My Rating- 5 STARS
Synopsis- A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.
My Review- I absolutely loved this book!
The characters were developed slowly and beautifully, the plot unfolded at a great pace and the romance!! the romance was steamy, intense and full of moments when I wanted to shout COME ON!! KISS HER! I loved the tug of war between the two main characters Beatrice (B) and Gio, their arguments and witty comebacks were fun to read and the descriptions of the intense atmosphere whenever they were together were perfectly detailed.
There was never a moment in this book when the descriptions became boring or long winded, the supporting 'cast' were just as finely developed, Beatrice's Grandma was adorable, strong and sweet.
Caspar, Gio's butler, was kind and funny and the other Immortals were interesting, especially Carwyn who quickly became one of my favourite characters.
Strangely, what I didn't expect was a vampire novel, a very interesting, unique take on a vampire novel. The title hinted at a totally different type of book. I loved the fresh take on vampires, their elemental gifts were great to read about. Gio is your typical hot, steamy, brooding male who harbours a painful past that he feels he must carry the burden of alone, but there is nothing typical about him. He is a vampire with the very rare gift of Fire. Most vampires who wield fire die or are killed or used as weapons by stronger vampires. Fire is one of the most powerful elements, hard to control and requires years and years of learning how to use it. Gio has trained himself to have this iron control and it has shaped his life, leaving him largely lonely and giving him a 'cold' exterior.
Beatrice breaks down his coldness with her quick wit, intelligence and love. Though there is definitely some insta-LUST in this book, the love story is cultivated over nearly a year and grows in strength until is reaches an ended that left me seriously wanted more to see what happens between them. Gio originally plans to use her only to find some of his lost books that her elusive, thought dead, father may know the location of. But Gio knows his feelings are far deeper than he can admit to himself. He has lived for over 400 years and has never felt such passion for a woman since becoming a vampire.
I read this book in to the very early hours of the morning to finish it. The tight muscle in my neck and the ache in my shoulders were totally worth it! On to book 2 which I hope will be just as good as this
one!