Gabrielle Kimm

With most books that I love (& by love, I mean rate with 5 stars) & recommend, I tend to say the least. Possibly because I've little to complain or criticize with the story & execution & if given the chance, I'd divulge every beautiful detail & plot point spoiling it for anyone else looking to read it. I will say this is a beautifully & vividly crafted story. I felt like I was there from the first page to the last. When you're reading & realize that your breath is hitched because the tenor show more of the scene has coiled taut around your neck like piano wire (or in this case, that cord of red gems), you know you're caught up in the story. I will definitely be reading more from Gabrielle Kimm & she will now be on my list of "always read historical fiction". Margaret George has been all alone on that list for a while now. LOL show less

'The Girl with the Painted Face' refers to seamstress-turned-actress Sofia and her exploits with the traveling theatre including her romance with fellow actor Beppe. Still 17 and alone in the world, she encounters kindness at every turn, even from a rival theatre troupe. An easy read except that I cringe every time Kimm describes Sofia's feelings and anxieties toward Beppe.

4.5 stars

Francesca Felizzi works as a courtesan in Naples and is quite content with the life she is living. Then she has an inexperienced young man as a customer who turn out to be sweet and gentle. He makes Francesca to realize that she hasn’t never been truly loved, a thing that hasn’t bothered her before. But then she meets someone who turns her life upside down and makes her rethink her life.

The Courtesan’s Lover is kind of a sequel to her previous book His Last Duchess but I show more haven’t read the first book and it still worked well as stand alone.

I really enjoyed the book even if I have no idea which characters were real since I don’t know much about Italy’s history. I think I have to do some googling…

I liked Francesca and I loved how she wasn’t ashamed of who she was and still managed to stay as a good and caring person and she really loved her daughters. There were few sex scenes but they weren’t graphic despite the character being courtesan.

She had an interesting relationship with her castrato manservant Modesto. It wasn’t always easy for him and he had his own past to solve but it was nice that she had someone to trust and who really cared for him.

I’ve really wanted to read His Last Duchess and now I just have to get it! And can’t wait for her next book too. show less

Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by Angie
Review Copy Provided by Netgalley

Francesca Felizzi is one of those female leads you love instantly because she’s fierce, fun, and independent – and she doesn’t concern herself with what anyone else thinks about her. The men who pay extravagantly for the use of her body may think they’re the ones in control, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

Modesto, her manservant and…”pimp”, is more like a best friend and bodyguard. He is show more loyal to his mistress unconditionally and sees her through some of her darkest times. You feel sorry for him when you learn what his father allowed to be done to him when he was little, but you have to respect him for always looking out for Francesca. There were times when I nearly almost caught myself longing for them to be together.

The cast of characters in this book are so very, very intricately interwoven. Ms. Kimm seemingly goes out of her mind to prove that the saying “it’s a small world” was true even in the 1500′s. Or maybe it’s that you can never run from your past. Whichever it may be, Francesca meet every challenge head-on.

At times I wish that I had read His Last Duchess so that I could have gotten to know Francesca better from before she became a courtesan, but as I read at the end of the book, this is a stand alone book, Francesca wouldn’t quiet down and demanded her story be told. I do hope that certain other characters demand their stories be told and further books are written from this time period and with these families.

If there are any negatives to this book, it’s that at times it feels a bit too wordy, with the ending seemed a bit out of place; especially the Epilogue. I kept biting my tongue wondering if something horrible was going to happen, but it didn’t thankfully enough. Which reminds me, there are a few loose ends that could have been tied up and have me curious. Regardless of what can be loosely perceived as negatives, I enjoyed this book.

If you’re looking for the one book you want to read this summer, make it The Courtesan’s Lover. At 528 pages long, you can read as fast or as slow as you want and still manage to have fun doing other things.

{Although, I’m not sure what other things anyone would want to do besides read. Just, don’t listen to it via the Kindle’s text to speech option – hearing that robotic voice in either male or female repeating the f word or talking about sex was a bit creepy.} show less