The Rose of Florence by Angela M Sims

 The Rose of Florence by Angela M Sims

The Rose of Florence by Angela M Sims was published on 16th January 2023 by Romaunce Books. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me this beautiful book to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

Prologue: (1460): Gianetta is born in a farmhouse in Fiesole. Her mother dies in childbirth. The unnamed father is distraught but leaves her in the care of her grandmother and returns home. 

The Story: (1478): Gianetta grows up and moves to Florence, where she is in service to a wealthy family of textile merchants - the Rosini. They are friends to and supporters of the powerful Medici clan. In the small, tight-knit group of staff, we meet Eleonora (cook), Luigi (Signor Francesco Rosini’s private assistant), Antonio and Lucia and our hero, Matteo. Gianetta and Matteo are in love and have a happy, peaceful life with the kind and generous Rosini family. They enjoy entertaining at Palazzo Rosini, where the Medici and Botticelli are frequent visitors. Following the suspected poisoning of Lorenzo de’ Medici and near death of Giuliano de’ Medici, both within the Rosini family home, there is suspicion that there is a traitor in the house and speculation as to who it might be. In Botticelli’s workshop (where Matteo worked previously), there is discussion about unrest in Florence with rumours in the city that Medici days in power are numbered, and there may be trouble at Easter.

My Review

This is a wonderful historical romance set in 1478 in the beautiful Italian city of Florence. It is also worth noting right from the start that the stunning cover draws you in you have even read a single word and is a lovely book to leave lying around for friends to pick up and admire before opening the book to the secrets that lie within.

The story is centred around the lovely Rossini family, their servants ( who are more like extended family ) and their friends the Medici family and Botticelli. It partly uses an event that did actually happen in the cathedral in Renaissance Florence which gives a strong historical link to the past.

We follow the life of Gianetta and Matteo in such a way that we feel as though we know them personally at the end of the book and I was so relieved that Angela had actually added an Epilogue to let the reader have an insight into what happened next  and that it started , and finished, with La Volpe.

There are times throughout when you find yourself thinking " Why?" and then a bit later following that with " Aah that makes complete sense" and also you have the opportunity to think for yourself, "Is this the reason this person is acting this way and why ? "

I absolutely loved the book and for a debut novel it is impressive , both in its writing , and the research that Angela has put in to ensure Renaissance Florence is portrayed accurately. My thoughts are now wondering when we will see the next book by Angela, and I for one , cannot wait.

About the Author

Angela’s background is in healthcare, and she has been a university lecturer since 2010. Her writing experience was limited to a master’s dissertation, purely academic, but the research skills she learned during that process were soon used in researching her favourite topic, the Italian Renaissance. It didn’t take long before the seeds of a story began to germinate, and The Rose of Florence her debut novel blossomed

Angela joined the Romantic Novelists’ Society and the New Writers’ Scheme (NWS) in 2020 and found the encouragement and resources available taught her so much about the process and skills needed to write fiction. She has been lucky enough to have the support of the same NWS reviewer since joining, and her advice and guidance has proven invaluable. She is also a member of the Society of Authors.

On a personal level, Angela lives in Cardiff, South Wales, with her husband and two slightly stupid cats. She has two grown-up daughters and a gorgeous granddaughter. When she's not working, reading or writing, she loves to cook and spend time in her garden gives her great joy, and at every opportunity, she travels to Italy to eat, drink and absorb the wonderful atmosphere , which she likes to call  research. I, for one, really like Angela's idea of research !!!!!!

You can find out more about Angela on the following Social Media sites.

Website: Http://angelamsims.co.uk

Facebook: Angela M Sims - Author

Twitter: @angelamsims1

Instagram: angelamsims1