The Treasures of Venice
Ah, Romance! Loucinda McGary’s second ultra-romantic novel, set in a sultry modern-day Venice, has all the requisites of a frothy by-the-pool read: a hunky, mysterious action hero (Kiernan) with startlingly blue eyes and a sexy Irish lilt; a stubborn, pretty American librarian (Sam) on the rebound from a no-good fiancé; and a breathless round of chases, fights, kidnappings, and various dangers that require the heroine to be rescued by the hero – and vice versa!
The “historical” part is a parallel romance in 15th-century Venice, with a mystical link between the lovers in the past and the present. The mulligan in the tale is a set of blue jewels that went missing in the 15th century, and are now the object of desire by several characters (both good and evil). The sex scenes (mostly the present-day ones) sizzle with thankfully brief episodes of “soul-searing kisses,” “hot, liquid centers,” and the “silken steel” of the hero’s male member.
Not a literary gem, and rather light on the historical treatment, but a good, fun, fast read which starts with that magic “love at first sight” moment and keeps you turning the pages until the final kiss.
