Review by Acwoolet -- The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio

[Acwoolet]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio" by Belle Ami.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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I hope you’re prepared for another wild ride with Belle Ami’s The Girl who Loved Carvaggio! Once again we find Angela and Alex searching for a stolen painting, this time “The Nativity” painted by Michelangelo Merisi de Carvaggio. While searching for the stolen painting, Angela realizes that her visions delve much deeper into the tortured past of Carvaggio than she had thought possible.

While Angela and Alex visit their families to announce their engagement, both end up being plagued by dreams and visions of Carvaggio and his mistress; causing them to wonder what their connection was to the painter and his painting. From the beginning of the book we’re introduced to the dark life of Carvaggio and his beloved muse and mistress, Fillide. Although Carvaggio and Fillide seem to be madly in love, all is not well in their world with nefarious plans brewing behind the scenes. With many theories surrounding what happened to the missing painting that has stumped authorities for years, Angela and Alex must decide what secrets they’re willing to uncover of themselves and the possibility that they may lose one another in the process.

Having read the prequel The Girl who Knew DaVinci, I can say that though it may not be necessary to read it before reading Carvaggio; it would definitely round out the experience to do so. They flow seamlessly from one to the other and give a better view into the characters' lives. I enjoyed reading this book very much, I felt as if I were traveling through each country alongside Agenla and Alex. The imagery was breathtaking and the dialogue fun and colorful. The pace of the whole novel flowed beautifully, I never felt stuck at any point; I only wondered what was to happen next.

Honestly my only complaint about this book is that it had to end. I was so engrossed in it that all of a sudden it was over and I felt like I hadn’t seen that coming. Although this book is a fantastic read, it may not be for everyone. There is a fairly explicit scene right in the first chapter with more to follow throughout the rest of the book, although not necessarily with quite as much detail as the first occurrence. There’s also quite a lot of cussing throughout the novel, both in English and Italian. Because of this I would recommend it more for adult audiences.

I wholeheartedly give The Girl who Loved Carvaggio a 4 out of 4 stars. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to read a romantic mystery. It is a fast paced, beautifully written novel that many will enjoy. I can’t wait for the next one to come out!

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The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
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[Julius_]

I've not read The Girl who Knew Davinci, but I want to get the most out of this book. I'll definitely skip it for now, but your review was good. Thanks for the review.

[Manali_DC]

Great review! Having read and reviewed both the books in this series, I find myself partial to the first book. There was a genuine warmth between Angela and Alex in the first book- in this one I find Alex playing a cliched playboy through most of the story! And I wonder what you thought about Alex starting to get past life visions- I'm not sure I liked that development!