Title: The Treasures of Venice
Author: Loucinda McGary
Genre: Contemporary Suspense Romance (with a touch of historical fiction)
Number of pages: 321
When I read this review from Tasha at Truth, Love Freedom & Books (formerly known as Heidenkind's Hideaway) I thought that this book would be one that I would really like. She was nice enough to send me her copy of the book-I can't thank her enough for doing that! This book saved me from going crazy while I was sick with the stomach flu this past weekend. I couldn't do much but lay around, and in between feeling horribly sick and somewhat better, I read this book, and it made feeling sick seem not so bad. :)
My Synopsis:
Samantha Lewis is on vacation in Venice, Italy on what was supposed to be her honeymoon. However, weeks before the wedding she found her finance cheating on her with a younger co-worker. The trip was non-refundable, so she decides to go on it, if only to prove to herself that she can do something crazy like travel alone overseas. She is shocked when a handsome stranger comes up to her while she's sitting in a cafe and pretends to know her. Despite herself, she feels an attraction to him, and throws caution into the wind and follows him into his world...the handsome stranger is Keirnan Fitzgerald, and he needs to find the missing Jewels of the Madonna to help save his sisters life. He didn't need the distraction that was Sam Lewis, but he just couldn't get her out of his head. As for Samantha, she has to decide if Keirnan is the man of her dreams , or if the two are just being used to get the missing Jewels of the Madonna. The story goes back and forth between present day Italy, and that of 1485 when it tells the story of Serafina Lombardo and her secret love, Nino and the possible connections the two have to the present missing jewels...
My Thoughts:
The Treasures of Venice is one of those books that is so cheesy that you can't believe that you're still reading it, and furthermore that you are enjoying it! This was a great book to read while I was sick, because it was a fun, light read. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1485, and found myself wanting more of that story-it flowed easily with the current story being told. I also loved some of the cheesy lines that were in this book like when Keirnan said (quite a bit) "Luv, come with me." or when Sam said repeatedly to herself: "That was the old Sam" or "Get a grip Sam." This book had so many more cheesy lines and cliched story lines-but somehow they all seemed to work for this book. Heidenkind called this an "escapist read" and I can't argue with that. It's a light read-perfect for when you're looking for a change from world building books. :)
Edited to add: I'm playing around with adding a star rating-I'm still not sure about it.
Edited to also add: I just realized I used the word cheese in this review a lot-I do want to say that it was an entertaining read!
Sigh Meter: Medium
Swoonworthy Meter: Low
Star Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
