Juliet Capelletti dreams of marrying someone she loves, but the reality of the arranged marriage planned for her falls far short of the mark. Her father will partner with Jacopo Strozzi, the youngest son of the second most powerful family in Florence, to stabilize his business, and as part of the agreement, Jacopo has requested Juliet's hand. To say she finds him unappealing would be an understatement. Juliet might have followed her parents' wishes had she not met her soul mate at the engagement ball of her best friend, Lucrezia Tornabuoni. Romeo Monticecco made her skin tingle with just the touch of a hand and shared her love of Dante Alighieri's poetry, but their families had long been enemies because of a long ago grudge.

While Romeo, with the help of others, is able to smooth over the relationship between the two families for a while, things inevitably go awry. I won't reveal more details of the story for the readers unfamiliar with the tale and to leave Maxwell's unique surprises in store for those who know what comes next. Maxwell's characters are older than those in the original which makes their actions and love for each other more believable in my opinion. Their shared passion for Alighieri's La Vita Nuova lends credibility to the relationship as well. That said, I did find the characters to be a bit flat, and in the cases especially of Jacopo and Romeo to be too black or too white with no gray. It's easy to hate someone who is evil but more difficult when they're only sort of evil.

Maxwell brings pre-Renaissance Florence and its people to life for the reader wit her descriptions of locations, both in and out of the city, culture, food and business matters. Fascinating too are that Lucrezia Tornabuoni was a real character and influential Renaissance poet, and while Jacopo himself is made up, the Strozzi family is not. Her language goes overboard in a few places, but overall it's an enjoyable story to read on one of these upcoming sunny days. I'm looking forward to reading more of Maxwell's work as I try never to judge an author by one book alone.

Book Summary

"One of the queens of historical fiction" offers a new take on the mesmerizing young woman and poetess who inspired Shakespeare's most famous female character.

Before Juliet Capelletti lie two futures: a traditionally loveless marriage to her father's business partner, or the fulfillment of her poetic dreams, inspired by the great Dante. Unlike her beloved friend Lucrezia, who looks forward to her arranged marriage, Juliet has a wild, romantic imagination that knows not the bounds of her great family's stalwart keep.

The latter path is hers for the taking when Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, a soulful young man seeking peace between their warring families. A dreamer himself, Romeo is unstoppable, once he determines to capture the heart of the remarkable woman foretold in his stars. The breathless intrigue that ensues is the stuff of beloved legend. But those familiar with Shakespeare's muse know only half the story...