The Cameo Keeper – diving into 17th century Rome with Deborah Swift

Today, I am happy to host Deborah Swift and her latest release, The Cameo Keeper as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Think Rome, think 17th century, and no, you do not get a pristine, tourist-friendly place. Instead, it is dark and dirty, poverty cheek to jowl with riches, power-hungry families striving for more wealth, more influence – all of this depicted in Deborah’s book! You can find my review further down, but first, let us introduce the book!

The Cameo Keeper

Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison

 Remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always ― Dante Alighieri

In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.

Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.

As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.

Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo’s love is put to the ultimate test.

As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?

For fans of “The Borgias” and “The Crown,” this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Praise:

‘historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue’
~ Bookmarked Reviews ★★★★★

 Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/CameoKeeper

My review

Rome in the 17^th century is a bustling, complicated place—especially when a new pope has been elected, causing political turmoil and uncertainty. Backing in the wrong horse at the recent papal election can ruin a man—and being foolish enough to challenge the new powers that be can ruin your career, something Jacopo Vanelli will experience first hand. Jacobo is an aspiring physician, since some years betrothed to Mia Caiozzi, who in turn is the step-daughter of Giulia Tufana, a lady who is desperate to keep a very low profile.

Unfortunately, one of the new movers and shakers, Olimpia Maidalchini develops an interest in Mia, hoping to use the young woman to infiltrate the Barberini camp.

Ms Swift does an excellent job in guiding the reader through the fascinating political landscape: on the one hand the new pope and his principal advisor and sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia: on the other the ousted Barberini camp who are willing to go to great lengths to rid themselves of their enemies. And caught in the middle are Jacopo, Mia—and Giulia.

The Cameo Keeper presents us with an engaging set of characters and a Rome where wealth and power lives side by side with squalor and the open sewer that is the Tiber River. Death is a constant presence—sometimes due to illness, sometimes due to a sharp blade or poison.

****

Deborah Swift is the author of twenty novels of historical fiction.

Her Renaissance novel in this series, The Poison Keeper, was recently voted Best Book of the Decade by the Wishing Shelf Readers Award. Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was the winner of the BookViral Millennium Award, and is one of seven books set in the WW2 era.

Deborah lives in the North of England close to the mountains and the sea.

Author Links:

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