Thursday, April 19, 2012

Speed Date with Laura: Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould

Hi everyone, toady I'm doing something a little bit different. I'm participating in a thing called Speed Dating-with reviews. It's hosted by Mary over at The Book Swarm. The purpose is to tell your thoughts about the book in about 150 words. I think it's a fantastic idea! Go check out her blog to participate. Note: internet is not up. I tired to get everything right using the app but certain things aren't bolded and pictures may not show! Thanks for your patience!

Title: Cross My Heart
Author: Sasha Gould
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: March 13, 2012


Summary: When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura's father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice's fiancĂ©, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo. Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura's prayers. The day after she joins their ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister's death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust.

Review: Cross my Heart is a unique historical romance set in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice.

Cross My Heart isn't a fantastic read or an awful. It falls somewhere in between the two, but it does lean more toward the good side.

Cross My Heart is a very short read that doesn't allow for much development in the plot or the characters. While I liked Laura as a main character, she wasn't what I was expecting. The romance was definitely cute but not the best I'd seen.

One of the things I did like was the Segreta or the Society of Secrets. They were some scary old ladies but I liked how they dealt in secrets. The historical Venice setting was fantastic as well!

Cross My Heart isn't the best in terms of characters or plot but ideas weren't half bad and neither was the writing. I'd recommend it especially if you like simpler books with a great historical setting.

Rating: 3 stars

3 comments:

Lisa said...

"a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets"

That line makes this novel sound amazing. I'm sad to hear that it didn't live up to it's potential. I do like novels that are a little longer to make sure we get a good sense of the characters and the world surrounding them.

Mary @ BookSwarm said...

A good historical setting is always nice, though I do prefer a bit more time for characterization. Plus, once I get into a story, I like it to last and to be long. Bring on the big books! :)

Business Cash Advance said...

WOW! This sounds really good. I've never heard of it before, but your review is awesome and I can't wait to pick it up :)

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