Venom (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #1) by Fiona Paul

Summary:

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

Expected publication: October 30th 2012 by Philomel

My review:

Wow… I just had to say it. Not everyone will like this book but I sure did. I threw me completely by surprise. I did expect a good book but not great. And Venom is amazing and one of the best debut novels of the year. I loved Venice in this book. I went there in high school and it is one of the most beautiful cities that I´ve ever been in. I loved the characters, the plot, the romance and the choices that Cass, the main character, made. This story is great. The murders, the mystery of it all and the suspense, the secrets and the lies, two characters falling in love in the middle of it all while they shouldn’t be talking to each other at all. Falco is an poor artist while Cass is a girl who lives in a villa, already engaded to be married to her fiancé Luca, who you cant help but not like through the book with how Cass thiks about him, but then, after the middle of the book we finally meet him and see that he is a great guy. There are plenty of things that will surprise you in this book but the ending surprised and pleased me the most. I think I´m going to die waiting ofr a year to read the sequel but I bet that it is worth the wait.

If you love solving murder puzzles and books with a steamy forbidden romance whit a 15th century Venice as a setting, you will definetly love this book. I did.