Review of The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci

[Kirsi Cultrera]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci" by Belle Ami.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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As we know, Leonardo da Vinci lived his earthly life in Italy. When I think of Italy, my imagination draws a picture of history, art, wine, old architecture, and women in high heels. My imaginative canvas shows a beautiful couple kissing under a streetlamp on a corner of a cobblestone street. The two might see a fast, red Ferrari speeding through wine yards on a narrow mountainside street. It is, of course, a product of my imagination. Therefore, I was surprised to discover that the author Belle Ami had written nothing less than my Italy into her book, The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci.

Let us rewind for a moment. This story starts in California. Angela Renatus, an art historian, has recently begun the internship of her dreams at the Getty Museum. Unfortunately, her new boss, Dr. Alberto Scordato, has developed an inappropriate liking towards young female employees. In his eyes, Angela seems incredibly delicious. Avoiding Scordato's unpleasant attempts at intimacy feels exhausting, but this is only one of Angela's problems. Ever since she started at the Getty, she has been possessed by strange dreams and visions beyond her control. As a result, her everyday life has become a tired, desperate struggle.

At her lowest moment, Angela meets Alex Caine, a private detective skilled in finding missing art pieces. He is working for Max Jaeger, a German businessman, who has hired him to locate a possibly non-existing painting of Leonardo da Vinci. Angela's visions are oddly connected to da Vinci, and the two end up searching for the painting together. They follow in da Vinci's footsteps to Italy. Unfortunately, Scordato's desires do not include only bodily interaction with Angela; he has also developed an interest in this supposedly non-existing painting. The reality and the past become a desperate blur as Angela's visions and dreams grow stronger. Angela and Alex are in danger, but who is the real enemy? Does this painting exist? Who discovers the truth first? And who will walk out alive?

When I chose this book for reading, I was expecting something in the spirit of Dan Brown's bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. Please do not allow yourself to be mistaken as I was since this book is nothing alike. It represents an entirely different style and is a rich mixture of romance, history, mystery, and supernatural elements. All this has been placed into breathtaking Italian scenery. A specific character in this book has a humorous habit of wiggling his eyebrows. However, I found myself raising mine out of confusion when I discovered the supernatural elements of this story. I do not believe in reincarnations or visions, but these played a pivotal role in this book. Therefore, I needed a moment to find the right mood for this story, but I enjoyed the ride after my first shock had settled. I loved Belle Ami's absorbing and descriptive narration and admired how the story jumped seamlessly from the present to history and back. In addition, the plot was well constructed, and characters from different eras supported each other perfectly.

Regardless of my overall enjoyment of the story, I was slightly disturbed by a few details. Firstly, I could have settled with fewer erotic scenes. Sexual interactions frequently paused the otherwise smooth development of the events. These intimate moments took away from the suspenseful storyline. Secondly, the author could have left the mother complexes out of this story. Without giving out too many details, I'll only say that my rational side got boisterous on one particular scene where the author chose to patch Angela's childhood traumas of growing up without a mother.

This book was entertaining, gripping, and suspenseful. It was a wholesomely enjoyable reading experience that entertained and appealed to all my senses. It crossed the line of my beliefs and sometimes annoyed me with its plentiful eroticism, but these details were not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment. Furthermore, this book was edited exceptionally well. I did not find a single objective grammatical error, but only a few stylistic choices I did not entirely agree with. All these things considered, I am granting The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to readers who like a mixture of steamy romance and suspense. However, readers allergic to erotic scenes should stay away from this book. In addition, realistic and analytical characters might want to pick something else for their next read.

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The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci
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[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I wonder if the painting exists and if they will find it. This book intrigue me the most. The review was well informative and it captures my attention. Well done Kirsi for this amazing review!

[Moo Reny]

I like that the book was entertaining, gripping, and suspenseful to you, I also like that It was a wholesomely enjoyable reading experience that entertained and appealed to your senses. This is a great review.

[Loyce Maghimbi]

Kirsi, this review has so far been the best review of this book. I love your style, how you start with a personal touch and then link it with the book. Beautfiul review.

[MsH2k]

What a lovely, poetic review! You last paragraph has in effect confirmed why this book is not on my reading list, but getting a glimpse of this story through your analysis was a delight.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

I wonder if the painting exists and if they will find it. This book intrigue me the most. The review was well informative and it captures my attention. Well done Kirsi for this amazing review!

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

I like that the book was entertaining, gripping, and suspenseful to you, I also like that It was a wholesomely enjoyable reading experience that entertained and appealed to your senses. This is a great review.

Thank you for taking the time to read and leave a comment!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

Kirsi, this review has so far been the best review of this book. I love your style, how you start with a personal touch and then link it with the book. Beautfiul review.

Thank you so much for your encouraging feedback!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

What a lovely, poetic review! You last paragraph has in effect confirmed why this book is not on my reading list, but getting a glimpse of this story through your analysis was a delight.

Well, thank you! This book is definitely not for everyone, but those who enjoy this type of stories will undoubtedly love it. I had to store my rational side into a box while reading this, but once this was done, I enjoyed the story

[NetMassimo]

This novel is far more focused on passions, emotions, and supernatural connections than rationality and material things. If you accept all the unlikely events and elements together with the erotic bits, it's a lot of fun. Thank you for your great review!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

This novel is far more focused on passions, emotions, and supernatural connections than rationality and material things. If you accept all the unlikely events and elements together with the erotic bits, it's a lot of fun. Thank you for your great review!

You are absolutely right about that. I needed to lock up my rational side to be able to enjoy this book. Once I did, reading it was a lot of fun!

[Diana Lowery]

I, too, was "allergic" to all the erotic scenes in this book, but I liked the premise.

[Hager Salem]

Thank you for the informative review. I'm reading this book right now and I really like it.

[Manang Muyang]

I read this book too. I confess I took one star away because the couple spent more time in bed than solving the mystery. But I did find Belle Ami's imaginative story fascinating. It gave me a charming tour of Italy as well. I can't seem to recall Angela's mommy issues though.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

I read this book too. I confess I took one star away because the couple spent more time in bed than solving the mystery. But I did find Belle Ami's imaginative story fascinating. It gave me a charming tour of Italy as well. I can't seem to recall Angela's mommy issues though.

I was pretty close to doing that, too! Then I started thinking that, oh well, it’s a romance book after all! What comes to the mommy issues, I am not sure how much I can say since this is a public forum…

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!