Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Dante's Flame by Jannine Corti-Petska-3 stars

DANTE'S FLAME by Jannine Corti-Petska takes readers into the quagmire of politics existing outside castle walls. We know the facts as revealed by history, but DANTE'S FLAME shows us the human lives behind the scenes. I give this Italian tale three stars for its imagery and dialogue.

DANTE'S FLAME tells the medieval tale of Alessandra Podesta, a 19-year-old Venetian lady, who has pushed the boundaries of her father's patience by writing lascivious stories. She is sent to live in French-controlled Naples with the Valentes, relatives who are dominated by her violent older cousin. Alessa's penchant for wandering unescorted through the city and sneaking out at night lands her in hot water with her uncle, who determines that she needs a husband to help control her.

Alessa's uncle marries her off to her French tutor, Dante Santangelo, who is secretly working with the French to maintain their rule over Naples. Dante initially uses his tutoring position, and then later his marriage to Alessandra, to uncover evidence of the family's aiding of the Spanish. Alessa stumbles across dangerous information, including a plot to assassinate Queen Isabella, the French regent of Naples. In attempting to get help, she trusts the wrong people and endangers her life, and Dante must choose between his wife and his queen.

The key to enjoying this book is to keep in mind what life was like for young women in medieval times; they had very little freedom, and regardless of education, they were often kept ignorant of the world at large. So when Alessandra makes some really bone-headed moves, it is more understandable. My favorite lines that illustrate this aspect of the story are when he asks her, "Are you so addle-minded, you cannot learn from experience?" and Alessa's responds, "I am not addle-minded. I simply have a need to…to seek answers to appease my curiosity." While Alessa may seem ditzy, if you put yourself in her shoes, you can easily see how she is just amazed and intrigued by the world around her.

The rest of the dialogue in the book is well crafted to help the reader stay in medieval times. I wasn't distracted by modern colloquialisms, and the descriptions of the city were quintessential Italy. I've been lost in the maze of narrow streets and alleyways before, and it's not easy to find your way back home, even with a map!

After a great start, the storyline got a bit muddled in the middle when, after getting married, Dante can't decide whether to sleep with Alessandra or not. Perhaps a bit more time could have been spent developing their relationship through dialogue and time spent together. The "I love you's" didn't seem very credible under the circumstances. It was obvious Dante is amused by Alessandra and that she is enamored of him, but that they had fallen in love with each other was a bit of a stretch for me. There was a moment when I thought the novel might veer off into the BDSM genre, but I was greatly relieved to see Dante act according to his character's paradigm. Thinking back about the scene, it probably wasn't so scandalous when considered in historical context. Perhaps my qualms with the romantic element here exist because falling in love was much different in medieval times than what we expect today.

What was most interesting to me was the political intrigue, and the conclusion of the book was my favorite part. As a fan of history, I love how fiction can bring history alive. DANTE'S FLAME definitely puts human faces to the conflict in Italy at that time, and there were parts of the novel where I couldn't put it down, especially the conclusion. The end of the story is fraught with peril and suspense, and easily could have been cut from a major motion picture. No spoilers here, though! You'll just have to read it yourself.

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed DANTE'S FLAME, and recommend it to any lovers of historical fiction.

Review originally written for The Romance Reviews:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=6542

Marry Me by Karen Stivali-4 stars

MARRY ME by Karen Stivali is a fun, entertaining and realistic story that packs a punch. It is a quick read with the feeling of a much longer novel. This story fulfills one musician-lover's dream of marrying a rock star. If you can survive swooning with envy, this book is definitely for you. I give MARRY ME 4 stars.

MARRY ME tells the story of Julia, a fashion designer/tailor, who falls in love with Ben, a British drummer. Julia has worked on the band's clothing for video shoots and concerts for a while, and during the band's visit to New York, Ben asks Julia to marry him in a flirtatious joking manner. Julia says no because they've never even been on a date. Ben immediately rectifies that situation, and soon the relationship progresses to the point where they fall in love. They each have some baggage, though, and it collides in a violent way.

Even though it was short (83 pages), I definitely enjoyed this book. Often I find that short books, or novellas as they are sometimes called, skimp majorly on the character development, thus making the story completely unbelievable. Not so here. There is just enough time spent on character development for their romance to be believable. Still, I would have preferred fewer sex scenes and more of their time spent together. The passage of time is properly described, so the reader knows that it took more than a week for them to fall in love. This is also a minor aspect to novels that is so often ignored. The reader needs a timeline of sorts to understand the drama in context.

Here, the main characters meet each other's friends and have to deal with jealousy in the work place. We get to see the characters' interactions through dialogue instead of heavy narration. The pace is quick without feeling rushed, and it was well edited. No pesky spelling errors to distract you. It's funny; it's real, and it's an easy quick read. The ending or resolution of their issues was very well done - absolute intense emotion without being cheesy. I would have loved for there to have been an epilogue that showed their life after the ending, but that is a personal preference. Because the ending was so well done, you don't feel as if an epilogue is necessary.

Note: This story is definitely for 18+. For such a short book, it had quite a few explicit sex scenes. So out of 5, this would rate a 4 on the heat level. Remove the explicit sex scenes, and this story would easily make a great motion picture. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of Karen Stivali's work.


Review originally written for The Romance Reviews:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=5878

The Delphi Bloodline by Donna Del Oro - 3 Stars

It doesn't take an oracle to know that Donna Del Oro is destined for great things with her novel (and hopefully series) THE DELPHI BLOODLINE. The premise of the book has the perfect historical hook, and the ending leaves us waiting anxiously to see if another book is in our future.

THE DELPHI BLOODLINE tells the tale of Athena Butler - painter, gallery owner, and oh yeah, psychic - who attempts to prevent the kidnapping and deaths of other psychics across the U.S., including her mom, Annabella, and their distant relative, Lorena Skoros. Lorena sends her son, Kas, to act as Athena's Guardian, a role that men in the Delphi bloodline have been playing for millennia. In addition to dodging bullets, Athena and Kas have to deal with their attraction to one another as well as the emotional baggage they each carry.

Right away, THE DELPHI BLOODLINE grabs you with the idea that these women who have psychic abilities are part of a heritage that dates beyond biblical times and that the whole history of mankind - past, present, and future - is contained in another dimension that the women in the Delphi Bloodline can access. Ms Del Oro gives the reader just enough information about the psychics' abilities to let us know the framework, but not too much to be convoluted or to bog down the tempo of the book.

The development of the romantic relationship between Athena and Kas was, for the most part, well done. While the time frame is short, there are supernatural factors that connect them, making the romance believable. As for heat level, I would rate this a 3 out of 5.

There were some issues, though, with editing and contradictory facts - the way people are described - repetitive descriptions and narrations, as if old text wasn't removed during the revision. These issues posed a bit of a challenge at times, but I am SO glad I kept reading.

The ending of the book was fabulous. The immediate issues in the book are resolved, but danger still lurks, leaving the possibility (please!) of another novel. If the editing issues are resolved in the next novel (or in a re-publication of this one), this series could rival similar popular series found in mainstream bookstores.

Review originally written for The Romance Reviews:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=6748