4 out of 4 stars
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The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami is a supernatural suspense and romance book part of the Out of Time series. Angela Renatus, an art historian at the Getty Museum, often has dreams of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci of Giuliano Medici and his mistress Fioretta Gorini. The only problem is there is no record of the painting existing, yet many people seem to be looking for it. Alex Caine, an art detective, was hired to find this painting and he needs Angela’s help. The painting will help clear the name of his client’s uncle, Gerhard Jaeger, who went missing in World War II in Florence with his mistress Sophia Caro.
Alex first met Angela in the museum where she works, but she was behaving strangely and staring at one of da Vinci’s painting. Later that evening, they meet for dinner, but Angela has no recollection of earlier. The two discuss the painting and Alex takes her home, but they find her apartment was broken into and Alex stays the night. Angela gets harassed at work the next day by her boss Albert Scordato and she decides to quit and work for Alex.
Alex and Angela head to Florence and Angela starts having visions about both couples. Alex and Angela go to museums and historical sites to find clues about the painting. Meanwhile, Alex and Angela can’t deny there is an attraction between them that keeps growing. One night, Alex is attacked by some of Albert’s men, and they realize that more danger is involved with this painting than first thought. Alex takes Angela to his villa in Chianti, and through more visions, Angela believes she knows where the painting might be. As they get closer to discovering its location, their lives are threatened, and they must figure out how to survive before Albert gets his hands on the painting.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.The book seemed professionally written and edited, there was no problem with grammar or spelling. The plot is well thought-out and planned, the scenes flow from one to another, and the characters are well-rounded. I feel Alex and Angela both developed and grew as characters from the beginning to end. Belle Ami did a great job of adding a touch of the supernatural to the story, but it didn’t come across as impossible to believe or experience. There was also a balance between the flashbacks and modern day, which made the book refreshing to read. I really liked this book, and I would highly recommend it to a friend.
Alex and Angela are such a great couple and there is a lot of chemistry between the two. The flashbacks to the other couples were one of my favorite parts, because it was very interesting to see the similarities and the differences in each of the relationships in the book. I liked seeing the scenes with Giuliano and Fioretta, because I love scenes set in the Renaissance and I felt the scenes accurately reflected what I had heard and read about for that era. The romance in this book was well-written.
One thing I would have liked more was a little bit more time with Albert and his cousin. Sometimes, it’s nice to get a better feel of the antagonists, and I feel like this book could have used that. Otherwise, there really wasn’t anything I had to complain about, I felt this book was done very well. Belle Ami did a great job with this first book and provided an interesting twist at the end which leaves the reader begging for more.
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The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci
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