Today, I'm delighted to welcome back a brilliant writer of Renaissance fiction, Amy Maroney. We're showcasing her fabulous new novella, The Pirate's Physician, and I'm sharing my review below.
I've previously reviewed The Queen's Scribe, a novel in her wonderful Sea and Stone Chronicles series. Find my review HERE!
The Pirate's Physician is currently on blog tour with The coffee Pot Book Club. Find other enticing tour stops HERE!
The Pirate’s Physician
A Thrilling Companion Novella to the Sea and Stone Chronicles
Amy Maroney
Having read the highly recommended novel, The Queen's Scribe, I couldn't wait to read this companion novella about Giuliana, a young woman in training to become a practicing doctor. In Renaissance Italy, the city of Salerno had the only school that allowed women to train, and that's where we find Giuliana and her uncle, Dante, under whose guidance she studies.
On return from visiting a sick, but poor, woman, they pass the port, where they observe the arrival of new ships. Dante recognises one ship, however, the arrival of a vessel under Basque command of Captain Eneko distracts him as he greets his acquaintance – a man who he had treated years earlier.
When Dante collapses on their way home, Giuliana enlists Eneko's help to get him back, but her uncle's heart attack proved fatal. But it's not until Giuliana hears of his testament – with everything left to her – that she discovers that Uncle Dante was in great debt to a Florentine merchant, who just happened to arrive in Salerno on his ship that fateful day.
When her uncle's notary and the merchant, Antonio Lucchesi, decline her suggestion of continuing small repayments, the stranger offers her a deal: she should marry him, bear his children, and lead a comfortable life as a merchant's wife in Florence.
Repulsed by the idea, and under threat of ending up in the debtors' prison, Giuliana sees only one way out: leave her studies and home behind to flee to her Aunt Amalia in Genoa and ask for her help.
Having asked Eneko for help, he organises a transport for her on a Catalan ship, which is bound for Genoa, for her, but the Catalan captain has other ideas as to what to do with a pretty young woman on board.
Will Giuliana's plans go awry? How can she extract herself from a threatening situation, on board a ship in the Mediterranean? And will she ever reach the safety of Amalia's house? Well, you should read this intriguing story to find out!
The Pirate's Physician is a fast-paced, rollicking adventure, with a strong dose of romance and intrigue. It vividly paints Renaissance life – the beauty and the dangers – through the eyes of young Giuliana. We follow her on her race to safety, as she tries to outmanoevre the repulsive wool merchant. It is a thrilling race for her freedom and independence.
Ms Maroney's research is impeccable, and as we turn the pages, holding our breath, willing Giuliana along, we travel through a Renaissance world of wonders and new opportunities, but also a world of greed, sickness, and treachery.
The fast pace of this novella, combined with the intriguing plot and two fabulous, independently-minded main characters, makes for riveting reading. I read this story in one go, as Giuliana stumbles from one danger to the next in her quest to escape Lucchesi's clutches – and the merchant stops at nothing to get her.
Hints of a traditional romance are mingled with Giuliana's fierce ambition to become a woman doctor. Hers is not a dream of marriage, children, hearth and home. She wants to help people, heal them. In Eneko she has found a man who understands this.
The Pirate's Physician is a delightfully adventurous historical romance, set on a series of journeys across the Mediterranean. Giuliana and Eneko are different to 'usual' romance heroines and heroes, and that's their great advantage. They are unique, and in telling their story, Ms Maroney has created a truly engaging, thrilling read.
Well worth checking out!
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Blurb:
When her world shatters, she dares to trust a pirate. Will she survive what comes next?
The Pirate’s Physician is the story of Giuliana Rinaldi, a student at Salerno's famed medieval medical school, whose lifelong dream of becoming a physician crumbles when her uncle and mentor dies suddenly.
Faced with an unwanted marriage to a ruthless merchant, Giuliana enlists the help of a Basque pirate and flees home for the dangers of the open sea.
Will she make it to Genoa, where her only remaining relative awaits? Or will this impulsive decision seal her own doom?
A delightful seafaring adventure packed with romance and intrigue, The Pirate’s Physician is a companion novella to the award-winning Sea and Stone Chronicles series of historical novels by Amy Maroney: Island of Gold, Sea of Shadows, and The Queen’s Scribe.
Praise for the Sea and Stone Chronicles:
“Island of Gold is a nimbly told story with impeccable pacing.”
~ Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice Review
“Sea of Shadows is stunning. A compelling tale of love, honor, and conviction.”
~ Reader’s Favorite Review
“The Queen's Scribe is a vividly visual adventure set at the tumultuous court at Nicosia, where deathly intrigues match those of the Italian and French states. There is a constant sense of danger, sometimes stronger, at other times more subtle, that runs through the whole novel. It makes for nail-biting reading.”
~ 5* Review, Ruins & Reading
Amy Maroney is the author of the award-winning Miramonde Series, the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern day scholar on her trail.
Buy Link: Universal Buy Link~~~
About the Author:
Amy Maroney
Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction.
Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. Amy’s new series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean.
To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s readers’ group at www.amymaroney.com.
Connect with Amy:
Thank you so much for this lovely review, Cathie! And thank you for featuring my book on your blog. All my best, Amy
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