Francesca (The Silk Merchant's Daughters)

Simply incomprehensible that this is the same author who brought us The Kadin and Skye O'Malley. Small appears to be going through the motions and collecting her checks. Very little thought or effort has been given to ANY of her books for at least the last 5 years.

I always enjoyed her early books but this one was not up to that standard, Very disjointed, nothing flowed well, should have passed

The usual Bertrice S. and one of my favorite Author's. She will never be replaced and forever missed.

I've read all her books and each one makes me warm inside, takes me all over the world and learn other cultures. I love history and she brings real history into her stories that are fictional but the time line fills you in on that era which is real. Highly recommend this author to anyone, its on the romance list but she is great and one needs to move around to different jonra to keep you interested.

This one, like her other books captivated me.
I will be eagerly awaiting the next books in this series.I already have it on order for delivery in October.

This one, like her other books captivated me.
I will be eagerly awaiting the next books in this series.I already have it on order for delivery in October.

I have been a forever fan of Ms Small's (other than the Skye series) and while 75% of this book is worth the read the other 25% is just awful ... I found myself skimming pages ... Parts of the story were in beautiful detail (in my opinion the unimportant parts) then the good parts end too abruptly and it left me shaking my head going WTH??? I liked this book much better than Bianca and have hope for the next one !!!

I love the author Bertrice Small! I have read most of her books at least twice! Until just recently I had a huge collection of her books (but I've ran outta room). I love how she puts details in her stories. The clothes their wearing, the surroundings, the food, etc.I also love how she writes several books as sets so the story continues. I would recommend if you love to read romance start with some of her first books. The Kadin was a great book and the Skye O'Malley series of books were awesome!

After the scandal in Venice, Francesca is sent back home to Florence, to find a husband there. But she scorns away all her suitors, determined to never marry. Which is just not done for a lady in the 1400's in Italy. She is 15 already, and almost to old to be married. So when the invite comes from the Duke of Terreno Boscoso to spend some time at his country and get to know his son, Francesca wants to refuse. Her father doesn't allow that, as his friend and benefactor, the great Lorenzo de Medici is behind this scheme.
And so, dressed to the nines, with her two beautiful horses with their own slave boys to take care of them, her grey hounds, two nuns as her chaperones, her own priest, her personal maid and a big guard of men-at-arms, Francesca sets out on the month long journey from Florence to Terreno Boscoso. Of course she has no intention of staying there and marrying the Duke's son, she would miss her family and city too much. Her father is a very wealthy silk merchant, and he can and does give his family the best. Her mother though has her heart set on this match, her daughter marrying a Duke! This will sure make the prospects for her other daughters so much better. Even though Terrono Boscoso is only a small country between French and Italy, it has some strategic importance.

Besides Francesca, there are two other girls invited. Louisa Maria de Genoa is the bastard daughter of the Duke of Genoa, and a very sweet girl. Unfortunately, she is terrified of Rafaello, and has fallen in love with his best friend instead. The third girl is a real shrew, Aceline Mary du Barry, daughter of the Comte du Barry. Aceline is convinced that Rafaello will chose her as his bride, as she is very beautiful and of higher birth than both Louisa and Francesca. But Rafaello is intrigued by Francesca, who doesn't seem to be interested in him at all. He knows that his best friend has fallen for Louisa, and such a timid girl would never suit him. Aceline is only interested in him because he will be the Duke soon, and she wants to spend his money. Rafaello also dislikes how she treats the other girls and the servants, he will never choose her. And so Francesca is the logical choice for him. She is beautiful, but so are the other girls, but she also has a kind heart, and is smart and not afraid to tell him what is on her mind.

So when Francesca finally learns that Rafaello has chosen her for his bride, and that her parents have already consented to the marriage, she is furious! She does not want him! She wants to go home to her sisters and her parents. And with the help of her servants and slaves, she escapes the castle and seeks to find her way home. But she gets lots in the forest quite soon, and the howling wolves scare her very much. So when she finds an Inn, and the owner promises to bring her to the main road come spring, she has no choice but to stay and work as a servant. To her own surprise, she grows to like the work, to feel useful and have a purpose. The woodsmen for whom this inn is intended leave her alone after their leader puts her under his protection.
Later that winter a new woodsman arrives, Carlo, and to her own surprise, Francesca is attracted to him. But she will not sleep with him; she will go into her marriage a virgin. Carlos keeps trying to seduce her of course, but Francesca does not give in to him. Until that last night, before they will close the inn for spring and summer, and she will be free to return home. But to her big surprise, Carlos is now the one who refuses to take his price.

Back in town, Francesca learns that the next day is the day Rafaello will be married. So he did find a new bride after all? She will try to find out if her servants are still at the castle, and take them home with her. But very early the next morning soldiers come to take her with them, and she is taken to the castle where she is bathed and dressed for her own wedding. Apparently, the Duke has know where she was the whole winter, and has decided to leave her there, to reconsider her life. Francesca is ready now to do her duty to her family, even though she has fallen in love with Carlo. She knows she can never have him, and she will honor her marriage vows to Rafaello.

After the wedding, the old Duke abdicates, and Rafaello and Francesca are crowned the new Duke and Duchess. But Rafaello is ignoring his bride, and Francesca will have none of that. If they are to make a success of their marriage, he will have to talk to her, and sleep with her. And so they decide to take a few days for themselves, to get to know one another again. Francesca comes to like Rafaello, and is willing to be a good wife and Duchess for him. And to do that, she wants to know everything that is happening in their Duchy.

The French girl, Acelinde, was not happy when Francesca was chosen instead of her, and she has made quite a scene. And apparently, their troubles with her and her family are not over yet, as she claims to have given birth to Rafaello's son...

I really enjoyed this book, and I wanted to finish it in one evening. Which is not smart to do on a Monday, when I kept on reading way past my bedtime. But the book is certainly worth losing a few hours of sleep.
In the first book, I did not really like Francesca, but I quickly warmed up to her in this book. She had no choice but to go on the visit, but she sure got everything else she wanted from her father. Her life was not easy, especially not after her marriage, but she was a great duchess, and she was a lot smarter than her husband. He was pampered and a good warrior, but had no idea of the world and the politics behind his borders.
I have to admit, I liked the Old Duke better than his son. Rafaello was arrogant as a noble man can be, but also kind of naïve and too trusting and soft.

I am not going to spoil the story itself for you, and the bad things that happen, but it is a great historical romance, with an emphasis on historical. I did try to Google for this country though, and did not find it, other than the English meaning of the name: woodlands. Which is appropriate.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Full review on my blog, [...]

I am a long-time fan of Bertrice Small. I enjoyed this book until about the last fifth of it, then it tanked terribly. I would have preferred more about the characters; the history is awesome but I didn't really connect with the characters, which is what I usually enjoy the most about her books. Awfully sad ending, and it felt rushed. Take your time, Bertrice, your longer books are the best ones!