by Sarah Dunant
First published 2008
Fiammetta swallows her jewels as Rome burns around her in 1527. She escapes the sacking with Bucino, her clever dwarf companion, and they flee toward Venice at the height of its power. The courtesan has trained since childhood to seduce and please men, while her sharp-witted partner provides the perfect complement to her beauty and skills. Venice offers them sanctuary in a city built on beauty, desire, and excess, where seduction becomes their path to survival. Fiammetta deploys her secret weapons to captivate Venetian society and rebuild their fortune. Yet as survival transforms into success, the bond between this unusual pair faces new threats. In a world where charm and cunning determine fate, Fiammetta must navigate the treacherous waters of Venice's golden age, using every skill at her disposal to rise from refugee to the woman who commands the city of canals.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical, historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Rome, Venice
Period: 1527
480 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Booket
Content warnings: violence