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About the Book

Title: Merchants of Milan (The Night Flyer #1)

Author: Edale Lane

Publisher: Past and Prologue Press

Release Date: Tuesday, January 28 2020

Format: Paperback, eBook

Length: 72,000

Cover Artist: Enggar Adirasa

Genres: Historical fiction, historical romance, alternative history

Keywords: Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, vendetta, vigilante, secret identity, love, artists, trade, Italian wars, political intrigue

Warnings: reference to an off-scene rape, fighting violence

Synopsis

Three powerful merchants, two independent women in love, one masked vigilante.

Florentina, set on revenge for her father’s murder, creates an alter-ego known as the Night Flyer. Madelena, whose husband was also murdered, hires Florentina as a tutor for her children and love blossoms between them. However, Florentina’s vendetta is fraught with danger, and surprising developments threaten both women’s lives.

Merchants of Milan is the first book in Edale Lane’s Night Flyer Trilogy, a tale of power, passion, and payback in Renaissance Italy. If you like gadgets and gismos, rich historical background, three-dimensional characters, and fast-paced action with a slow-boil lesbian romance, then you are sure to love this series. Buy this one of a kind novel today and let the adventure begin!

Purchase Links

Amazon eBook | Amazon Paperback | Publisher

Excerpt

In the next instant Maddie placed a caressing hand to her face, leaned in, and kissed her. Although she had been anticipating this very possibility for hours, it came on her as swift and unforeseen as a summer storm. The sensual heat of those urgent lips melded to hers ignited something deep within Florentina’s core that sprung to life for the very first time and exploded throughout her being, a sensation so phenomenal, so novel that she had no context in which to place it. Breathless, her mind went totally blank, and she simply savored the moment.

When Madelena withdrew she whispered, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“Sorry?” Florentina’s heart sank and her head spun. How could she be sorry? “Why? I’m not.”

“You’re not?” Maybe Maddie was as uncertain as she, as overcome with raw emotion and not knowing how to express it. “It’s just that–and I have contemplated this–with me being your employer and all, I don’t want you to expect you must do something you aren’t comfortable with. I would never pressure you-”

It was Florentina’s turn to be impulsive. She silenced Maddie by repeating the gesture, tasting again those full, cherry lips that flooded her mind, body, and soul with sensations. When it broke, they gazed into each other’s eyes looking for confirmation. “I understand I am only a servant in your household.”

“Don’t say that!” Maddie replied firmly. “That is not how I view you. Please, Fiore. How can I explain?”

The earlier butterflies began to settle in Florentina’s stomach and the fog of trepidation evaporate. She could perceive that the beautiful wealthy widow did regard her with esteem, did have feelings for her. This was not a mere dalliance she realized. “I care for you also,” she spoke softly and stroked Maddie’s luxurious strands. “Do not think you press me to do something I have not wanted to do since the moment I first saw you.”

Relief engulfed Madelena’s expression, and she brushed her cheek to Florentina’s then nuzzled her neck with moist, eager lips. A euphoric sigh escaped Fiore’s mouth at the intimate touch and she pulled Maddie closer. When their lips found each other’s again she opened to the honey-sweet tongue that was impatient to delve into it. Without willing them to do so, she realized her fingers were wound in those silky red strands while her other hand slid down Madelena’s back as far as the bench would allow. She could perceive her heartbeat against her own heated breast. This is what she had dreamt of and it surpassed her expectations. All she wanted to do was touch, caress, explore, and please this singular woman. Even as she was rendered breathless from the physical passion, her heart was telling her head that what she felt was far more, endlessly deeper. It was a very dangerous cavern, a bottomless pit that could spell her doom; she was falling in love.

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Madelena realized she was making a mistake. She had acquired a good tutor for her children and a new friend to share meaningful experiences with, but a romantic affair? Where could that possibly lead? What would her brother think or do when he found out, and she knew he would, eventually. Hadn’t she lived a well-disciplined life? Could she not control her desires for more than a few weeks?

As her mind was blaring at her all the reasons to say no, her heart had been pleading an opposing case. Yes, she had found a teacher and a friend, but in Florentina she had discovered abundantly more. She was interesting, witty, talented, intuitive, and compassionate. She opened whole new worlds to the widow whose entire education was meant only to prepare her to be a merchant’s wife. For the past six months she had felt lost, as if she had no place and no purpose. She had helped Alessandro with the bookkeeping and personal relations with customers, but she had also spent her nights alone speculating on what the future may hold for her. She still could not answer that question, but she had spoken honestly when she said that Fiore made her feel real and alive. Since growing closer to the dark-haired inventor’s daughter she had begun to experience so many things. And today–today had likely been the best day of her twenty-eight years on this earth! Then the emotion of sharing her story, it was just all too much to expect her to maintain self-control. But now that she had initiated this passionate encounter, what would she do next?

Presently, she drew back from those sultry lips trying to regain some restraint. “Have you ever been with a woman before?” she asked to fill the silence.

Florentina shook her head. “If you mean sexually, I am quite inexperienced with anyone, male or female. Years ago when Cesare told me he was attracted to men, I mentioned that I was more drawn to women. I didn’t think he’d ever say anything; it’s not like we talked about it much, but now,” she paused casting starry eyes at Maddie, “I’m glad he did.”

She smiled and stroked Florentina’s cheek. “So am I.”

“I know you have experience,” she noted. “So, what do we do next?”

What indeed! Madelena considered. “Take one step at a time. May I suggest we try to get some sleep and take a night to process it all? I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.”

“You’re overwhelmed?” Fiore laughed. “I’m not certain my legs will carry me upstairs!”

Maddie hesitated to move, as the tug of an invisible cord was drawing her back to her newfound treasure. Neither was Florentina was moving away. One more kiss and you must move. Give both of us time to think. She touched her lips to Fiore’s and closed her eyes. What makes one kiss a sloppy flop and another a driving, sensuous pleasure? Is it one’s mental perception or a physical current that connects two individuals who are similarly charged? I can feel the energy pass between her and I unlike any other before.

“I shall see you in the morning.” She released Florentina and pushed herself to her feet with a sheer force of will. Florentina followed saying her good-nights and Madelena closed the bedroom door behind her as she left. Alone once more, she glanced around her empty chamber and wished her lover could have stayed all night.

Giveaway

Edale is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour. For a chance to win, enter via Rafflecopter:

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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47105/?

About the Author

Edale Lane is the penname used by Melodie Romeo for LGBTQ fiction novels. She is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in History from the University of West Florida.

Ms Romeo is a retired school teacher who currently travels the country as an over the road truck driver. Her first book, Vlad, a Novel, an historical thriller, was published in 2002. She has had short stories published in anthologies by Seventh Star Press, Charon Coin Press, Alban Lake Press, Less Than Three Press, and Past and Prologue Press.

Edale Lane’s first novel, Heart of Sherwood, is an historical retelling of the Robin Hood story supposing that the hooded outlaw had been a woman: https://www.pastandprologuepress.lpages.co/Sherwood1/

In addition to driving and writing, Melodie is also a musician who plays the French horn, composes, and has spent many years as a choral and instrumental director. She aspires to be a successful enough author to quit driving and devote herself to writing fulltime. Melodie resides in Utica, MS with her longtime partner, Johanna.

Some of her works can be found at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00WFFFEA4

In 2019 Melodie founded Past and Prologue Press. Please visit her website.

Social Media

Website | Facebook (Personal) | Facebook (Author Page) | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Review

I started off really intrigued by the plot. Who can resist women stepping out of culturally prescribed roles to avenge wrongful death? I still feel that way, and that aspect of the book lived up to its promise. The story flows relatively quickly, and the action is interspersed nicely with some quieter moments.

The two main women characters are likable and interesting. They both have ways in which they don’t conform to what society expects of them. The romance between them is fantastic, and I probably could’ve just read pages and pages about the blossoming relationship. I thought that was all done well.

Unfortunately, I didn’t end up being as absorbed in it as I’d hoped. I’m not sure how much of this is the result of reading an ARC and how much is my personal preference and how much is the story itself. But there were some things that yanked me out of the story and left me feeling more frustrated than entertained.

The big one for me is the anachronisms. I understand that this isn’t meant as a historical document, but it was jarring every time a character spoke in a modern way. For example, one character says, “I know, right?” about something unbelievable. Another character flat-out announces his homosexuality to a stranger from a different social class. Sodomy was punishable by death at the time this story is set, and it was done for reasons of plot convenience, so that didn’t fit for me.

Some other things rubbed me the wrong way. For a story about strong women, there were some moments that had me surprised. At one point, a character refers to herself as “a female,” which didn’t fit the context at all and didn’t seem necessary when “lady” or “woman” would’ve done. And there’s a rape of a minor character that seems to be for no other purpose than making one of the main characters heroic. I realize that taking advantage of women and girls has always been historically prevalent, I also think we’re beyond the point when that kind of thing is required for plot convenience or to “show historical accuracy.”

I’m not normally bothered by errors in the text because they don’t change my enjoyment. But in this case, the narrative switches between more casual language one moment and literary jargon the next. Again, not a big deal, except that there were so many times the wrong vocabulary word was used that it became a nuisance. The same thing happened every time the author threw in a reminder of what year it was or what customs were in that era. Those felt more like research notes or a historical essay than a fictional narrative.

I think this book and I just didn’t fit well. It’s very heavily plot-driven rather than character-driven, which isn’t my preference anyway. But then for it to have some frustrating pitfalls of historical romance just made it difficult to stay invested.

Overall, it’s okay. Probably people who just want some escapism and aren’t fussed about historical details would love it. I’d consider following the series if for no other reason than that I did like the main characters.

For decent character and plot development but falling into traps of historical romance, this gets 5/10 fountain pens.