While browsing a museum, have you ever seen a painting and thought: this artist has really captured the soul or spirit of his (or her) subject. Well, I have.
Well, that is what the main theme of this book made me think of, all those times I saw beautiful paintings and I thought: Wow, it's like I can see the living person before my eyes!
In the Prisoner of Paradise Nick O'Connor, who has recently suffered a head injury during an ice-hockey game and his wife Julia travel to Venice where Julia is exposing one of her pictures at the Biennale. On their first day in Venice they visit the Doge's Palace where, as they are looking at Tintoretto's "Paradise" (Gloria del Paradiso) in the Great Hall, one of the figures in the picture speaks to Nick. As Nick is the only one who can hear the voice Julia initially thinks he is suffering from delusions caused by his head injury.

But gradually it turns out that there is much more behind the voices Nick is hearing and which lands them in a story that spans centuries and that puts both their lives in terrible dangers from a secret society that spans ages and still catches the souls of their enemies in the painting. Although it's not my favourite genre, I was fine with the fact that Nick's soul spanned several centuries. Some interesting themes emerged from this, such as Nick's dilemma between being faithful to his current wife versus his love for his soulmate from centuries ago and Carlo's struggle between fame and doing the right thing.

I loved the descriptions of the painting, the Doge's Palace and of Venice in general, they really brought the vision's alive before our eyes.

All in all I thought it was an interesting, well-written and exciting book, but I had some trouble with the conspiracy theories. In these special times we live in and people increasingly believe in the most extraordinary and improbable conspiracies, I wonder whether this is really what we need.
The ending seems to be pointing to a next episode. Not sure yet if I'm in for a series.

I want to thank Rob Samborn and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange form my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The premise of the story is excellent. Imagine traveling to Venice for the first time. As you view Tintoretto’s great painting “Paradise” that has hundreds of people in it, one of them speaks to you. No one else hears the voice. This is how Nick, the main character, is drawn into a tale of lost love, betrayal, and possible reincarnation. Those answers could cost him his life.
Nick and Julia are in Venice because she is about to get a boost in her career and the trip will be like a honeymoon. Nick, a hockey player, is recovering from severe head trauma sustained during a hockey match.
A woman’s voice says they trapped her soul in the painting for eternity and only he can free her. They were star-crossed lovers in 1588 during the Renaissance. Parents had forced her into a loveless marriage to a much older but powerful man. They had an affair. Her husband caught them. A fight led to her husband’s death. Her lover escaped, but she was convicted of murder. Instead of execution, a secret society has a much harsher punishment.
Enlisting the artist, Tintoretto, who paints her into his canvas. It will become his work called “Paradise.” It will seal her soul for eternity. He can hear her because he has her lover’s soul.
Nick plunges into a dangerous investigation that spans four hundred years. He can’t free the woman’s soul without destroying the painting, which will free all the souls that are trapped, including the evil ones.
The story jumps between 1588 and 1589 and the present day. This is book One and for me, there were too many characters with storylines and the story felt disjointed. I will read the next book to see what happens.

REVIEWED ON GOODREADS

The Prisoner of Paradise isn't a genre I normally pick up, but I'm glad I did because I truly enjoyed it. Another reviewer chose to use the word "grandeur" for the book, and I totally agree. Samborn brings us an intriguing tale told in two timelines that move between 16th century Venice and the present day. Samborn's attention to detail make the whole setting come alive, and his characters, their desires, their conflicts, their choices, kept me turning the pages. Fast-paced and enthralling, Samborn has written a winner!

This dual-time novel by Ron Samborn, moves effortlessly between present-day and sixteenth century Venice. Offering equal doses of art history, romance, spine-tingling action, and chilling supernatural occurrences, The Prisoner of Paradise has something for everyone. This first in a series will leave readers eager for Book Two.

Did not finish. Interesting premise that made me want to read it, however I found it poorly written and the characters were not compelling. Life's too short to read bad books.

Set partly today and partly in late 16th century Venice this is an intriguing story. Tintoretto's 'Paradiso' is conceived as holding souls in torture sent to the canvas by a group of religious fanatics of his time. The present-day couple, Nick and Julia O'Connor, have come to Venice for a holiday and to try to develop a career in photography for her. Nick hears a voice from the canvas, collapses but then continues having flash backs to the lost love of his life, calling him from the paint. The description on NetGalley is true to the book. The descriptions of life both now and in the past make one feel as if one was in Venice. I felt more sympathy with the 16th century characters than with Nick and Sarah though. She seems more interested in her career, as well as flirting with Italian men, than her husband although does keep trying to get him to see a doctor, again. Nick is suffering a lot and I had more sympathy with him. The story did get rather convoluted at times but the author used language well to help the reader, giving different accents/social aspects between the two time periods and this worked neatly. Although most ends were tied up there is sufficient to leave room for another book - maybe without Nick and Sarah though? Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! I picked this book because of the reviews, but even they didn’t prepare me for the grandeur of the novel. Freeing a lost love from a painting sounds kinda cheesy, but the detail, the language, the customs, the evil, the love, the consequences presented create an epic well worth reading.