Once the lady Freya served as doctor to died, a lady who tells her she is her mother, Feyra is no longer safe from her half-brother, the Sultan himself, who wants her as a concubine. Now, Freya steals away on a ship headed for Venice. Unfortunately, the ship she is on is bringing something else to Venice: the Plague. Once the ship docks, Freya must find a way to survive not only the plague but as a hidden Turk among the Venetian people. With the help of doctor Annibale Carson, hopefully she can protect her identity and attempt to heal the city as well.
Set in stunning historical Venice, THE VENETIAN BARGAIN takes an upfront look at the Plague and two people who attempt to save its victims. Feyra is brave and strong, and I love how she persists in being respected as a female doctor who does more than deliver babies. Annibale is tough and usually cold, but they make an excellent team together as they try to heal people. The details in their cultures are really nice, and their journey is bridging that gap between them is so realistic.
Marina Fiorato's writing is extremely lovely. It's capturing and pulls you right into the story. While I love the flow of the words, I do wish the conflict in the story played out a bit stronger. Freya and Annibale face many obstacles, but I kept wishing that they would be a little more intense. I typically like more intense action in historical fiction though, so I absolutely can see this not being any sort of problem for other readers.
Overall, THE VENETIAN BARGAIN is a very enjoyable read. It's great for any fans of historical fiction, particularly those who want a little taste of what life might have been like during the Plague.
Venice, 1576. Five years after the defeat of the Ottoman
Empire at the Battle of Lepanto, a ship steals unnoticed
into Venice bearing a deadly cargo. A man, more dead than
alive, disembarks and staggers into Piazza San Marco. He
brings a gift to Venice from Constantinople.
Within days the
city is infected with bubonic plague and the Turkish Sultan
has his revenge. But the ship also holds a secret stowaway
Feyra, a young and beautiful harem doctor fleeing a future
as the Sultan's concubine. Only her wits and medical
knowledge keep her alive as the plague ravages Venice. In
despair, the Doge commissions the architect Andrea Palladio
to build the greatest church of his career an offering to
God so magnificent that Venice will be saved.
But Palladio's
life is in danger too, and it will require all the skills of
Annibale Cason, the city's finest plague doctor, to keep him
alive. What Annibale had not counted on was meeting Feyra,
who is now under Palladio's protection an impossible woman
whose medical skills and determination are matched only by
his own. From Marina Fiorato, author of the acclaimed
historical novel The Glassblower of Murano, comes a
triumphant return to historical Venice with Venetian
Bargain.
No excerpt available.
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