What do you think?
Rate this book
Το Φιλί της Προδοσίας
Σε μια πόλη γεμάτη σκιές, μόνο ένα φιλί μπορεί να φωτίσει το σκοτάδι…
Ο Ορλάντο γνωρίζει πολύ καλά τον σκοτεινό κόσμο που κρύβεται κάτω από το εκθαμβωτικό μεγαλείο της Φλωρεντίας. Και όταν του στερούν με βάναυσο τρόπο την πολυαγαπημένη του αδελφή, βάζει σκοπό της ζωής του να εκδικηθεί το θάνατό της.
Όμως από τη στιγμή που αντικρίζει την αθώα Ιζαμπέλα Σπινόλα, κάτι μέσα του αλλάζει. Είναι συγγενής του ορκισμένου εχθρού του, ωστόσο ο Ορλάντο νιώθει την ανάγκη να την προστατέψει.
Με κάθε απαγορευμένο φιλί που κλέβει από τα χείλη της, η αίσθηση ότι προδίδει τη μνήμη της αδελφής του γίνεται πιο έντονη. Άραγε, όταν έρθει η ώρα της εκδίκησης, ο δεσμός του με την Ιζαμπέλα θα είναι αρκετά δυνατός ώστε να ξορκίσει τις σκιές μια για πάντα;
Ο Ορλάντο γνωρίζει πολύ καλά τον σκοτεινό κόσμο που κρύβεται κάτω από το εκθαμβωτικό μεγαλείο της Φλωρεντίας. Και όταν του στερούν με βάναυσο τρόπο την πολυαγαπημένη του αδελφή, βάζει σκοπό της ζωής του να εκδικηθεί το θάνατό της.
Όμως από τη στιγμή που αντικρίζει την αθώα Ιζαμπέλα Σπινόλα, κάτι μέσα του αλλάζει. Είναι συγγενής του ορκισμένου εχθρού του, ωστόσο ο Ορλάντο νιώθει την ανάγκη να την προστατέψει.
Με κάθε απαγορευμένο φιλί που κλέβει από τα χείλη της, η αίσθηση ότι προδίδει τη μνήμη της αδελφής του γίνεται πιο έντονη. Άραγε, όταν έρθει η ώρα της εκδίκησης, ο δεσμός του με την Ιζαμπέλα θα είναι αρκετά δυνατός ώστε να ξορκίσει τις σκιές μια για πάντα;
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Amanda McCabe
259 books166 followersaka Laurel McKee (Amanda Carmack)
Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)
She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a Pug, and a very bossy miniature Poodle, along with far too many books.
When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook.
Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)
She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a Pug, and a very bossy miniature Poodle, along with far too many books.
When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 7, 2016
I've given this a C at AAR.
The book reviews that are often hardest to write – as AAR staffers will agree – are those for books which fall into the middle range, the C grade books which aren’t bad, but which don’t really have anything particularly special to make them stand out from the crowd. If you love or hate something, it’s normally fairly easy to come up with something to say, but when a book falls into the “average” category…well, it can be tough.
Betrayed by His Kiss is one of those books. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it; it wasn’t a bad book, but it didn’t reach out and grab me, either. The setting of Florence in the late fifteenth century is unusual in the genre and the author’s descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of that vibrant city are beautifully written and very evocative. Because the central character is an artist, in a city of great artists – not least of which is Botticelli, who makes a few cameo appearances - Ms. McCabe has taken care to frame many of those descriptions in terms of colour and light, and they are very effective.
The storyline, however, doesn’t seem to have received the same attention. I found myself reciting “Two households, both alike in dignity; In fair Verona, where we lay our scene;” in my head and substituting Florence for Verona, because what we have here, in essence is one of those boy-meets-girl-from-rival-family stories of murder and revenge. Fortunately, minus the mutual poisonings, although the body count is still pretty high.
Isabella Spinola lives quietly in the county with her scholarly, absent-minded father, and is, for the most part content. At nineteen, she's practically on the shelf, and while she's not desperate to get married, part of her would have liked to live a little before settling into confirmed spinsterhood. When she receives a letter from her cousin, Caterina Strozzi, inviting her to come to Florence as her companion, it seems as though Isabella is going to get her wish.
Florence is every bit as beautiful and fascinating as Isabella had expected it to be, although she very quickly experiences one of its less endearing aspects when she loses her way and is accosted by a couple of ruffians. Fortunately, an avenging angel in the shape of a darkly attractive and rather deadly young man arrives in the nick of time to save her and set her back en route.
Isabella takes up residence with her cousins, Caterina and Matteo Strozzi in a vast and luxurious palazzo, and while astonished at such luxury and delighted at the prospect of meeting the famed Signor Botticelli, is unable to forget the face of her rescuer, whom she nicknames “Hades” in her mind, because of his handsome, dark looks and air of command.
“Hades” is, in fact, Orlando Landucci, sworn enemy of the Strozzi and committed to putting a period to Matteo’s existence following the latter’s seduction and abandonment of Orlando’s younger sister, Maria, who lost her unborn child and then took her own life. There is much mention in the text of the inner darkness that is Orlando’s constant companion, and reference to “dark” deeds in his past, but given that almost everything we see of him seems to contradict those statements, they mean little – it’s another case of telling rather than showing which contribute nothing to an understanding of the character.
There is some interesting historical background to be found in the story, with the incorporation of the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy, a plot to assassinate the powerful Lorenzo de Medici, and which ultimately, led to war. In the book, the ensuing massacre becomes the backdrop to Orlando’s moment of revenge, and then to Isabella’s swearing vengeance for her cousin and other members of the Strozzi’s intimate circle.
My problems with the storytelling stem from the fact that the pacing is very uneven, with the first three-quarters of the book meandering along at a leisurely pace, setting up the romance, taking the reader into the streets of Florence and into Botticelli’s studio…it’s all very well written, but all the action is crushed into the last twenty-five percent, which makes the entire book feel unbalanced. Orlando’s character is two-dimensional at best, and Isabella fares no better. They’ve both vague stereotypes (Orlando even gets a balcony to climb!) and Isabella’s decision to avenge her cousin’s death comes completely out of the blue rather than from any facet of her character that we have been shown.
Ultimately, the strengths of Betrayed by His Kiss are the historical and background detail which have clearly been lovingly researched and written. Sadly, the romance between this particular pair of star-crossed lovers is unconvincing and rather dull.
The book reviews that are often hardest to write – as AAR staffers will agree – are those for books which fall into the middle range, the C grade books which aren’t bad, but which don’t really have anything particularly special to make them stand out from the crowd. If you love or hate something, it’s normally fairly easy to come up with something to say, but when a book falls into the “average” category…well, it can be tough.
Betrayed by His Kiss is one of those books. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it; it wasn’t a bad book, but it didn’t reach out and grab me, either. The setting of Florence in the late fifteenth century is unusual in the genre and the author’s descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of that vibrant city are beautifully written and very evocative. Because the central character is an artist, in a city of great artists – not least of which is Botticelli, who makes a few cameo appearances - Ms. McCabe has taken care to frame many of those descriptions in terms of colour and light, and they are very effective.
The storyline, however, doesn’t seem to have received the same attention. I found myself reciting “Two households, both alike in dignity; In fair Verona, where we lay our scene;” in my head and substituting Florence for Verona, because what we have here, in essence is one of those boy-meets-girl-from-rival-family stories of murder and revenge. Fortunately, minus the mutual poisonings, although the body count is still pretty high.
Isabella Spinola lives quietly in the county with her scholarly, absent-minded father, and is, for the most part content. At nineteen, she's practically on the shelf, and while she's not desperate to get married, part of her would have liked to live a little before settling into confirmed spinsterhood. When she receives a letter from her cousin, Caterina Strozzi, inviting her to come to Florence as her companion, it seems as though Isabella is going to get her wish.
Florence is every bit as beautiful and fascinating as Isabella had expected it to be, although she very quickly experiences one of its less endearing aspects when she loses her way and is accosted by a couple of ruffians. Fortunately, an avenging angel in the shape of a darkly attractive and rather deadly young man arrives in the nick of time to save her and set her back en route.
Isabella takes up residence with her cousins, Caterina and Matteo Strozzi in a vast and luxurious palazzo, and while astonished at such luxury and delighted at the prospect of meeting the famed Signor Botticelli, is unable to forget the face of her rescuer, whom she nicknames “Hades” in her mind, because of his handsome, dark looks and air of command.
“Hades” is, in fact, Orlando Landucci, sworn enemy of the Strozzi and committed to putting a period to Matteo’s existence following the latter’s seduction and abandonment of Orlando’s younger sister, Maria, who lost her unborn child and then took her own life. There is much mention in the text of the inner darkness that is Orlando’s constant companion, and reference to “dark” deeds in his past, but given that almost everything we see of him seems to contradict those statements, they mean little – it’s another case of telling rather than showing which contribute nothing to an understanding of the character.
There is some interesting historical background to be found in the story, with the incorporation of the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy, a plot to assassinate the powerful Lorenzo de Medici, and which ultimately, led to war. In the book, the ensuing massacre becomes the backdrop to Orlando’s moment of revenge, and then to Isabella’s swearing vengeance for her cousin and other members of the Strozzi’s intimate circle.
My problems with the storytelling stem from the fact that the pacing is very uneven, with the first three-quarters of the book meandering along at a leisurely pace, setting up the romance, taking the reader into the streets of Florence and into Botticelli’s studio…it’s all very well written, but all the action is crushed into the last twenty-five percent, which makes the entire book feel unbalanced. Orlando’s character is two-dimensional at best, and Isabella fares no better. They’ve both vague stereotypes (Orlando even gets a balcony to climb!) and Isabella’s decision to avenge her cousin’s death comes completely out of the blue rather than from any facet of her character that we have been shown.
Ultimately, the strengths of Betrayed by His Kiss are the historical and background detail which have clearly been lovingly researched and written. Sadly, the romance between this particular pair of star-crossed lovers is unconvincing and rather dull.
April 2, 2025
The story unfolded in the intrigue-filled streets of Renaissance Italy, where loyalty and betrayal are blurred, and love came with a dangerous cost. A woman caught between duty and desire found herself entangled with a man whose past threatened everything she had built. Their connection had an undeniable pull, but with secrets lurking in every shadow, trust was a dangerous game. While the romance had its moments of intensity, some of the conflicts felt a little too easily resolved, making certain twists less impactful than they could have been.
The characters carried the weight of their circumstances well, especially the heroine, who balanced intelligence with vulnerability. The hero had all the brooding charm expected in a story like this, though at times, his motivations could have been explored with more depth. The push-and-pull dynamic between them worked, but it didn’t always hit the emotional highs needed to make their relationship feel as intense as it should have. The themes of sacrifice, revenge, and the thin line between love and deception fit well within the setting, though some moments could have leaned further into the tension to really make the stakes feel urgent.
The writing captured the historical atmosphere beautifully, weaving in rich details of a world where power and passion clashed. The genre worked well for the story, delivering the expected elements of romance and intrigue, but it never quite pushed beyond the familiar tropes. While the pacing kept things moving, there were moments where the emotional depth could have been stronger. It was an enjoyable read, but it lacked that spark that makes a historical romance truly unforgettable.
Read more here: https://annietheinkdrinker.wordpress....
The characters carried the weight of their circumstances well, especially the heroine, who balanced intelligence with vulnerability. The hero had all the brooding charm expected in a story like this, though at times, his motivations could have been explored with more depth. The push-and-pull dynamic between them worked, but it didn’t always hit the emotional highs needed to make their relationship feel as intense as it should have. The themes of sacrifice, revenge, and the thin line between love and deception fit well within the setting, though some moments could have leaned further into the tension to really make the stakes feel urgent.
The writing captured the historical atmosphere beautifully, weaving in rich details of a world where power and passion clashed. The genre worked well for the story, delivering the expected elements of romance and intrigue, but it never quite pushed beyond the familiar tropes. While the pacing kept things moving, there were moments where the emotional depth could have been stronger. It was an enjoyable read, but it lacked that spark that makes a historical romance truly unforgettable.
Read more here: https://annietheinkdrinker.wordpress....
June 12, 2024
i love a cute little Mills and Boon. I use them as palette cleansers between darker romances. This story follows a 1400s Italy romance between Isabella (a country maiden) and Orlando (a city rogue). After his sister is killed he seeks revenge and after falling for Isabella at first sight, he soon finds out she is the cousin of his nemesis. She doesn't know the darkness of the world, nor her family's troubles. The romance is beautiful, the story delicate and the ending is lovely. You get you're happily ever after and true love's kiss. It reminded me of a Romeo and Juliet romance :)
I really like how Isabella is a fleshed-out heroine, sometimes regency romances have a cardboard cutout of a woman who is ever so delicate and relies on a big strong man. Of course, Orlando has the opportunity to show his masculinity by assisting when she finds herself in trouble, but she is a strong woman, even taking on the task of revenge on her cousin in the name of family honor. Shes into art, and painting and the novels starts and ends with her sketching, shes not interested in being saddled with a man, yet through love and romance she finds her man.
Overall its a cute little romance, that's easy to read and does what it says on the tin, which, when you just want a book to escape reality in, is exactly what you want.
I really like how Isabella is a fleshed-out heroine, sometimes regency romances have a cardboard cutout of a woman who is ever so delicate and relies on a big strong man. Of course, Orlando has the opportunity to show his masculinity by assisting when she finds herself in trouble, but she is a strong woman, even taking on the task of revenge on her cousin in the name of family honor. Shes into art, and painting and the novels starts and ends with her sketching, shes not interested in being saddled with a man, yet through love and romance she finds her man.
Overall its a cute little romance, that's easy to read and does what it says on the tin, which, when you just want a book to escape reality in, is exactly what you want.
August 28, 2020
Libro che inizialmente va molto a rilento... Ho fatto fatica ad attivare ad 80 pagine... Dopo di che la storia prende e va avanti e vuoi solo finirla! Mi è piaciuto molto che sia ambientato a Firenze e Toscana in generale anche se il paese finto... No Vabbeh... Non lo avrei messo... Però mentre Isabella camminava per le vie di Firenze insieme al tenebroso Orlando, mi sono ritrovata anche io per le strade di questa città che conosco molto bene.
Voto 3,5 libro godibilissimo
Voto 3,5 libro godibilissimo
March 18, 2020
Un roman qui n'a pas réussi à me captiver, alors que le sujet semblait intéressant. Je n'ai pas réussi à entrer pleinement dans l'histoire. Pourtant l'histoire des Medicis de Florence en toile de fond est intéressante. C'est plutôt inhabituel pour moi, mais cette lecture ne m'a pas totalement emballée. Dommage
January 25, 2015
It is a rare novel that can credibly 'pull-off' a love at first sight romance story. So rare that even this novel didn't manage it...
'Betrayed by his Kiss' was just so undeveloped and lacking in the nuances that a romance novel needs . The small details that make the reader fall in love with the dashing hero, that cause us to gasp when our heroine realises that her hero is quite as she thought… they were just missing.
Essentially Orlando and Isabella have a chance meeting in the streets of Florence and they are suddenly in love. In fact that entire novel was a series of chance meetings in the streets of Florence… Orlando would mysteriously appear wherever Isabella was in Florence – Because ‘Obsessive Stalker’ is what everyone hopes for in a Dashing Romance Hero – then he would mysteriously disappear, or Isabella would decide that it was all too much for her and she would run away! *Oh my delicate sensibilities!*
Despite the fact that the whole book is set over a period of just a few days, naturally these ‘chance’ – Ahem, Stalker – meetings led our Hero and Heroine to fall deeply in love instantly. They can’t think about anything but each other. And I mean, I can get that, how many times do you ‘fall-in-love’ during a tube journey, Am I right?!
Where was the substance? Where were the intimate conversations and the melding of minds? Orlando was just a name on the pages of the novel; he had no development and no ‘padding’. What did we know about him beside the fact that he had a Batman-esque talent for slipping in and out of shadows? I needed personal facts so that I could fall in love with him, otherwise, what is the point in reading a romance? How can Isabella credibly fall in love with Orlando when she knew as little as us? Did Orlando paint as well as observing art? Did he weep at night – in an entirely manly way at the fate of his sister? Well, that we will never know.
All-in-all this book was so insanely ‘light’ that the only thing stopping it from flying away was the laminated cover. I need so much more from a romance novel than this book had to offer.
'Betrayed by his Kiss' was just so undeveloped and lacking in the nuances that a romance novel needs . The small details that make the reader fall in love with the dashing hero, that cause us to gasp when our heroine realises that her hero is quite as she thought… they were just missing.
Essentially Orlando and Isabella have a chance meeting in the streets of Florence and they are suddenly in love. In fact that entire novel was a series of chance meetings in the streets of Florence… Orlando would mysteriously appear wherever Isabella was in Florence – Because ‘Obsessive Stalker’ is what everyone hopes for in a Dashing Romance Hero – then he would mysteriously disappear, or Isabella would decide that it was all too much for her and she would run away! *Oh my delicate sensibilities!*
Despite the fact that the whole book is set over a period of just a few days, naturally these ‘chance’ – Ahem, Stalker – meetings led our Hero and Heroine to fall deeply in love instantly. They can’t think about anything but each other. And I mean, I can get that, how many times do you ‘fall-in-love’ during a tube journey, Am I right?!
Where was the substance? Where were the intimate conversations and the melding of minds? Orlando was just a name on the pages of the novel; he had no development and no ‘padding’. What did we know about him beside the fact that he had a Batman-esque talent for slipping in and out of shadows? I needed personal facts so that I could fall in love with him, otherwise, what is the point in reading a romance? How can Isabella credibly fall in love with Orlando when she knew as little as us? Did Orlando paint as well as observing art? Did he weep at night – in an entirely manly way at the fate of his sister? Well, that we will never know.
All-in-all this book was so insanely ‘light’ that the only thing stopping it from flying away was the laminated cover. I need so much more from a romance novel than this book had to offer.
September 20, 2014
The only child of a widowed, scholarly father, Isabella Spinola thought that she would never leave her home tucked away in the Tuscan countryside. When the invitation came from her cousin Caterina Strozzi came to for her to visit her in Florence, Isabella was overjoyed. Florence in 1474 was the height of the Renaissance and the home of the powerful Medici family who had many enemies. From the moment that Isabella entered the city she drew the eye of Orlando Landucci, a well-known nobleman and playboy in the city who just happened to be the enemy of the Strozzi family. For as Florence was beautiful, it was also very dark and Orlando knew all of its secrets. But as soon as he rescued Isabella from the first of her "adventures" in Florence, Orlando knew that despite her family connections, here was one woman that was different from all the rest. Drawn to her in spite of himself, Orlando contrived to meet with her when and where it was safe for both of them. Isabella for her part was completely taken with this handsome nobleman paying attention to her until the fateful day when the Pazzi Conspiracy took place in the Duomo (see the author's notes). After what she thinks she saw, can Isabella's love for Orlando survive?
I enjoyed reading a little about Florence which I visited a very long time ago when I was 16 years old and had no real grasp of its history. I enjoyed reading about the artist Botticelli whose works I've admired. The main characters in the story were very believable although I felt that Isabella walked around with her head in the clouds; she appeared to have left her common sense back in the Tuscan countryside (I wanted to shake her but then, I have a lot of common sense). It was a very interesting story nonetheless.
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading a little about Florence which I visited a very long time ago when I was 16 years old and had no real grasp of its history. I enjoyed reading about the artist Botticelli whose works I've admired. The main characters in the story were very believable although I felt that Isabella walked around with her head in the clouds; she appeared to have left her common sense back in the Tuscan countryside (I wanted to shake her but then, I have a lot of common sense). It was a very interesting story nonetheless.
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
July 9, 2016
The settings were lovely and evocative, and I liked the heroine pretty well, but I think the leads had maybe two conversations. They spent most of their rendezvous throughout the book just making out?? How can you tell you're in love at all, much less that she has done the impossible and redeemed your black, black, hopeless soul?
Read
January 12, 2016"McCabe revisits medieval Italy, where the desire for revenge turns to pure desire and a chance at love" (RT Book Reviews).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews