page she would be like, I don’t love Paolo. That continued regularly until about half way through and made the book go by so slowly. I got pretty annoyed with her because she could not make up her mind. A good portion of the first half could have been removed because it was all really repetitive.

As for the cringe worthy parts, there were two lines in particular that drove me nuts. The first line described Venetia as having “neither racial or social prejudices” (41). Like okay. That’s kind of an odd thing to say in a book. The second line was when Venetia asked the Chinese fortune teller, “How come you speak such perfect English” (98). As someone who is half Asian, I really have an issue with that. It just adds to the perpetual foreigner stereotype that gets attached to Asians. It wasn’t even a necessary question for the story. Another thing that had me cringing was how predatory the males were in the beginning. Count Umberto was so horrible and even Paolo was a bit too much with his constant demands.

But then the book moved to Tuscany and things got a whole lot better. Paolo and Venetia became less annoying. There were conflicts which finally got the story moving (I loved Allegra’s character. She was really interesting). The romance finally heated up. A lot of the time it reminded me of Jane Eyre and Beauty and the Beast, which isn’t surprising considering Beauty and the Beast (the original fairy tale version) is mentioned on page 304 and Jane Eyre is mentioned in the author’s Q and A at the end of the book. I could definitely see the inspiration and since I love both of those I did end up enjoying the second half.

As for the big reveal at the end, I had already figured it out by that point so I wasn’t super surprised by it.

Overall, this wasn’t the best romance due to its overly long beginning but the second half saved this book from becoming a disaster. I’m am curious to read more from Hannah Fielding because out of all her books on Goodreads this one has the lowest average rating of only 3.66. All her other books have an average rating of over 4. I’m hoping that this book was just a fluke and not representation of her writing as a whole.

[Archit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graceful!



A romantic suspense that will sweep you off your feet.

Reading the blurb only exploded the fire inside me to read it then and there and this was so beautiful! For the admirers of Italy, this book is nothing but a treat. While reading it, I wanted to visit Italy badly.

Hannah describes the architectural scenarios marvelously. How her characters are deeply affected by their past lives is a delight to watch.

The most charming thing about Hannah Fielding's writing style is that she makes you feel that you are in the same place as her characters. Her description of the settings are so lively and vivid that at every moment you want to halt and look around if what is happening with you is real or not.

Passion flows in her writing which is inviting, appealing and more than charming.

The Echoes of Love will be enough to ignite the love and strong emotions in you. This book may or may not be your cup of tea but the author's charm with the characters is unconquerable.

I bet you can't resist falling in love with Italy while you read this.

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I would like to thank the Author for putting this book up for a goodreads win and that is how I got to read this story.
Venetia is a woman with a broken heart and no Trust in men. 10 years before she fell in love, got engaged he leaves for war and she never hears from him again. She is now working and living in Vennice. One night she is atacked and Paolo comes to her rescue. He keeps turning up in her life and her emotions run hot and cold for him. They have some issues they both need to work through for love to blossom.

I liked that this story is set in venice.
I liked that Paolo told legends, they were intresting.
I did like the story, but at times I felt the issues drew out the story a bit to much.
I liked reading a story where the two characters had no money issues.
I liked the ending, but it came a bit quick, less time in the middle more at the end would have been good.

Favorite Quote:
To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it ...
Crush the rose of anger so it may only leave its delicate fragrance on your hands... Learn to forgive an evil deed so you do not remaine the victim of its consequences forever.

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here's the thing: If you have a passion for Italy (Venice, Tuscany, and Sardinia in particular), if you have a love of Italian and/or Sicilian food, if you have a passion for architecture and/or interior design, or if you have a serious love of poetry, then this is the book for YOU! I, however, do not have those passions and when I pick up a romance novel, I just want to read a story about two people who find love, have some challenges and/or hardships, and then have a happily ever after. That's really all I want. There wasn't enough STORY in this 340+ page novel for me.

The gist: Venetia is a British chick living in Venice. She's an architect/mosaic restoration expert. Paulo is a wealthy Don Juan. Paulo saves Venetia from some muggers and falls in love with her right then. He has a house in Tuscany and he just bought a run down villa in Tuscany that he wants to turn into a resort. He hires Venetia to be the architectural mastermind, which will bring her to Tuscany to stay at his home while she's working on the job. There's a big secret that is revealed that could potentially destroy them. They FINALLY get their happily ever after.

Okay. There is really not even one thing I liked about this book. I absolutely LOATHED the writing. Like, I was SERIOUSLY wishing I had a rusty grapefruit spoon to gouge my eyeballs out with. Yeah, I know, I know... I COULD have stopped reading, but I knew AT SOME POINT she was going to go stay with him in Tuscany and there was going to be a romance between them. The synopsis sounded intriguing, so I kept hoping and wishing that it would get better. I was SADLY disappointed...

The easiest way to list my grievances would be in list form, so here goes nothing:

1) To say the flowery descriptions and wholly irrelevant details are ridiculous would be a MONUMENTAL understatement!

a) The food: I'm not kidding, there was an ingredient list provided for EVERY dish she put in her fucking mouth! I'm not saying the recipe was written in the story, but either the very knowledgeable waitstaff, the chef, or Paulo listed EVERY ingredient, down to the spices of EVERYTHING she ate!!! In most cases, there was even a little cultural background on the dish and/or the origins of it. FUCKING GAG ME!!! Oh! And if she had wine there was, more often than not, some background info on the winery or whatever where it came from. Her coffee was described, her desserts were painstakingly detailed. This is one of the things that drives me batshit crazy in some books. I'm not a foody. If I was THAT interested in food, I would read a fucking cookbook instead! Not only was having EVERY detail of the dishes outlined BEYOND annoying, it wasn't REMOTELY relevant to the story. Neither one of these characters has a particular love of cooking, neither is a chef, neither is a restaurateur, neither one of them even work in the food industry! Therefore, all the hullabaloo over the food was WHOLLY irrelevant to the story! If it was just one or two particular dishes or something, I would skim that part and not even comment on it, but that wasn't the case with this one...

b) EVERY room in EVERY building was described almost down to how many gallons of paint or tiles were used... Not only were the details described, they were described using an inordinate amount of adjectives. Here is PART of the description for the TUB in her bathroom: "...She loved its pink mosaic walls and the way the tub had been enthroned beneath the window on a cream-coloured stone platform, reached by a couple of shallow polished steps..." There are PAGES upon PAGES of descriptions of rooms!!!! And NONE of them are relevant to the story!

c) EVERYTHING this bitch does is described in the minutest of detail. Here's an example, she's getting for a day of sightseeing by herself: "...Venetia had washed her hair with a chamomile shampoo, which always gave her chestnut mane golden overtones. First she thought of letting it fall in long locks at the front and around the back, with thick bangs curled off to the sides; but then she decided to style it up, exposing her long neck. Bushing it back and off her forehead and sides she pinned the top towards the centre of the back to keep her hair in place, and then she folded the rest of it beneath, up and over the pins, curving the hair under vertically and fastening it with hairpins. It looked soft and feminine and she secured it all with spray, considering the result carefully..." SERIOUSLY??? There are PAGES upon PAGES of shit like this...

d) She watched a fireworks show. After giving you tidbits in the previous two points, I don't want to go on AND ON about the fireworks display. I'll tell you the telling about the fireworks display held more metaphors than most books in their entirety. It probably took me longer to READ about the fireworks display that it would have taken for an actual, elaborate fireworks display to take place from beginning to spectacular finale.

e) Paulo has blue eyes. In case you forget it, no worries... You'll be reminded EVERY time he looks at her. I didn't even know there were so many ways to describe blue eyes! Sapphire, lapis, midnight, the sea, the sky, you name it, she used it. And there were the varying levels of intensity of said blue eyes. Varying degrees of love, rapture, pain, confusion, and pretty much ANY emotion you can think of. Paulo's eyes are VERY expressive! They change color with his emotions and the intensity of those emotions also.

f) I don't need to visit Venice to know what it looks like. In fact, I don't think I even WANT to visit Venice after the overabundance of details about it. I'm talking page upon page upon page upon PAGE of descriptions! The street name for just about EVERY street she walked down, how heavy the pedestrian traffic was on the street, what each and every building looked like, what it FELT like, the history of the street. You know it, she described it. And the CANALS! Don't fret, she didn't leave those neglected! The same goes for Torcello, the Tyrennian Sea, the Venice lagoon, the Tuscan countryside, the Sardinian countryside, gondolas, etc.

g) A few random pedestrians were described in minute detail even though NONE of them had ANY baring on the story whatsoever.

h) Fables, myths, and legends, OH MY! Yeah, there's A BUNCH!

i) The music on the radio in her car, the music playing in the background at restaurants and cafes, the music playing at the nightclubs. And I'm not just talking about in a general sense, which I would've been okay with. I'm talking about the song name, the artist, what it's about, Venetia's feelings toward the song, etc.

j) Rain and snow. If you can read, you FOR SURE know what rain and snow are. I don't need every detail of the storm. The only time the weather is relevant to the story, in my opinion, is when it impacts the behavior of the characters. When the weather has NO baring on the story, I don't need PARAGRAPHS about it...

k) Specific details about her godmother's husband's real estate holdings and their vacationing habits. Again, NOTHING to do with the story.

Seriously, I would say 50% of this book is useless information that is wholly unnecessary for the story.

2) There are two men in this story who are notorious playboys. BOTH of these men have been chasing after Venetia and she has rebuffed BOTH of them on numerous occasions. BOTH of these men profess their undying love for her without even having a few HOURS of conversation with her. I always thought Italian men had more pride than to hound a girl who repeatedly turns them down and then propose to her even though they don't know her.

3) Venetia finds out her father used to be a secret agent in the British government. When she finds this out, it's literally like a half shoulder shrug and an '...oh well, he didn't talk about his work...' WHAT. THE. FUCK??? Maybe I'm just a spazz, but I'd be kind of freaking out about that a bit. Or at least in awe. The one thing I would NOT be is nonchalant!

4) There's this whole side story having to do with the Paulo's groundskeeper's niece. Although it added a smidge of drama, it was wholly irrelevant and not at all resolved.

5) Constant recapping of things that happened just a few pages before. It's like watching a daytime soap opera. Yeah, I've been here the whole time. I remember...

6) The overall pretentiousness of the story. I don't know anyone who talks like Venetia. This is bitch is so fucking pretentious, it's amazing she even makes time for Paulo! If I knew someone who talked like her, I'd be in prison for slitting the bitch's throat!

7) You need to be a wordsmith to understand half the crap. I've never used the dictionary function so often on ONE book! 'Penumbra' is just one of the MANY words I had to look up. Who the FUCK even KNOWS that word????

8) The repetition of character names. Venetia this, Paulo that. While there were SOME pronouns used, there weren't nearly enough! And when she's talking to her godmother it's all, 'she looked at her godmother sitting across from her' or 'she eyed her goddaughter closely.'

9) The constant use of both Italian and English. If I wanted a book in Italian, I'd buy the Italian version...

10) The actual story, the drama involving the two characters, was weak for me. It MAY have had something to do with all the things I've already listed TOTALLY distracting me from the actual plot, but I felt like the plot was weak. In addition, once I hit about the halfway point, it felt like the author was 'over it' also. The second half of the book FLEW by! MOST of the various aspects were summed up quickly and it just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

Okay. I'm done now. I'm over this book and I'm over the review. Like I said, if you're passionate about Italy, poetry, history, architecture, interior design, etc. then this is the book for YOU! If you just want a romance, you might want to pass on this one... The book could have stood to be about 200 pages shorter. I feel like I've just wasted 3 days of my life that I will never get back...

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venice, Tuscany, Cagliari, Tyrrhenian sea, and all that gorgeous little islands of Italy, will completely wrap you up in its aura and beauty and its serenity, in the book called, The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding, a French author. The Echoes of Love, will echo that kind of love which is dark, brooding, yet pure and unbreakable!!

Venetia Aston-Montagu, an English woman, who was named after her Godmother's love for Venice and surprisingly, Venetia, ended up living in Venice, pursuing her dream of restoring delicate historical art pieces. Venetia is a delicate and sensitive woman, who have closed the windows of her heart tightly years ago, due to her broken heart and now she is scared of meeting men and getting too serious with them, because, that might again break her heart.

Paolo Barone, a not-so-handsome, but a very brooding man, who is his is lat 30s. He has quite a reputation as a incantatore di donne, womanizer. He too had lost his heart, mind and soul to the love of his life, in an accident. But when he woke up from his coma, he lost his wife and all her memories, from his heart as well as from his mind. So he lived his life without attaching any strings to his heart and home.

Allegra was the beautiful niece of Paolo's estate keeper, Antonio, who has born to an alcoholic father and a mad mother. But then Antonio saves this precious little girl from her mad parents, but unfortunately, from a very tender age, Allegra, learnt to bewitch men into her lustrous beauty. Paolo took pity on her and used to look after her like his own flesh and blood and also put her through a convent school, but Allegra used to see Paolo different, she wanted to warm his heart and bed and fulfill all his desires and gradually became possessive of Paolo.

Now these three beautiful characters make the experience of Venice and the countryside of Tuscany, more enticing and enthralling. Allegra, in a mad and possessed kind of love and Paolo and Venetia, in an undeniably attracted and fateful kind of love. Even though Venetia, never wanted Paolo, in her life, but fate made her cross all path almost all the time, gradually making her heart more weaker and weaker. Paolo too got wrapped up into Venetia's seductive and beautiful eyes and never gave up pursuing his heart’s desire for Venetia.

Fate brings them more closely, when Paolo hires Venetia to restore some historical art pieces in his estate in Tuscany, thus falling in love inevitably. Venetia at last couldn't deny Paolo's seductive voice in her ears and his dark, penetrating gaze and finally opened herself to him. But Venetia had to go through Allegra's wrath and darkness, and on their way to Cagliari, they almost lost themselves to a near-miss accident.

But as her Chinese astrologer, Ping Lu, has said that everything comes in a circle, she too realizes the hidden meaning to his words, when she bumps into her father's best friend, in the streets of Venice, thus threatening her relationship and its course with Paolo forever and ever.

I don't want to reveal away too much, all I can say that, in Italian,
Due persone nate sotto la stessa stella sono destinati a stare insieme, non importa quale.,
--meaning, two people born under the same star are meant to be together, no matter what.

The mystery is better left to be revealed behind all those grand legends and histories of Venice.

This tale will mesmerize you completely, with the author's eloquent words and Italian legends; this story is bound to be etched into your soul forever. From the books cover picture to the empathetic words of the author, everything is going to fill you up completely into Italy and Venice's rich culture, delicate cuisines, art and so many intriguing legends. It seems like the author has been willing want to take our hand and lead us into the streets and rich histories of Venice. Love in Venice has always been a great combination; it's never going to fail your expectations. A love story, yet it's filled so many hidden puzzles and mysteries that will intrigue and engross you into the pages of this book till its very end. And the way the author has unfolded the great depth of this mystery is really quite remarkable.

Do read this book, and watch yourself losing away in the beauty of Venice and its deep, dark cultures!

Thanks to author, Hannah Fielding, for giving me this incredible opportunity to read and review her novel.

[Natasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was carried into the romance and essence of this book from page one. The story intrigued me with the combination of suspense and romance. The writing is very descriptive and an observing narrative of detail irrelevant to the story. I had to remind myself that it is in fact set in the modern day as there is a slightly old-fashioned feel to the story like it could be set years before.

[Julian Froment · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was moderately paced and brim full of romantic suspense. This was a very well written, and different kind of romance. The alluring cover of this book made me want to check it out, even before I read the description, which only increased my desire to explore this further.

There are many beautifully crafted passages, in particular those relating to the scenery and architecture of Tuscany and Venice, that created a marvellous backdrop to this love story. It was easy to visualise oneself in these magical locations.

I particularly enjoyed the development of the relationship between Paolo and Venetia. The interaction between these two main characters was fascinating, watching their actions and reactions, and learning about the events of the past that influenced each of them.

Learning how Venetia’s father fitted in to the puzzle was very revealing, as was Paolo’s relationship with the stunning Allegra. Another interesting character was the caddish and odious Duke Umberto, whose despicable behaviour towards both Venetia and Paolo, revealed his true nature.

I enjoyed the way that the current behaviour of the main characters could be traced back to the presence of deep psychological scars. There was a lot of sexual tension between the main characters, and I felt that the love scenes were executed in an exceptionally tasteful manner.

The ending of the story was intriguing, and provided an unexpected conclusion to what I considered to be an exceptionally riveting romance. This conclusion suddenly made the title of this book make a lot more sense. I would certainly recommend this to fans of the intelligent and suspenseful romance.

This review is based on a digital ARC.

[Lindsay Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Italy, this poignant, haunting romance is for you

I love Italy, especially Venice, so seized upon Hannah Fielding's latest romantic suspense, 'The Echoes of Love.' It did not disappoint. Hannah Fielding writes in a beautifully elegant style, full of atmosphere and the sights, sounds and smells of Italy. I was transported to a Venice in winter for the Carnival, to the Italian coast, to Tuscany. I lived behind the heroine's eyes as Venezia strolled through Venice and as she encounters and re-encounters the mysterious Paolo who reminds her, devastatingly, of her lost lover Judd.

Guarding her heart after the disappearance of Judd, Venezia is drawn to Paolo but wary of being hurt again. For his part, Paolo has his own tragic losses to overcome, although he is deeply attracted to the beautiful Venezia. She reminds him of something, or someone...

Both hurting, both solitary, both injured by their pasts, Paolo and Venezia spar and strive to keep themselves at a distance, though longing to embrace and learn everything about each other. Their times together are electric with tension, desire and tenderness, as if their growing love is built upon more ancient foundations.

But there are obstacles to overcome. Who is the beautiful young woman who sometimes accompanies Paolo in Venice? Will Venezia's fear of being abandoned and hurt again make it impossible for her to trust him? What is it in their joint pasts that links and ensnares them, possibly fatally? As a final, quietly horrifying twist drives Venezia away from Italy, I found the ending both apt and compassionate.

Do she and Paolo reunite, as they should?

Read 'The Echoes of Love' and find out.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Man oh man.

I originally requested this book because A: the cover is amazing and B: the book is set in Italy. While that was what drew me... the story kept me involved.

This is a story that plays with every human emotion possible. I found myself laughing, heartbroken, swooning and so much more.

The one thing that this book does well, it makes you remember there is a lot of power in love, and even if you heart is guarded all it takes is one person to break those walls down, and fall in love all over again. Love is powerful.

Plus can I just say this book makes me want to go to Venice... like now.

Especially if there are men like Paolo there... cue loving sigh noises now.

Listen up ladies and gents if you are in the mood for a swoon worthy romance set in beautiful Venice... this is for you :)

[Sharon Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A type of exotic mystery surrounds the city of Venice, and it is beautifully and lovingly made the main character of author Hannah Fielding's latest book, "Echoes of Love."

Yes, there is a cast of human characters (who are very personable and charming as well) around which the story of lust, romance, and mystery revolve, but throughout the novel it is the mesmerizing background of Venice that took my breath away. The charm, the history, the Carnival season, and all that water, make this city one of the destinations I desire to visit one day, and through her wonderful storytelling skills, Fielding takes her readers there through her words.

I absolutely enjoyed this story and highly recommend it to those who enjoy unusual locales for their romantic reading.

[Violeta Petrovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хана... прекрасно се чувствував низ Италија, посебно во Венеција....big like

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting really takes center stage, in fact in dominates. Fielding describes Italy in such detail the reader will appreciate a revisit of a familiar country/city or an armchair tour of a dream destination. From sites, architecture, food and culture even folklore nothing is excluded in regards to Italy. Serving as bit of a travelogue of sorts.

As for the romance portion of the narrative, it’s run of the mill with the exception of mystery interjected and a surprise towards the end. The two main protagonists attempt to fight off their mutual crazy mega attraction, we all know how that goes in tales of romance.

The characters are a bit tricky, at least they were for this reader. Venetia didn’t score any points with me. She cannot let go of her past love (Judd) of over 10 years. Droning on and on about him, I wanted to shake her and say ‘enough already!!’ She also has a nasty attitude, especially when first interacting with Paolo. Venetia merely exists for me, failing to evoke any type of bonding even as the narrative progressed. Her indecisiveness towards Paolo grated on my nerves, another strike against her. Paolo is an enigma. We learn bits about him, mostly rumors. He holds his intrigue through most of the story until a ‘secret’ of his is revealed through his best friend who is attracted to Venetia. We learn all about Paolo, along with Venetia, at the very end. As far as my feelings for Paolo, I kept asking why was he so tolerant of Venetia’s off putting attitude, attraction or not, I respected him less.

Romance fans desiring a mystery element inserted into the narrative will appreciate this novel, if you are an Italyophile, with the heavy hand in setting along with immense details you will be transported instantly saying ciao after you have closed the cover.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I found this book on Netgalley I was so excited to read it! The book is set in Venice, Italy, one of the most romantic cities in the world and on my list of dream vacations. But I really was disappointed with the story. The first half of the book bored me. When Venetia Aston-Montagu was a teenager she had her heartbroken from her first love. Fast forward 10 years and we meet a successful Venetia who is still suffering from her heart break. Venetia meets Italian playboy Paolo Barone but fights her attraction and his romantic advances. At times she was mean and cold-hearted to Paolo due to her past. I understand her first romance ended tragically but to hold on to that pain for 10 years and to have it mentioned over and over again in the book just bothered me. I wanted to scream "get over it" already!!

Not only did the story move slowly but the author spent too much time over describing scenes. The descriptions of the food and furniture lost me, so at times I skipped paragraphs just so the story moved on. The book felt more like a travel guide than a romance story.

But 75% into the story it finally got interesting. The author finally adds some excitement to the story but when we finally discover Paolo's secret the book ends, just like that! I think the final admission spread out into a couple of pages at the end of the book! I was thinking WTF happened??

The author is a good writer (I saw no problem with grammar or sentence structure). I just wish she had taken a different direction with this book. If you are looking for a guide on Italy then this is the book for you. But if you want a romance story then you should skip this!

[Mariel Hoss · Rating 1 out of 5]

*ARC from NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This read more like a travelogue than a romance novel. It felt like the author wanted to paint scenery more vivid than the developing relationship between the two main characters. I found myself skipping entire paragraphs to escape the sometimes painful description of where they were, what they were wearing or eating which made for a choppy read. It also made it difficult to make the investment in the central characters because they were too stilted, too one-dimensional, both scarred by a bitter past that colored everything going forward and made for cringe-worthy self-analysis. The antagonists were brought in to just be antagonists and no explanation of how and why they became obsessed (and I mean obsessed) with the hero and heroine. Add to that, a neat ribbon tied to all the loose ends at the conclusion that felt a little too contrived. I felt it needed more character development and more emotional exploration.

[Anissa Massad · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the striking cover and the romance of the title that prompted me to choose The Echoes of Love among so many novels that are offered today. The writing lifts the book out of the usual romance genre. I was captivated from the first lines by the world Ms Fielding created. Without leaving your chair you are transported to Italy . Though I have visited Venice and Florence in Tuscany , I have never been to Sardinia, but all through my reading the author’s beautiful detailed description made me feel I was just there with Paolo and Venetia , living their passionate love story. Neither the hero nor the heroine are simplistic characters, both have a past that tortures them, but both learn how to confront them, first alone, and then together. All in all a beautifully crafted book, the echoes of which will remain with you for a long time.

[Elsa White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that’s me off to Venice…

… when I can afford it! Honestly, the Venice tourist board should hand out this book, it makes you want to go to the city so much. Definitely the ‘city of love’ and I can’t imagine this story working in the same way in any other location (especially because then Venetia wouldn’t be Venetia, and I love that name).

I buy a lot of romance for sheer escapism, and for most writers I find it’s all about the plot, but I like how Ms Fielding makes more of the who, where, when and why, which strips away the frustration I often feel when I read. I like a good, long story, and this book delivers – oh, and the cover is beautiful.

[Sanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seductive Venetian setting. Great chemistry between Venetia and Paolo. A love story to lose yourself in. I thoroughly enjoyed The Echoes of Love and recommend it for fans of romance especially those who love their stories taking place in beautiful settings. I am definitely planning on grabbing some of Hannah Fielding's other works.

Grateful to NetGalley and London Wall Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Nadwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars
This was so damn good! I don't know where to start; I guess I should get used to the way Mrs Fielding's books render me speechless.
Venice
I'm going to say this with 100% certainty: I have never read any book that appreciates and values a scenery, city or a painting as much as this one -and Legacy. The simplest fixation was acknowledged, in a breathtakingly raw and stunning way. And I was lucky to have watched the movie Under The Tuscan Sky a couple of days ago. So that on top of the very detailed description of the city made me feel as though I was part of the story. The description of the Miraggio and La Serina and the Tuscan countryside was just too good, too tempting.
I need to talk about the romance because I'm getting the vibe that Fielding's novels are all going to make me swoon. The best factor is the chemistry between the characters; something that a lot of books lack.
I don't want to go into the specifics or else I'm going to spoil the whole book. Here comes the spoilery section:
Why was the rating short of half a star, you'd ask?
Well, I sort of already knew that Paolo was Judd and I felt like that was something that should've been kept as a surprise for the end! First off, Venetia bumps into this gorgeous blue-eyed man.. Okay. There's this devastatingly beautiful static energy between the couple that literally brought me to my knees... Alright. Then a touch leads to a kiss that leads to WHATEVER and then every single time, Judd pops into Venetia's head which I thought was coincidental at first But then that was starting to turn into a pattern. Venetia feeling the familiarity of her lover's touch and all that. Of course, at first I convinced myself otherwise: If Paolo really was Judd, how could she not remember how her first love looked like? Even after 10 years, shouldn't his eyes remain the same? His voice? It was all very confusing, until Venetia went back to see that Chineseman that told her 'all becoming is circular'. Then I put two and two together and was almost 90% sure that Paolo is, in fact, Judd. I'm not usually this psycho-investigator kinda person, I was actually losing my mind when I realized all my predictions were, indeed, true. Still, I didn't know the whole story about Paolo's mission and all that, which completely blew me away.
Finally, I loved the fact that both Venetia and Paolo felt as though each of them wasn't worthy of the other, how both had a guilty conscience over a situation neither of them could control. And I adored Venetia's strong and responsible exchange with her father at the end, and how she (sort of) forgave him. Again, this was such a spectacular read.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Magical World Of Words

1 and a half stars.

I love the cover. Isn't it just gorgeous? The colour scheme, the ravishing tone it sets, the characters it hints at, are deliciously enticing.
But unfortunately I didn't love the story as much.


At first I liked the description. There were some lovely uses of language, and initially it did succeed at sweeping me away into Venetia's world. I loved some of the descriptive words Fielding used, and her detail was absolutely exquisite.
But the more I read, the more I couldn't bear it. It was overly flowery, purple prose, and the descriptions would go on for pages on end. The detail was incredible, but it was too much. In addition, it wasn't actually that vivid. I struggled to see through the flowery language to the scenes themselves, and it desperately needed to be simplified; it would have made for stronger scenes if the language had been more concise and simplified.
It was clear, however, that the author knew what she was talking about when it came to Venetian customs and lifestyle. Unfortunately, the prose cluttered that knowledge in overly flowery language that ultimately weakened each scene.

The dialogue wasn't great. It did nothing to show the individual characters or their personalities, and there was no subtext whatsoever. It also frequently felt unrealistic.

At first I quite liked Venetia. She seemed strong while still being vulnerable, but as the story progressed, she started acting silly and stereotypical. She was constantly hot and cold with Paolo, and her whole "cold, closed heart" attitude was nowhere near as strong as it could have been. For all her anger and distrust, she was very eager to be with Paolo and further their relationship. As for being stereotypical, she had no real faults and literally every man she knew was falling in love with her because she was so beautiful. I had no patience for that.

Paolo was not my kind of hero. He was the alpha male, the tall, dark and handsome brooder with a dark past, and he was a playboy. Again, that stereotype is something I can't stand. I have no patience for that kind of hero, and I was definitely not swooning over him.

I have to talk about the romance because this is a romance novel. Unfortunately, I didn't like that either.
The romance was based on constant lusting and desire and so called chemistry. Outside of those, the relationship was flat. Paolo and Venetia were constantly lusting after each other's bodies and making out, and they acted like "sex-crazed teenagers". It was silly and boring, and I wanted a relationship; instead, lust and desire took centre stage while relationship languished in the wings. And Paolo was a playboy! It was frequently mentioned that he'd slept with a lot of women, and yet Venetia didn't seem to mind that at all....

The plot was threadbare, and most of the scenes seemed like fillers. The description also slowed things down a lot. Paolo's secret I'd guessed a long time before the climax, but I'd tried to ignore it because it seemed so silly. When everything was revealed, it confirmed my suspicions and was silly and far-fetched. I also felt like it was minimised in the hurry to get the novel to its end.
(A quick pet peeve: I thought the exclamation marks were overused and frequently out of place.)


There was one other thing I had an issue with: this infuriatingly sexist last paragraph of the book.
(I'll let you see the problem for yourself).

'They were a man and woman in love. Hand in hand they would follow their silvery path and climb the steps to the moon; Paolo would cherish and protect her for as long as he lived, and Venetia would make a home for him, bear his children, and compensate for the years of misery he had been through.'



If you like alpha males and swooning damsels, exotic locations and passionate love-making, then The Echoes of Love is for you.
But I found the writing too purple, the characters too stereotypical and frustrating, and the romance too "appearance based".


Please Note: The sexual scenes were basically erotica. As a result, I skimmed most of them.

[Jayzel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echoes of Love is written well. The description of the places will no doubt transport you to Italy, especially to those who have been to Italy and those who love it...
The romance/relationship between Paolo and Venetia is a bit unbelievable, but I love how their relationship progress,I love hoe they interact with each other and I love how romantic and sweet Paolo is <3 :

"You know that fairytale, 'Beauty and the Beast'? Well, like the Beast I guarded my roses jealously, maybe in the hope that one day a beautiful and kind-hearted lady would enter my garden, close her eyes to my defects and release me from my pain... You are my rose now, my beautiful and compassionate Venetia. The Beast feels a man again -- I just hope I’ll be worthy of your love."

"All I know now is that you have lit up the darkness with a dazzling light and the whole current of my being flows to you. It’s you, and you alone, who can make me whole again."

I'm a bit annoyed with Venetia, but I understand her actions and decisions and where is she coming from. :)

The twist in the end is a bit unbelievable too, but it explains all the familiarity they both felt. And when the twist/truth about Paolo was being revealed, I literally held my breath..:D I think I kinda guess the truth from the moment Venetia felt the familiarity with Paolo, but of course I doubt and forgot it.. ;D

Overall: 3.5 stars...because it is a bit unreal but it is really a good story. I love the description of the places and I love the characters and their relationship... :D

[Richard Massad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding

Hannah Fielding has done it again!

After reading (and enjoying enormously) Hannah Fielding's first novel, Burning Embers, I was waiting impatiently for her next offering. Boy, was it worth the wait! Her new romantic novel, The Echoes of Love, is a hugely satisfying read. This time she has transported us to Italy - Venice, Tuscany, and Sardinia. Once again her descriptions are poetic but real, and delivered me to places I have never visited. In Venice, I could feel the antiquity, the beauty and the decadence. In Tuscany I tasted the food and lived in the awesome scenery. The aroma of the herbs of Sardinia are still lingering with me. The story is a poignant tale with twists and turns I did not see coming. The heroine, Venetia, is not a simple character but I learned to understand her and enjoy her restraint. Paolo is the typical passionate Italian, but he is has harrowing secrets that torment him and which he struggles with courage to confront. This is a passionate love story that is so much more. This is a book I lived with, rather than just read. Bravo!

[Susan (susayq ~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars

I don't know where to start with this review. Hannah Fielding writes a beautifully descriptive story. In fact, it was almost too heavy on the descriptions. There was a very gothic feel to it...reminded me of my all-time favorite book, Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, so naturally I loved that. My problem with this was the heroine, Venetia. She drove me crazy with her treatment of Paolo. She was melting in his arms and then the in the next breath she was cold and pushed him away. I get that she was confused, but her confusion went on a little too long for my liking.

ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

[Yelena Bosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paolo grinned and shrugged. “My memory is not clogged up with useless material, and I make sure I store in it only things that interest me, that are pleasant and that I like.”

Review - 3.5 -

That was one of the many memorable lines that I found whilst reading a Review Copy of Hannah Fielding’s beautiful novel in return for an honest review. Read on with caution because an ‘honest review’ is definitely what I intend to devour your mind with; I don’t intend to write anything other than the complete truth about my thoughts of this book. Shall we start? I think so :)

Basically, or in a very short summary the story is about Venetia, English born but living in Italy, a girl that loves her world of architecture. From the first few pages she accidentally meets a very handsome Italian named Paolo who throughout the rest of the story, does not seem to be an accidental mistake. From the first time they meet, they can’t forget about one another, but with Venetia's heartbroken past with Judd, and Paolo having his own grievances, they don’t find it easy to be together. Venetia is scared of being heartbroken again and with Paolo’s Don Jon reputation she doesn't want to be near him – though her heart seems to think differently. I will not spoil anything of what happens between the beautifully written 404 pages, but I will at least try to explain things that I liked but also things that I didn’t like with this book. So here we go!

Firstly, I just want to let you guys know that the writing, the way she describes objects, people and even smells around her, are so mesmerizing that I was dreaming of being within that world for most of the time. From the first page of the book I couldn't stop reading about the world that Venetia lives in, which is something that I always look for in a book. However, the thing that I slowly did start to dislike was the tremendous about of detail that was evident within every description. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about how a specifically important object, place or person looks like, or how the characters are feeling and what goes in their minds. BUT, in my opinion, there shouldn't be so much detail on things that may not be a much relevance to the story, which sometimes I sadly skipped a paragraph or two.

I thought that from the first chapter a book does usually have a lot of descriptions for the reader to be able to visualise someone or something. It was clear however that every single page provided an overload of what the building looked like, what ingredients were in her lunch or dinner, what the person on the other street looked like and so many other everyday aspects of her life in Italy. I was a little frustrated with this because overall, the story was very captivating and I loved finding out what will happen next. I did try to justify this with the fact that Venetia was an architect which you’d think that it would now make sense right? But in truth, it just took away from giving the characters more room to build or describe their relationship. I felt like if she wasn't describing everything in very small detail, then I would have loved to see more of Paolo’s & Venetia’s relationship after she found out that her father was a former CIA. I mean, the story was so interesting that I didn’t want it to end when it did.

I’d to also mention, the other part of this book that I didn’t particularly like was the fact that there was Italian AND English writing within the book. I mean, a phrase or a sentence once or twice would be great, to give the reader a sense of Italy even more so than the description of the place surrounding the characters. That was not the case. Almost every single page had a lot of Italian sentences that were described in English in the same line. I really don’t understand why that was relevant? It honestly only made me more confused and took me a little off balance in terms of the connection towards the characters. I mean it’s great for those that do speak Italian but if it was a case of writing an Italian book then it should have all been written in Italian. Some may not find this a very big deal, and it wasn’t for me that big of a deal either but it did get annoying at times when I was really starting to love the characters relationship and the conversations that they had between them. Similarly, there were also SO MUCH ancient theories or prophecies that were being told, that at one point I just had to re-read a couple of pages back to know which part of the story I was reading. It just made it slow paced at points that in my point of view should have been used to talk about other things more relevant to the characters lives.

Now, on the things that I loved about this book. Let’s take a minute or two to admire the beautiful and very captivating cover...I mean, how can you not pick up the book after your eyes grab hold of the amazing yet simply enchanting cover? It didn’t stop me that's for sure!

I actually really liked reading from Venetia’s point of view. From the first few pages I was completely hooked into her personality which is an amazing thing in itself. There have been so many past books were I can’t mentally relate or understand the characters emotions aside from what is written on the page. But with this book, it was definitely not the case. I could feel her pain when she talked about her loss with Judd, the baby that she lost, how her parents treated her and why she acts toward men (or Paolo in particular) the way that she does.

She is a very strong and sometimes stubborn woman, which I definitely gave extra points for since I prefer to read from that type of perspective. She questions everything...gives positives but also negatives about every situation she encounters...and more importantly, she says what she thinks – which is more than what I can say about other female protagonists I came across. Hannah Fielding does an amazing job at making sure that the reader is anything but mentally uninvolved with either of the two main characters. I could literally go on and on about the spectacular reader-to-character relationship that the author has done, but I will let you discover for yourself.

Another aspect that I couldn't look away from or put the book down was from the way that you could literally smile at everything and anything that goes on between the discussions of the two main characters. Paolo is so mesmerised and sometimes taken aback by Venetian’s behaviour towards him because of the way that he is used to women following him around on a daily basis. I just couldn't get enough of trying to understand why Paolo liked Venetia so much that even when she turned him down at least ten times, he still didn't give up. Maybe that could sound desperate but what he had to say about it, his beautiful quotes and poems, only added to how much women loved him – which was definitely one of the few reasons that Venetia just couldn't keep Paolo out of her mind. Exhibit A:

Paolo – “Have we met before?”

“Not that I recall.”

“Have you heard of the word maktoub?”

Venetia shook her head.

“It means written. Arabs say that from the day you are born the name of your sweetheart is invisibly engraved on your forehead. Maybe that explains the flicker of recognition I felt the day we met” he murmured, not taking his eyes off her as he sipped his water.

I mean, how you can not at least smile at that sweet thought? There are so many more amazingly crafted sentences, paragraphs, words...that inter-laid between the two characters.

It was a great pleasure to read everything that happened between the two of them and the relationships they had with their friends and family. I enjoyed this book very much, despite the few dislikes that made me give it an overall of 3.5. I wish I could give it a higher point because I do recommend this book to anyone that would love to read a sweet romantic story. Though, if you aren't a fan or Italy or architecture, then maybe it might not be the perfect book for you BUT you should definitely give it a try as the relationship between the two main characters and the twist at the end – will leave you wanting more, like myself.

I enjoyed this book, read it in a matter of 3 days and I will definitely give another book of Hannah Fielding a read since I really liked her mesmerising writing. I wish I had the talent of writing like she does! I hope this review helped but remember that this is only my perspective, a single person’s point of view! Enjoy :)

[Chitra Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The serene landscape of Italy, the calm waters of Venice, the soft glow of moonlight and the passion of a lover's embrace. Echoes of Love is all this and much more. This is my second time reading a book by Hannah Fielding and once again, she has won me over!

Venetia Aston-Montagu is an architect, working in her godmother's firm in Venice. She meets Paolo who comes to her rescue one night and is instantly attracted to him but keeps her emotions in check as she is still healing from her lost love. Paolo, on the other hand, displays his feelings for her but Venetia is confused by the sad blue eyes of his. What secrets do they hold? They find themselves coming closer but then Venetia finds that Paolo has a beautiful, young girl living with him in Tuscany. With no other option but to travel to Tuscany for Paolo's project, her heart and head play a tug-of-war. While Paolo professes his love for her, Venetia is still deciding whether to give in to her feelings or to resist. He is a rich and popular womanizer of Italy, after all. Contrary to her belief, will Venetia accept fate as a moderator when she can't seem to ignore her growing love for Paolo?

There are books that outline a destination and then there are those that simply transport you. Hannah Fielding does an absolutely fantastic job of taking you to Venice, showing you around so that her readers can experience the sights, smells and senses of all that is Italian! Imagine a romantic place like Italy and the settings of a passionate tale of two people who can't seem to ignore each other. A dream romance, isn't it?

The narrative and the writing style aptly manages to keep the reader hooked till the twist at the end (yes, there is one!). It moves at a good pace. The story is sophisticated and touching. I fell in love with Venetia and Paolo, their doubts, their fears, their vulnerabilities. Overall, it was a great read with a fantastic background.

I have really come to appreciate books by Hannah Fielding. I had previously reviewed Legacy, her book from the Andalucian Nights series, and loved it as much! Check out my review for Legacy here.

As for this book, I definitely recommend it. It is a beautiful, heart rendering story that is sure to leave a lasting impression.


*** This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review on NetGalley

'The Echoes of Love.' It did not disappoint.

It was exciting and heart-pounding watching and listening to Venetia’s thoughts. I loved the beautiful descriptive narrative of Venice.
Echoes of Love is a deeply enchanting, moving, riveting, and carefully crafted read.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the condensed copy of this book which is only 64 pages long but it was a lovely short story with a good twist within it. Im hoping to also read the full book after having a taste of this authors novel in condensed form.
The characters are intriguing and interesting and i cant wait to read more about them in the full book.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

STORY DESCRIPTION:
London Wall Publishing| (December 6, 2013)|Trade Paperack|ISBN: 978-0-9926718-0-8
Set against the breathtaking beauty of Italy, The Echoes of Love is a passionate, heart-breaking romance to ignite the senses and rekindle your belief in the power of love. Seduction, passion and secrets... Venetia Aston-Montagu has escaped to Venice to work in her godmother's architectural practice, putting a lost love behind her. For the past ten years she has built a fortress around her heart, only to find the walls tumbling down one night of the carnival when she is rescued from masked assailants by an enigmatic stranger, Paolo Barone. Drawn to the powerfully seductive Paolo, despite warnings of his Don Juan reputation and rumours that he keeps a mistress, Venetia can't help being caught up in the smouldering passion that ignites between them. When she finds herself assigned to a project at his magnificent home deep in the Tuscan countryside, Venetia not only faces a beautiful young rival but also a sinister count and dark forces in the shadows, determined to come between them. Can Venetia trust that love will triumph, even over her own demons? Or will Paolo's carefully guarded, devastating secret tear them apart forever?
My Review:
It was midnight and Venetia walked past the eighteenth-century mirror hanging over the mantel. Automatically she gazed into it. Nanny Horren’s voice immediately popped into her mind reminding her of the strange and odd Celtic superstition that the Scottish governess used to tell her all the time: “Turn off the light and look into the mirror by firelight at midnight on Shrove Tuesday, if you see a face reflected behind your own, it’ll be the face of the love of your life, the man you will someday marry.”
Now there had been a man standing with a mask on leaning against the wall at the far end of the shadowy room, steady eyes intense, watching her from behind his black mask. A figment of her imagination she thought because when Venetia turned around to look he was gone. But the man she thought she saw in the mirror, was that him? Was he really to be the love of her life? Venetia quickly shook off her silliness as she had indulged in these types of fantasies several years ago and the only thing it brought her was immense hurt and pain but now she knew better.
Venetia had been in a rapturous love with Judd when she was just eighteen-years-old, but now twenty-eight, she liked to think she was a woman of the world who would not let herself be trapped by the treacherous illusions of passions.
It seemed to Venetia that wherever she went in Venice, she kept bumping into the same man – Paolo Barone. He wanted to take her to dinner but she refused his repeated requests. However, underneath the façade of disliking him, this older handsome man, she thought of him all the time. There was just something about him that drew her to him but she didn’t know what it was. It felt as though something familiar grabbed at her every time she saw him. But little did Venetia realize that she too intruded on Paolo’s thoughts. He felt Venetia was unlike any other woman he’d ever met. He was tortured just by the memory of her body and dreamt about her every night.
Will Venetia and Paolo ever get together or will the lasting pain of the ten years she spent with Judd prevent her from letting her guard down allowing herself to love and be loved once again?
The tension and suspense between Venetia and Paolo amidst the beautiful backdrop of Venice is built steadily as the story moves along. Venetia and Paolo wanted each other as badly as one wanted the other but neither of them wanted to give in. It was exciting and heart-pounding watching and listening to Venetia’s thoughts. I wanted to jump into the story and just tell her: “Take him! Take him!”
I loved the beautiful descriptive narrative of Venice. Oh, what a beautiful place to be in love! I enjoyed trying to read and decipher the sentences written in Italian, it leant so much to the story. The authenticity was something to behold. It was a haunting, poignant romance.
Beautifully written, Echoes of Love is a skillfully woven story that takes you through unexpected twists and turns. Through some of the most beautiful cities in Italy and immerses you in a truly heartwarming and stirring tale of deep passion, love, forgiveness, and healing.
I can guarantee that your heart and soul will be touched and that the jaw-dropping ending will touch you in ways you didn’t think possible. Echoes of Love is a deeply enchanting, moving, riveting, and carefully crafted read.

[Nicola McDonagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice descriptions. Daft ending.

This book started quite well. The establishing of the character and the tone of the novel was good, and there were some rather nice descriptions of setting, to uphold the romantic feel of the piece. However, right from the first paragraph clichés slipped in. “Heart skipped a beat.” And a ghostly figure reflected in a mirror that when she turns around is gone. Oh, I thought, I was actually excited about reading a well-written romance with a bit of originality.

Well, it is well written, with excellent formatting and lay out, although I’m not sure why it is brown. I didn’t notice any typos or glaringly obvious grammatical errors. Thinks to self, if I were really into this book, I wouldn’t be talking about how good the layout is in the second paragraph of my review. Yes, I was a little bit bored by this novel.

Hannah Fielding is great at physical descriptions. Her attention to detail is staggering. I did feel that there was perhaps too much description in minute detail, as I wanted the story to get going and not know who eats what and exactly what they eat. Unless pertinent to the plot, such descriptions hinder rather than help. I know the author wants to show us Venice, and descriptions are useful, but practically every paragraph was just a list of what they are eating, wearing and where they are located.

The plot is fairly typical of the genre: girl leaves troubled life behind her travels to the romantic city of Venice and falls for a handsome troubled man with a dark secret past. She likes/not likes him because he is a bit arrogant. They are drawn to each other and…well you get the picture. Venetia and Paolo seemed to gaze at each other for unrealistically long periods of time. Paolo comes across as stereotypical: he is suave and handsome and all knowing. “The shadow of dark stubble over Paolo’s jaw enhanced the masculinity of his bronzed face…” I’m sure that people who like romances in exotic locations will probably enjoy reading this rather predicable novel.

I felt that the book could use a bit of editing to make the narrative pacier and more enjoyable to read. Each chapter is so very long, I found myself wanting to skip long passages in order to get to the next chapter. I found the dialogue rather stilted, and often there purely to explain the history, or the plot

The sex scenes were so clichéd. Volcanoes erupting, throbbing climaxes, crescendos and wait, there’s more: “Venetia soared and swooped, crying out her ecstasy, sobbing and convulsing under the shattering power of the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced.” Blimey! Towards the end of the book, they go at it like rabbits, only with more perfect climaxes. (I imagine, knowing nothing about rabbit sex.) He does some odd things to her like “Showered butterfly kisses down her throat.” I don’t about Venetia, but I wanted to gag at that point.

I really did want more of a complex plotline to keep me engaged and caring about what happened to the main characters. It seemed for most of the book that Paolo and Venetia just want to engage in the perfect sexual act. But it is a romance book so I shouldn’t really expect anything else. But, really, just what is “The secret core of her femininity”? Oh It’s her “…moist, silken pink petals” that he does things to so well that - “Venetia could feel her loins trembling; soon she would be flooded.” Just like Venice itself does every year.

Sorry, but, bleh. Then we’re off again with page after page of detailed descriptions of where they are going, what they are wearing, eating, and where they are dining. Story please – plot anytime soon?

There is a lot of sex and then long passages of expositions explaining either backstory or giving history lessons about Venice, which is okay, but again, where is the plot? There was a bit of action, besides the lovemaking, Paolo and Venetia have a car accident. Suspected foul play. Then more descriptions.

The so-called twist at the end was laughable I’m afraid. So silly and utterly far-fetched. The final sentence, well – yeuk –‘nough said.

[Ruza Minić · Rating 1 out of 5]

губљење времена за љубитеље добре писане речи!!! Бзв...

[Shree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: A Review of this book is live @ Readers' Muse

The first line of the summary was just about enough for me to fall for the book. I admit! I am shamelessly attracted to anything Italian – be it the culture or the food. Watching too much of TLC channel left me bewitched and besotted with Italian city so much so that visiting Italy at least once in this life time has become top in my “things to do before I die” list. Also, having worked with Italians professionally, I quite enjoy their culture.

I had set obnoxiously high standards for this book just because the story was set in Italy. But when the book landed on my door step I did chastise myself for being a hopeless “Italian Romantic”. I almost dreaded that I would come to regret my decision of picking up this book for the book was quite heavy to begin with. It has been ages since I read 400 odd pages paperback copy. Books these days are no longer than 350 pages. But when I finished reading the book I was truly happy for not missing such a beautiful book.

To start with, the book cover was beautiful. The eye mask and the title of the book is glossily embossed in black against a beautiful cream background thus giving it a rich texture.

Our protagonist, Venetia is a restoration specialist with a traumatic past. The love of her life “left” her and she lost their love child in a freak accident. She escapes from the clutches of her traumatic past and her strict father by moving to Venice to work for her godmother in her architect firm. For some odd reason, Zia (the god mother) reminds me of Meryl Streep from the movie The Devil Wears a Prada. Venetia falls in love with Paolo, the handsome Italian who again has his own share of traumatic past. So do they actually find each other? Obviously yes, they do. But what matters is the narration of the “how”.

The narration was bang on. Italy was described so beautifully that with pages that I turned, my desperation to visit that country increased exponentially. To make matters worse the story was written so beautifully. The beauty of courtship narrated against a back drop of a romantic city is indeed an intoxicating combination. Being a late (like horribly late) bloomer in discovering Love & Romance Literature, this story ended up leaving me with a fluttering heart and a flipping stomach!

The characterisation was perfect and realistic. Due to this, the emotions that the writer tried to convey were eerily realistic. I felt like I was living in the middle of the story. Till date only one book
(or a series maybe….) had managed to do that to me. No prizes for guessing which book.

My only weeny tiny qualm though would be that there was a bit of drag in story – The book would have been better off without that “evil witch girl” in play. And of course, the climax was predictable, though I can’t really put my finger on why I was able to predict it in spites of a gripping tale with very minimal loophole in the plot.

To sum it up, this story is akin to the perfect coffee served in a traditional fashion. Such books are hard to come by in the age of Vending machine quality quicke romance (er….may be like the slurry liquid that my work place’s vending machine serves me in the name of coffee?!)

VERDICT: This book is strictly for people who love to read literature and beautiful romances. If you can’t admire the beauty of courtship and true romance don’t dare touch this book.

RATING: 4.9 on 5