Review by Nicolesmith327 -- The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio

Nicolesmith327 · Post by **Nicolesmith327** » 10 Feb 2020, 22:29

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

3 out of 4 stars

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The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio by Belle Ami is another excellent story about a girl who connects with her past to solve a mystery. We once again join Angela and Alex on a trip around the world to solve a mystery with the famous Caravaggio at the helm. We start off with the couple telling their families about their plans for the future and life together. Angela builds interesting relationships with Alex’s parents, and Alex gets to see a side of Angela’s father she does not know about. Amidst all the family drama and secrets, sits the Italian artist Caravaggio and a famous missing painting. Through Alex, Caravaggio reveals glimpses of the past that Angela must decipher for their next famous art collection mystery.

This novel is a good sequel to the previous book. I had an enjoyable time reading it, though it was not as much of a page turner as the first one. This time both Alex and Angela experience the flashbacks to the past. Like the first book, The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio, does have several adult scenes; however, they are tastefully done. Often romance novels force the plot of the to take a back seat to the interactions between the couple, but not here. Instead the romance between two souls does not sacrifice the suspense, action and mystery of the plot. Likewise, the characters are well-rounded with their own mysteries.

Belle Ami did a marvelous job of adding just the right amount of spice to the mystery surrounding the Caravaggio painting. This time the painting is not the gentle star-crossed lovers, but a temperamental artist with a dark brooding past. Not only do Alex and Angela must deal with their past, but also the modern-day Italian mafia.

I give The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. This rating is based on the various occurrences of missing quotation marks and grammar mistakes, along with the story. Despite the flaws, the story remains one that I would highly recommend. As someone who enjoys art history and period pieces, I would recommend this book to any adult. The frequency of adult scenes does mark this novel for mature audience only. This novel is best read after the first one. Though there are a few references to the previous book, to get a good grasp on the relationships, I’d advise reading them in order.

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The Girl Who Loved Caravaggio
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Laura Lee · Post by **Laura Lee** » 11 Feb 2020, 21:54

Thanks for your review! I love literature that brings in art. Reading your review, I thought of Dan Brown's DaVinci Code and all the artwork he works into his novels. This sounds like a fun book to read. What was the first book called?