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HAUNTED HULA-WEEN
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October Reads Worth Falling For

Danger, desire, second chances, and unexpected romanceβ€”discover this month’s Fresh Fiction Featured Books.

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A poisoned cousin, a five-year-old's life, and a family with too many secrets.


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Supernatural sparks fly
between a bookseller
& her hard-boiled ghost.


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If Her Highness thinks I’ll let another man claim her and my child, she’s lost her royal mind. Sophaya’s mine.


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She found a body. Then she started asking the wrong questions.


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He ghosted her ten years ago. Now she’s stuck with him for Christmas.


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She’s the lady everyone overlooks. He’s the prince who can’t look away.

THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE

The Midwife Of Venice, February 2012
by Roberta Rich

Gallery Books
Featuring: Hannah Levi
352 pages
ISBN: 0385668279
EAN: 9780385668279
Kindle: B005GG0M2O
Paperback / e-Book
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"A historical gem of doing what is right over what is accepted by society"

Fresh Fiction Review

THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE
Roberta Rich

Reviewed by Kathyrn Little
Posted December 31, 2011

Historical | Fiction

Looking for a historical novel that will knock your socks off? The reader will pick up this book because they saw it recommended on various websites used as a resource by die hard readers but they will keep reading because of the dynamic main character and memorable plot.

Hannah Levi is a Jewish midwife with magical hands...or spoons, rather. The mystery of her success is somewhat due to her "birthing spoons," which enable Hannah to save hard to reach babies and their desperate mothers. Hannah's success may be her downfall, however, when a Christian husband begs her to save his laboring wife. Hannah is uncertain whether or not she should go, but her morals get the better of her and she risks helping a Christian (an act that took a great deal of bravery during this time period). Although no Jewish midwives are supposed to attend a Christian birth, Hannah gets right down to business. The following events set off more and more reactions that will force the plot along at a rapid clip and keep the reader avidly reading.

Hannah's character is excellent. She was the perfect main character to relate to and the reader can not help but like her. Down to earth, intelligent, and brave, Hannah is an unforgettable character. The book switches from Hannah's point of view to that of her husbands', Isaac. He fell upon bad circumstances due to illegal activity concerning medical activity (Jews are banned from certain things). These two characters will create a plot in THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE that is impossible to forget and fun to read.

Hannah's character was excellent. She was the perfect main character to relate to and like. Down to earth, intelligent, and brave, Hannah is an unforgettable character. The book switches from Hannah's point of view to that of her husbands', Isaac. Isaac will appeal to male readers more than Hannah, perhaps. He fell upon bad circumstances due to illegal activity concerning medical activity (Jews are banned from certain things). These two characters will create a plot that is impossible to forget and fun to read.

Learn more about THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE

SUMMARY

A rollicking, fast-paced historical novel set against the richness and squalor of sixteenth-century Venice and Malta. Hannah ha-Levi, a midwife in the Jewish ghetto, is known throughout Venice for her skill in midwifery. When a Christian count appears at Hannah's door imploring her to attend his labouring wife who is near death, Hannah's compassion is tested. Not only is it illegal for Jews to render medical treatment to Christians, it's also punishable by torture ... and death. But Hannah cannot turn down the money. With such a handsome sum, she can save her own husband, Isaac, who was captured at sea and taken to Malta as a slave of the Knights of St. John. Aided by her "birthing spoons" - rudimentary forceps she invented to help with difficult births - will Hannah be able to save mother and child? And if she can, will she also be able to save herself? Woven through Hannah's travails is the story of Isaac's life as a captive slave in Malta. Fearing that his wife has perished in the plague, he pins his hopes of returning home to Hannah on his talent for writing love letters that melt even the hardest of hearts. Riveting and compulsively readable,The Midwife of Venicecombines fast- paced adventure with richly evocative historical writing.

EXCERPT

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