Review by CinWin -- The Girl Who Knew da Vinci by Belle Ami

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CinWin
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Review by CinWin -- The Girl Who Knew da Vinci by Belle Ami

Post by CinWin »

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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In The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami, we have three love stories that are literally timeless.
  • Fioretta Gorini - Friend of da Vinci, Giuliano's lover (1478)
  • Giuliano Medici - Lover of Fioretta (1478)
(The subjects in the missing da Vinci painting)
  • Sophia Caro - Married to Gebhard (1944)
  • Gebhard Jaeger - Aka Giorgio Bandini, married to Sophia (1944)
(They stole the painting out of the Museum and smuggled it into Florence)
  • Angela Renatus - Art historian, Alex's lover (2018)
  • Alex Caine - Investigator that retrieves stolen paintings - Angela's lover (2018)
(The protagonists who are searching for the missing painting)

When we add the novel's resident "bad guy", sociopath Alberto Scordato, into the mix, a very rich novel emerges. Will the protagonists, Angela and Alex, find the mysterious missing da Vinci painting or will they die trying? You, my dedicated reader, will have to get a copy of this exciting book to discover the answer.

The Girl Who Knew da Vinci takes us on a mini tour throughout Europe, encompassing Tuscany, Florence, Paris and Rome. The author uses very descriptive language, both in showing us the countryside and the wonderful cuisines that are native to the areas. "On the grate, he cooked a thick Porterhouse steak that Alex explained was a traditional recipe of the region, Bistecca alla Fiorentina. The steak was served with spinach sautéed in olive oil with sliced garlic. For dessert, Maria served a lemon cake, espresso, and an aperitivo of Amaro Fernet Branca." I don't know about you, but just writing that quote has my mouth watering!

The love stories between all three couples are also very well-written. When talking about their love, Angela thinks that "she wanted it to be because kissing him made her knees weak, and looking into his eyes made her skin tingle, and when he touched her, her body lit up like a Christmas tree. But most important, she wanted to be his favorite hello and his toughest goodbye."

Not only are the food, locations and love scenes exceptionally written, the adventures they go through are all "seat of your pants" thrillers. I believe the visions and time travel that Angela goes through add depth and a dimension that would not have been reached without these experiences.

I must give The Girl Who Knew da Vinci a 4 out of 4-star rating. The novel was very well-edited and I saw no errors. I believe it would appeal to those that love a good thriller mixed in with romance. However, it would not be recommended for minors, due to some of the graphic sex scenes.

The story had me at "Sofia Caro was scared, but not half as scared as she should be" and continued to mesmerize until the ending.

******
The Girl Who Knew da Vinci
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Post by Sicily Joy »

This book sounds exciting and delicious. I love books that have good food descriptions. Thank you for a great review.
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Post by Espie »

Thank you for your insightful review. I especially liked the way you deliberately withheld any spoiler to entice your audience to read the book. The author should already love you for that marketing trick alone, so to speak.
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Post by chelhack »

I really like the way this review is written out. I like how it broke the 6 characters up into the years their story took place as well as the how the subject of the missing da Vinci painting was placed in with Sophia and Gahard. Great job and this really was a great book.
Chelsea N. Hackett
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CinWin
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Post by CinWin »

Sisou wrote: 13 Jul 2018, 20:18 This book sounds exciting and delicious. I love books that have good food descriptions. Thank you for a great review.
Thank you Sisou!
----"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."----
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CinWin
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Post by CinWin »

chelhack wrote: 14 Jul 2018, 06:00 I really like the way this review is written out. I like how it broke the 6 characters up into the years their story took place as well as the how the subject of the missing da Vinci painting was placed in with Sophia and Gahard. Great job and this really was a great book.
Thank you Chelhack!
----"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."----
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CinWin
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Post by CinWin »

Espie wrote: 14 Jul 2018, 05:11 Thank you for your insightful review. I especially liked the way you deliberately withheld any spoiler to entice your audience to read the book. The author should already love you for that marketing trick alone, so to speak.
Thank you Espie!
----"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."----
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Post by LV2R »

You wrote a review with a different twist, making it refreshing! I like how you outlined the characters because it was a little confusing in the beginning to keep everyone straight. I like this paragraph that you wrote:
Not only are the food, locations and love scenes exceptionally written, the adventures they go through are all "seat of your pants" thrillers. I believe the visions and time travel that Angela goes through add depth and a dimension that would not have been reached without these experiences.
That sums up the book quite well.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

I love this review. And I can tell from it how much you enjoyed the book. Your structure was quite unique and easy to follow. I particularly enjoyed the quotes you chose. They were well selected to highlight the points you wanted to make. I'm kind of curious how the editors reacted to your layout in the beginning. I personally enjoyed it. Awesome job CinWin!
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Post by Dael Reader »

I read this one last month and had a completely different take on it. I thought the story had a bit of potential, but the author focused way to much on the lust factor and not enough on the academic/mystery. But your response is very well written. And it's good to read reviews of those who have a different perspective! ;)
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Post by Fozia-Bajwa »

I read the review of the book The girl who knew da Vinci is written by Belle Ame. It's a love story of Angela and Alex. Mysticism, secrets and painting by Vinci is shown in the story. Past life regression is also shown. Adventure and history of Alex and Angela is also the part of story. Thanks for the good review.
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