I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely well written and extremely descriptive. I am a huge lover of books and restoration myself so this was a fantastic treat to read spanning time and generations. I loved Rose’s character so much.

Present day Connecticut. Rose, a book restorer, is approached by a struggling painter William Lomazzo to restore a book about art by Giovanni Lomazzo.

Renaissance Venice. Giovanni Lomazzo is commissioned by Sebastiano Venier to paint his courtesan Chiara.

Venier, a statesman, hopes to be appointed admiral if Venice is forced to go to war with the Ottoman Empire. The win over Ottomans would give him the doge’s seat, which he is hoping for.

Meanwhile, the Ottomans are approaching the island of Cyprus. Taking over Cyprus would give them a good position and help them to take over Venice.

The first 25% of the story is very engrossing, introducing characters and historical background of powerful Venice vs Ottomans. But then the story mostly evolves between two romantic relationships, set in dual timelines. If you like reading romances, then this might be an interesting read for you. But I was looking forward to more of historical background of powerful Venice vs Ottomans, both sides fought for control of trading routs over Mediterranean Sea for centuries.

There was also another aspect, which I enjoyed and maybe would not draw attention to others. For a moment it touched upon the subject of some women being able to read in the 16th century, which back then was very rare. It is a fact that Venetian courtesans of the time were the most educated women. They were the only women allowed in the libraries, thus giving them access to all the books. I’d rather see this story as parallel with the modern day story, rather than romance.

In the lost diary of Venice you get a big dose of the history of Venice,it’s societal structure. You get a healthy dose of the life of historical restorers and their singular lives. You get a bit of modern romance in the form of a marriage a little aged but resolved to renew in various stages of personal discovery. Clear in this novel are characters true to their time . Unapologetic of their station in life and succeeding in the only way they can. The artist Giovanni commissioned to put the fair Chaira on display for her patron, a plaything to be immortalized on canvas,but Chaira is neither a plaything or a pawn as the conniving Corvino learns in bold fashion. The characters are ambitious and cunning and intrigue is everywhere. The story shifts between today and then, a time when Venice was almost beset upon by the Ottoman Empire. Rose the restorer has a small book shop and accepts commissions on the side. A vellum piece leads to what turns out to be the last chronicle of the artist last year of sight . It is touching and heartfelt and complete with detail of the fear that prevailed . It has characters you will side with and race to find their outcome. You will not be disappointed, I even admired the resolution of the Rose intrigue with the William/Giovanni look alike storyline. Happy reading

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Publish date June 20, 2020
Thank you #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. This story unfolds in the present time and in 1571 Venice. Rose is a book restorer who has been engaged by William (an artist) to restore a tome found in his grandmother's belongings. As she begins to restore the fragile vellum, she finds it's a palimpsest. At the same time she finds herself drawn to William each time he visits. The story also unfolds in Venice where Gio, an artist (and William's ancestor), is engaged to create a painting for a wealthy patron's courtesan, Chiara, whose beauty immediately captures his heart and imagination. The author does a fine job weaving each story together as the book progresses. I felt as if I were in Venice and in Rose's restoration room. I loved the authors use of language to create the atmosphere of each chapter. I highly recommend this book.

Beautifully descriptive, intriguing and rememberable. A great historical romance that brings you along with the characters. A fantastic story about love that spans between time.

*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. *

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel. It was very well written and the storyline as well as the characters were both interesting and entertaining. It was a light but heartfelt read. It kept me interested wanting to read the next chapter to find out what happened next. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author.

The Lost Diary of Venice by Margaux DeRoux is an excellent dual timeline historical fiction that alternates between current day Connecticut and Venice during the Renaissance period (around 500 years prior) during a time of unrest.

I loved this book for several reasons:

1. I love the flowery, descriptive, and beautifully placed prose that gave me the ability to actually feel as if I was right there with the characters in both time periods. The imagery that was created for me was breathtaking.

2. I loved the unique storyline, time period, and location. Not very many books cover Venice at this time (at least that I have read). This was the initial draw for me to want to delve into this book.

3. Yes, this is a dual timeline, however despite the half century and continental difference, I found so many similarities between the two couples: their difficult circumstances, their sacrifices, the emotional roller coasters, the attraction and passion all experienced...these facts helped tie each set of characters and stories together.

4. The author’s ability to interweave two great storylines, add mystery, intrigue, and moments of unrest, romance, and tie them together for a satisfying and appropriate ending is most definitely impressive.

I found that it didn’t matter if I was reading between Rose/William/Lucas or Chiari/Gio, I found that either story elicited interest, sadness, happiness, and frustration. I wanted the “bad guys” to get what was well-deserved, and I wanted at least a somewhat satisfy ending. I truly did like Rose and I wanted for her to find her place in this world. I really felt that the author did a great job creating those endings for me as the reader, and I am impressed that a story this intricate could keep me enraptured throughout. Very impressive.

This is a great book that held my attention from beginning to end.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book was a very hard read for me. Very slow. Nothing to really grab me and pull me in. The writing was not bad, but the story just dragged. Some of the. character development was lacking. The ending was very disappointing. Maybe it was just not my cup of tea, but I did not enjoy it.