An enjoyable betrothal tale in a vivid historical setting.
In this historical novel, an Italian girl navigates her engagement to a mysterious man in 1490s Venice.
Caterina never really knew her mother, so she is used to a life ruled by her father, Ludovico, and her nurse, Nonna. She is betrothed to Ariosto, a cruel man who is many years her senior. When Ariosto is lost at sea, Ludovico seeks new suitors for Caterina. Meanwhile, Rade, a Slavic man more accustomed to violence than finery, wins a letter written by Ludovico about finding a suitor in a card game. Rade makes his way to Venice, believing he is fated to be with Caterina. He employs a man to make a skinlike mask for him to wear to hide his scarred face. But once Ludovico agrees to Rade’s lengthy betrothal to Caterina, he finds he must wear the mask all the time. He is enamored with Caterina, though he has a rival: the dashing Alessandro, a young man with whom she is falling in love. The competition heats up between the two men, with Rade’s jealousy potentially pushing Caterina away. Later, Rade finds himself dealing with the execution of a friend and his discovery of Caterina and Alessandro alone together. Grant’s prose is excellent—it is evident throughout the engrossing story that she has a sharp style and knows how to skillfully set a scene, toeing a fine line between descriptive and overwrought: “Finally, as suddenly as it had come, the shoal turned and faded away into the limitless gray of the horizon….Fortune is a woman, thought Rade. Would that it were so.” The author’s characters are similarly well defined. Through Rade, readers see a life hardened by violence and the fear of rejection, which necessitates wearing a mask. Additionally, Rade’s deepening affection for Caterina is especially engaging. As for the other characters, Grant effectively balances her cast with intriguing minor players, including Rade’s sensual “teacher,” Rosa, and his former second-in-command, Vuk. But there are some moments that feel superfluous or that cause the tale to drag a bit. Though the betrothal is meant to be long, it sometimes seems as if Rade and Caterina spend a lot of time apart. The story would have benefited from more scenes with the two protagonists.
An enjoyable betrothal tale in a vivid historical setting.Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2022
ISBN: 9798986936208
Page Count: 396
Publisher: Cartellino Publications LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
