11 Dec The Fortune Keeper Deborah Swift Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub #FortuneKeeper #HistoricalFiction @swiftstory @maryanneyarde

FEATURED AUTHOR: DEBORAH SWIFT

I am pleased to welcome Deborah Swift as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between December 5th — December 16th, 2022. Deborah Swift is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Fortune Keeper (Italian Renaissance Series), which was released by Quire Books on 24th November 2022 (412 pages).

Below are highlights of The Fortune Keeper, Deborah Swift’s author bio, and my review of her gripping novel.

To follow the blog tour, CLICK Tour Schedule

HIGHLIGHTS: THE FORTUNE KEEPER

The Fortune Keeper

(Italian Renaissance Series)

By Deborah Swift

(Blurb)

Count your nights by stars, not shadows ~ Italian Proverb

Winter in Renaissance Venice

Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this occupation, fearing it will lead her into danger. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.

Giulia’s real name is Giulia Tofana, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, and she is in hiding from the Duke de Verdi’s family who are intent on revenge for the death of their brother. Giulia insists Mia should live quietly out of public view. If not, it could threaten them all. But Mia doesn’t understand this, and rebels against Giulia, determined to go her own way.

When the two secret lives collide, it has far-reaching and fatal consequences that will change Mia’s life forever.

Set amongst opulent palazzos and shimmering canals, The Fortune Keeper is the third novel of adventure and romance based on the life and legend of Giulia Tofana, the famous poisoner.

‘Her characters are so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf’ – Historical Novel Society

NB This is the third in a series but can stand alone as it features a new protagonist. Other two books are available if reviewers want them.

Trigger warnings:

Murder and violence in keeping with the era.

This book is available to read Kindle Unlimited

Buy Links:

Universal Link  •   Amazon UK  •  Amazon US   •  Amazon CA  •  Amazon AU

AUTHOR BIO: DEBORAH SWIFT

Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. She divides her time between writing and teaching. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Readers Award and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal, and The Cipher Room set in WW2 and due for publication by Harper Collins next Spring.

Social Media Links:

Twitter   •  Facebook  •  Website   •  Pinterest   •  Bookbub   •  Amazon 

REVIEW: THE FORTUNE KEEPER

The Fortune Keeper by Deborah Swift is the third novel in the Italian Renaissance Series which is based on the life of the historical figure, Giulia Tofana. The gripping, fast-paced historical fiction novel has elements of suspense, mystery, and political intrigue. In the late fall of 1643, Venice is awakening into a scientific era that often conflicts with the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Anyone professing that celestial bodies can foretell your destiny is under the watch of the Roman Inquisition, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a range of crimes according to Roman Catholic law and doctrine. It is against this dangerous backdrop that Mia Caiozzi is secretly studying astronomy with a mentor. She believes advances in astronomy improve the accuracy of astrology. And thus, her beliefs put her in danger with the Catholic church.

The danger is compounded by Mia living with her stepmother, Giulia, who is hiding in the Jewish Getto to escape the repercussions of her dark past. Duke de Verdi’s family believes Giulia, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, has murdered their brother and seeks to avenge him. A mysterious friend of the De Verdi family has moved to Venice for the purpose of finding this elusive poisoner who has been blamed for some of his assassinations. When Mia attends a lecture about astronomy, she bumps into a medical student working part-time as a gondolier to pay for his training, meets a charming merchant, and sits next to a Dominican monk. Little does she know how the planets and stars will align to determine her fate with these men. In the city’s shadows, unbeknownst enemies spin a web of political intrigue, murder, and vengeance around her to entangle her. To escape their entrapment, she must outmaneuver both an assassin and the Roman Inquisition.

Author Deborah Swift has written a complex, plot-driven story filled with twists at every corner. A gifted storyteller, she transports the reader into the shadowy world of Renaissance Venice with surreal descriptions of buildings, canals, and elaborate masks. “The tall arched windows were filled with honeycomb glass from Murano which distorted the view of the canal outside, twisting every building into something shimmering, yet grotesque. He blew on his hands; the air was cold enough to freeze wine.”

The suspense is gripping and the action scenes are riveting. It’s uncertain whether the alignment of planets and stars signals Mia’s forthcoming independence as a woman or her death for defying church doctrine. I especially enjoyed the characterization of the archvillain who kept my heart throbbing as I anticipated whom he would murder next in his quest to find Giulia. Disguised in a mask, he secretly stalks his victims and murders them in distinctive ways. Though the author does an admirable job of filling in the backstory without being overwhelming, details from the previous books would have provided more insight into the motives of some of the characters. Although I enjoyed reading Mia’s story of seeking independence as a woman and solving the murders, she sometimes made questionable decisions, despite her best instincts, and came across as too naive for the challenge.

I recommend The Fortune Keeper to fans of the existing series, and Deborah Swift’s writing to historical fiction readers everywhere.