A Shadow from Venice

(Originally published as Loving Lucianna. This is the same story under a new title.)

A proud Venetian woman burdened by a secret. A loyal knight determined to win her heart. But will he stand by her when the truth finally comes to light?

Sir Balduin de Soler knows he's not the most romantic suitor. He's fifty-two, grey-haired, and his attempts to learn Italian to impress the woman he loves leave much to be desired. But when Lucianna Fabio arrived in Poitou as companion to his lord's new wife, the proud Venetian woman captured his heart completely.

Lucianna, now in her forties, swore off love after a devastating betrayal in her youth. But Sir Balduin's patient devotion and whimsical smiles slowly melt her defenses. Suddenly her lonely autumn life feels very much like spring again.

Then her half-brother appears—a man who has spent years exploiting Lucianna's darkest secret for his own gain. The same secret drove away the man she loved in her youth. Now her brother sees a similar opportunity in her new betrothed. Lucianna knows exactly what will happen: either she pays her brother's endless demands and watches him bleed Sir Balduin dry, or he reveals the truth and Sir Balduin turns away in disgust as her first love did.

Unable to bear either outcome, Lucianna breaks off their betrothal and prepares to return to Venice heartbroken and alone. But Sir Balduin proves more persistent than she expected. When circumstances force her secret into the light, both must decide if their love is strong enough to weather the shadows of her past.

Poitevin Hearts, Book 4: Men and women living and loving amidst the political intrigues of medieval Poitou (a region of France once ruled by the Kings of England.)

A Shadow from Venice is a PG rated historical romance.

The Poitevin Hearts romance series is linked together by recurring characters, but each title is written as a stand-alone novel. They can be read and enjoyed in any order.