totally funny. I loved the characters. ( )

Francesca Bonnard has worked hard to have a life with freedom and jewels and pleasure - even if that doesn't include love. James Cordier finds himself enamoured with his new target but he can't afford to forget his mission of vengeance - because Francesca holds the last piece of the puzzle to who betrayed him and his men.

This was good. It wasn't great though. I think part of it was that I found it hard to understand. There was a lot of Italian and French words and phrases and while it definitely set the scene and atmosphere, it also tended to jolt me out of the book. The other part was it was somewhat vulgar. The constant references to whores just made me feel uncomfortable. It wasn't that she was having sex for jewels - that was fine. But the way it was spoken about seemed degrading and I didn't like it. The other issue was that I found the first half kind of bland and boring. It felt long and kind of endless. But the second half was a lot better than the first - it picked up speed and had more action and romance and kept my interest.

I liked the characters though. Francesca and Cordier were great. And I loved Francesca's friendship with Giulietta. I also came to quite like Lurenze (the Prince) and I loved how him and Cordier find common ground. The plot was alright, pretty straightforward spy suspense. Francesca's hiding spot for the letters was pretty funny. She hides them in the decorative ceiling inside a boy's naked butt and then proceeds to plaster over it - all by herself. Plus she managed to prop up a ladder in the middle of the room so as not to make it even more obvious where it was. But it was also fairly impressive. I like it when characters have clever solutions to things.

Francesca and Cordier were good together. I liked their flamboyant personalities and the over the top arguments played out. They were funny.

An enjoyable historical romance with a mischievous and daring woman and a dramatic jaded spy. 3 stars. ( )

Pairings in historical romances often seem to be a bit imbalanced between the characters. One has all the money or experience or status and the other is in the opposite boat. Those can be fun, but I particularly enjoyed how well suited these two were to each other. It was fun to watch two well matched individuals, with their own lives going on and looking for different things, find a partner. =) ( )

Fun sexy and simply delightful ( )

I just love the way Ms. Chase writes, so my reaction to the story itself is almost of secondary importance. I mean, I think she could write the day's political news and I'd probably enjoy it.

To me, her characters live and breathe; they're fun people with honest emotions. I want to get to know them and hang out with them. Even the bad guys/girls have personality, whether you like them or not!

The story's setting is Venice, so there's lots of schlepping here and there in gondolas, and lots of falling into (being thrown into, jumping into) the canals...which of course means sopping wet gowns and suits that lead to one thing or another (sighs with hand over heart).

I can't wait to get my hands on another of Ms. Chase's books.


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