The evening glitters. Starlight rains onto the candlelit garden and lily-filled fountains. Jasmine blooms perfume the night air as women pluck buds to tuck in their twisted hairstyles. Not one person in this palazzo can sense my aching disappointment at one man’s absence.
I’ve smiled and caressed cheeks for hours, dipping my shoulders to reveal the curve of my breasts at just the right moment, commanding every moment of this evening like a maestro. Seduction is like breathing, something I do without thought, repetitively and with ease. We retire to the courtyard and garden, while every patrician in Venice celebrates with enough wine to dull their senses. Mine remain sharp as an unused pin, ready to reveal our creation to Signore Bruni, should he ever arrive.
Courtesans decorate the garden like sprinkled sugar. Tucked in every corner, they play harp and read poetry, dance, and sing. Beautiful women who read and create art, whose education lifts them to a status higher than most patricians. The view fills me with pride.
Art historian Dr. Mia Harding doesn’t want a cushy title and accolades for authenticating a sculpture from Italy in the 1600s at the cost of the truth.
Official synopsis:
Art historian Mia is running out of time to prove her theory that the sculptor of an unearthed erotic statue was a courtesan erased from history—a scandal no one will believe. Chasing through Venice, she tracks down hidden details of Sofia, a powerful courtesan who seems to have left a trail of sex-fueled art buried across the city, but Mia’s now being followed, and even her boss might be in on the lie.
Meanwhile, in 1609, Sofia defies Venice’s unfair laws to create illicit art that could ruin her future. Her aspirations to become a great artist go up in flames when her patron’s wife steals her work and threatens her lover.
Dr. Mia Harding just has to sign off on the authentication of a recently discovered sculpture. Then she can leave this summer assignment and return to California with a promotion and more authority. It’s what she’s worked for, right? But her background was also in gender studies, and the more she looks, the more she doubts the sculpture was made by the man they’re trying to attribute it to—or by a man at all.
Luckily, European visitor Dr. Noah Beckett is never a true part of the American "old-boys club" that wants to control Mia for reasons they don’t yet know. Noah will help Mia find the truth, especially when they travel to Venice in pursuit of the old story.
The two timelines following Dr. Mia Harding’s and courtesan Sofia Rossi’s struggles were so fascinating. While they both appreciated the advantages they had, they knew they could accomplish so much more, and they knew they deserved it.
The excellent historical research and portrayal of the politics of academia earned this compelling book 5 out of 5 stars. It would be easily recommended to those who enjoy great female characters in dramatic stories and historical fiction.
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Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who also enjoys being a homebody with access to LEGO, the internet, and DoorDash. See more of her posts on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.
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