Sylvain Reynard's THE RAVEN is the first book in this spin
off
off series surrounding the Emerson's and their decision to
allow Florence's Uffizi Gallery display their Botticelli
Illustrations and the dark creatures lurking in the night
who
have a special interest in them.
Raven Wood is an art restorer working at the Uffizi Gallery
restoring renaissance art. She is used to being the
invisible presence no one really notices. Her disability
makes it even easier for people to avoid her. When she
ventures home alone, she happens upon a group of men
terrorizing a local homeless man, and instead of leaving to
inform the police, she stands up for the homeless man,
which now turns the attackers attention to her. A move
which proves to be a fatal one.
Standing on the top of the Brunelleschi's Dome, William
looked down at his city. A city that has been his for over
seven hundred years. It was here he stood with the
illustrations that were stolen from him. He was heading to
the Ponte Vecchio to place the illustrations in a dry
place, when he caught the scent of blood, and there was
more than one source. The scent that attracted his most
was young and sweet. Her blood cried out
to him, and he wondered who would get to her first, him or
his brethren?
Raven awakes, changed. When she
returns to work at the Uffizi Gallery, she finds the
illustrations have been stole, but
most troubling is that she has been gone for a week. With
no
recollection of events leading up to her disappearance,
Raven is now the prime suspect. Wanting to clear her name,
Raven's inquiry into Florence's wealthiest man leads her to
the dark underworld of Florence
and the man who rules it all, the Prince, William York.
Their relationship will become more
complicated as the storyline develops because saving Raven
from the rogue vampires also meant saving her from death. A
death which needed a vampire's blood to survive. Their
connection is immediate and puts Raven in direct danger.
The Prince offers the only thing he can do for her, make
Raven his own.
I loved the Gabriel Inferno series and couldn't wait
to get
my hands on another of Sylvain Reynard's series. He
has become one of my favorite authors. Reynard
readers will recognize the name William York from the third
book
book of the Gabriel Inferno Series. Reynard likes
to throw
little hints in for readers to set them up for the next
project. I have to say I was caught a bit off guard
by the whole premises of this Florentine series. But
I guess that is
what happens when you don't read the reviews or book
summaries. I knew it was connected to the Inferno series,
but
but I wasn't expecting the supernatural twist.
Sylvain's writing is impeccable as usual and I adore the
characters. Raven was disabled after a childhood accident,
which left her life filled with
heartbreak, emotional and
physical abuse, as well as a lifetime of low self esteem
and issues of physical inadequacy and beauty. She is an
innocent and a protector of the weak. She appears to be
weak
herself, but we find out she is stronger than she appears.
William is another complex character. He has a bitterness
and resentment for himself after he was turned. When his
illustrations reappear after being stolen from him decades
before, he is out for revenge, but it isn't until he meets
Raven that he would rather see her happy than seek out
revenge. There is a short novella released titled THE
PRINCE, which gives some insight but
does not have to be read
before reading THE RAVEN. Reynard will always
be on of my go to authors for reading.
From the New York Timesbestselling
author of the Gabriel series comes a dark, sensual tale of
romance in a city shrouded in mystery . . .
Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi gallery
restoring Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after
an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she
intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his
attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is
only semiconscious when their assault is interrupted by a
cacophony of growls followed by her attackers’ screams.
Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a
glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her . . .
Cassita vulneratus.
When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. Upon
returning to the Uffizi, no one recognizes her. More
disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an
entire
week. With no recollection of her disappearance, Raven
learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest
robberies in Uffizi history—the theft of a set of priceless
Botticelli illustrations. When the police identify her as
their prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name.
She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and most elusive
men in an attempt to uncover the truth. Their encounter
leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to
keep their secrets . . .
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