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Beneath the Veil #3
Veiled Passions
In this evocative, wildly romantic new novel set in Venice and London, Tracy MacNish follows one woman's journey from vengeance to extraordinary passion...
Three years ago, Kieran Mullen was a carefree, confident beauty. One fateful night, everything changed, and she became solitary and aloof, reluctant to leave her London home even when her brother, Rogan, insists she accompany him on holiday to Venice. There, amid the wild revelries of Carnivale, Kieran is attacked by a masked villain and rescued by a charismatic stranger who offers her the one thing that might free her from her haunting past: revenge.
Matteo de Gama is a study in contradiction—a gambler and a philosopher, a reckless libertine and a most unlikely saviour. When he pulls Kieran from a canal's watery depths and learns her secrets, he resolves to help her exact justice. But soon he has another mission in mind—to release the unmistakable fire buried beneath her icy beauty, and teach her the bliss that comes with trusting in her own desires, and in their fierce, abiding love.
Three years ago, Kieran Mullen was a carefree, confident beauty. One fateful night, everything changed, and she became solitary and aloof, reluctant to leave her London home even when her brother, Rogan, insists she accompany him on holiday to Venice. There, amid the wild revelries of Carnivale, Kieran is attacked by a masked villain and rescued by a charismatic stranger who offers her the one thing that might free her from her haunting past: revenge.
Matteo de Gama is a study in contradiction—a gambler and a philosopher, a reckless libertine and a most unlikely saviour. When he pulls Kieran from a canal's watery depths and learns her secrets, he resolves to help her exact justice. But soon he has another mission in mind—to release the unmistakable fire buried beneath her icy beauty, and teach her the bliss that comes with trusting in her own desires, and in their fierce, abiding love.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 20, 2009
I admit that when it comes to historical romance, I'm hard to please. I like strong heroes and heroines who overcome adversity and find their own happily ever after. In Tracy MacNish's latest book, "Veiled Passions", I did find strong characters...but I also found a heroine so spoiled and childish that even her redemption in the last few pages of the book couldn't endear her to me.
Kieran is a spoiled beauty and the sister of a duke. Three years ago, she lived through a nightmare and since then has become solitary and cold. During a visit to Venice with her brother's family, she is accosted by one of the characters from her horrible night and falls off a balcony. She is rescued from an icy grave by Matteo de Gama--a gambler, commoner, and lothario. But Kieran sees something special in Matteo; something that has her reaching out to him. So when her brother's influence can save Matteo from an unjust accusation, Kieran knows she must help. Then Matteo is exiled from Venice, and Kieran's brother offers further assistance and a job in London as thanks for saving Kieran's life. Now Kieran will be forced to choose between girlish dreams, love, and revenge.
As I said, Kieran spoiled the rest of the story for me. Had I been Matteo or her brother, I would have tossed her out on her keester and let her find out what real need is. Instead the men in her life keep cosseting her almost to the point of ridiculousness. And she never seems thankful or thoughtful...just accepts this as her due. Yuck!
But I can see the draw of a story like this. Those who are fond of the more sweeping historical dramas would probably enjoy MacNish's writing with it's abundance of detail and grandeur. For me, I'll stick with those author's who write more to my tastes. I'm not sorry I read it, but probably won't read another unless it's one of my online 'twins' who recommends it.
Kieran is a spoiled beauty and the sister of a duke. Three years ago, she lived through a nightmare and since then has become solitary and cold. During a visit to Venice with her brother's family, she is accosted by one of the characters from her horrible night and falls off a balcony. She is rescued from an icy grave by Matteo de Gama--a gambler, commoner, and lothario. But Kieran sees something special in Matteo; something that has her reaching out to him. So when her brother's influence can save Matteo from an unjust accusation, Kieran knows she must help. Then Matteo is exiled from Venice, and Kieran's brother offers further assistance and a job in London as thanks for saving Kieran's life. Now Kieran will be forced to choose between girlish dreams, love, and revenge.
As I said, Kieran spoiled the rest of the story for me. Had I been Matteo or her brother, I would have tossed her out on her keester and let her find out what real need is. Instead the men in her life keep cosseting her almost to the point of ridiculousness. And she never seems thankful or thoughtful...just accepts this as her due. Yuck!
But I can see the draw of a story like this. Those who are fond of the more sweeping historical dramas would probably enjoy MacNish's writing with it's abundance of detail and grandeur. For me, I'll stick with those author's who write more to my tastes. I'm not sorry I read it, but probably won't read another unless it's one of my online 'twins' who recommends it.
March 8, 2009
This is a hard one to rate. The lovely prose makes this a step above most of the pedestrian stuff offered on the historical romance aisle but other aspects of the writing bogged down the reading for me.
When I first started this, I thought I was really going to like it. It's Georgian. Yay! Has a heroine with a past. Woo hoo! Revenge! Love! I can eat all that up and come back for seconds. ;-)
The author's writing had an old skool flava to it. Some might call it lush. Others would call it wordy and flowery. The author also showed a wearying desposition for repetition. It seemed like a page did not go by without a sentence on how the heroine has become "cold" because of what happened. A scene did not go by without a description on how gorgeous either the hero or heroine was at that moment. Combine all this with a plodding pace and it took me TWICE the time that it normally takes to read a historical romance. And I really had to force myself to finish this book just for closure.
The best parts of the book were the depictions of the hero and the villain. The villain seemed totally evil at the start of the story but I appreciated that he was more nuanced than that. The hero was delicious. He was a self-made man: a playwright, a libertine, an artist, and a gambler. He spoke the language of the seducer very well. Example:
Unfortunately, the good points could not outweigh the bad for me no matter how much I wanted it to.
3.5 Stars
When I first started this, I thought I was really going to like it. It's Georgian. Yay! Has a heroine with a past. Woo hoo! Revenge! Love! I can eat all that up and come back for seconds. ;-)
The author's writing had an old skool flava to it. Some might call it lush. Others would call it wordy and flowery. The author also showed a wearying desposition for repetition. It seemed like a page did not go by without a sentence on how the heroine has become "cold" because of what happened. A scene did not go by without a description on how gorgeous either the hero or heroine was at that moment. Combine all this with a plodding pace and it took me TWICE the time that it normally takes to read a historical romance. And I really had to force myself to finish this book just for closure.
The best parts of the book were the depictions of the hero and the villain. The villain seemed totally evil at the start of the story but I appreciated that he was more nuanced than that. The hero was delicious. He was a self-made man: a playwright, a libertine, an artist, and a gambler. He spoke the language of the seducer very well. Example:
He reached out, skimmed her jaw with the back of a single finger. "Know this about me, for you are a lovely girl and you deserve to know who stands in your cabin this evening. Let me tell you what I am capable of: I could make you my mission. I could turn you into the focus of my entire existence, pursue you in a seduction to which you would have no defense. I could seduce you into my life, consume you with my world, and have you willing in my bed. I could possess you. I could play you like the cello, make you feel things you never dreamed possible. I could bring you pleasure beyond your imagining, and in doing so, I would enslave you. You would lick the floor in front of me, if I asked you to. You would do anything for me. And you would be mine, for as long as the affair lasted."
His eyes changed. They grew distant, regretful. He looked as though he were turned inward, trying to figure out when he'd become this man whom he spoke of with such familiarity. "And when I lost interest in you, I would walk away."
Unfortunately, the good points could not outweigh the bad for me no matter how much I wanted it to.
3.5 Stars
September 27, 2020
Heroine, shattered by horror, heals then transforms into brat at the end
Heroine evokes so much empathy throughout majority of book, despite her stubbornness and pride that she shields herself with. As the Venetian swindler turns into a worthy hero and she comes to terms with her past trauma, I was greatly anticipating their happy ending. But, for unknown reason, the author painfully draws out the path to HEA. Leaving readers with short unsatisfactory epilogue and an heroine who becomes truly unlikable in last several chapters.
In truth, I spent those last chapters hoping the hero would go back to Venice and find a better love.
Still, props for a beautifully written story- even though I thoroughly disliked heroine by the end.
Heroine evokes so much empathy throughout majority of book, despite her stubbornness and pride that she shields herself with. As the Venetian swindler turns into a worthy hero and she comes to terms with her past trauma, I was greatly anticipating their happy ending. But, for unknown reason, the author painfully draws out the path to HEA. Leaving readers with short unsatisfactory epilogue and an heroine who becomes truly unlikable in last several chapters.
In truth, I spent those last chapters hoping the hero would go back to Venice and find a better love.
Still, props for a beautifully written story- even though I thoroughly disliked heroine by the end.
May 19, 2009
I read the first 50 pages or so, and just found myself incredibly bored. I don't know why--the premise is quite different to what's out there, by default I suppose, since the locales are exotic. I should be thoroughly getting a kick out of this! And yet the heroine is friggin' annoying and the hero is too mysterious that whatever semblance of character he has is simply lost in the shadows.
I may possibly try this again later on, when I'm inebriated and out of it, perhaps.
I may possibly try this again later on, when I'm inebriated and out of it, perhaps.
February 6, 2010
Gosh, this one is even worse than the first one. You know a book when you like nothing? That’s it. The story- what story?- is ridiculous. You think there is a history but then it’s just about a very annoying insufferable young woman who simply doesn’t know what she wants. If Kieran already was irritating in the first book in this one…really, she should have died in that scene in Veneza.
A total waste of time:/
A total waste of time:/
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews