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The Relic Keeper by Heidi Eljarbo
I’m thrilled today to be spotlighting the late-Renaissance historical novel, The Relic Keeper by Heidi Eljarbo, with Christian themes about hope and love.
Inspired by Gerrit van Honthorst’s masterpiece, The Adoration of the Child, and the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Italy, 1620.
Angelo is an orphan, lonely and forgotten. Having been passed on from one family to the next, he ends up as a common thief, subject to and under the thumb of a ruthless robber called Tozzo.
Angelo knows no other life and has lost hope that any chance of providence will ever replace his lonely, misfortunate existence. When he loses his master, his livelihood is shaken. Tozzo’s plunder is hidden in a safe place, but what will happen if someone comes after Angelo to get their hands on the stolen relics? More than that, he feels threatened by words he’s heard too many times; that he’ll always remain unforgiven and doomed.
One day, a priest invites Angelo to help with chores around the church and rectory and, in exchange, offers him room and board. Padre Benedetto’s kindness and respect are unfamiliar and confusing, but Angelo’s safety is still a grave concern. Two older robbers have heard rumors about the hidden treasures and will stop at nothing to attain them.
With literary depictions and imagery, Angelo’s story is a gripping and emotional journey of faint hope and truth in seventeenth-century Italy—an artistic and audacious tale that crosses paths with art collector Vincenzo Giustiniani and the powerful Medici family.
Using invisible threads, Heidi Eljarbo weaves together her fictional stories with historical figures and real events.
Book Review: A Brotherly Devotion by Jill Bray
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical whodunnit and would recommend.
It started with action (the murder) and kept going. It took me a chapter or so to get into the writing, but the story was so engaging I was immersed by chapter 2.
I really love stories that contain more than one plot, and where the various plots intertwine. This story, with murders, a love triangle, paternalistic misogyny (when doesn’t that happen in medieval times, me thinks…), the peasants revolting because there isn’t enough food, and out-of-touch, wealthy churchmen and class divides, gave a fun and interesting read.
Book Review: The Traitor's Son by Wendy Johnson
Today I’m hosting The Traitor’s Son by Wendy Johnson, a story about the early life of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), as part of the Coffee Pot Blog Tour. I read the novel (thank you for the Advanced Reader Copy), and have written a review (see below). But first, the blurb:
Caught between a king and a kingmaker, young Richard Plantagenet knows he’ll have to choose...
1461: Richard Duke of York, King by Right, has been branded a traitor and slain by his Lancastrian foes. For his eight-year-old son—Richard Plantagenet—England has become a dangerous place.
As the boy grapples with grief and uncertainty, his elder brother, Edward, defeats the enemy and claims the throne. Dazzled by his glorious sibling, young Richard soon discovers that imperfections lurk beneath his brother's majestic façade. Enter Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick—cousin, tutor, luminary—whose life has given him everything but that which he truly craves: a son. A filial bond forms between man and boy as they fill the void in each other’s lives. Yet, when treachery tears their world asunder, Richard faces an agonizing dilemma: pledge allegiance to Edward—his blood brother and anointed king—or to Warwick, the father figure who has shaped his life and affections.
Painfully trapped between duty and devotion, Richard faces a grim reality: whatever he decides will mean a fight to the death.
In "The Traitor’s Son", Wendy Johnson weaves a tapestry of loyalty, love, and sacrifice against the backdrop of England's turbulent history. Through the eyes of a young Richard III, readers are transported into a world where every choice is fraught with peril, and the bonds of kinship are tested to their limits.
The Cameo Keeper by Deborah Swift
I’m delighted to be hosting The Cameo Keeper today on the Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour. (Isn’t it a beautiful cover?)
I’m doing an excerpt, but first, the description:
Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison
Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always ― Dante Alighieri
In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.
Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.
As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.
Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo's love is put to the ultimate test.
As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?
For fans of "The Borgias" and "The Crown," this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Praise:
'historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue'
~ Bookmarked Reviews ★★★★★