Fangirl Friday: Luca da Peraga

It's Fangirl Friday! And, in honor of Paula Stokes being featured in tomorrow's Saturday Spotlight, I decided to feature another one of her beautiful boys from her YA Historical series, Secrets of the Eternal Rose (note: she writes the series under the name Fiona Paul). Last time, I featured the gorgeous Michael Fjordbak as His Royal Hotness, the King of Mysterious Goodlooks, Falco da Padova! (here):

 

So from badboy hottie to the bookish nerd, let me introduce you to the beautiful, intelligent, and the definition of a Renaissance gentlemen, Luca da Peraga!

No...not that Luca.

 

Love you too, but BYE Luca. I have to introduce the other Luca! *waves away*

Matt Kane as Luca da Peraga

 



CIAO, SIGNOR PERAGA!

 So Luca da Peraga is one of the love interests of Cass Caravello in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy! (In fact, he is her fiance!).

 

The series revolves around a 15 year old noblewoman named Cass, who craves adventure. She (unexpectedly) finds it when she stumbles upon a dead body of a mutilated woman in her best friend's grave. Cass teams up with residential badboy, Falco da Padova, to find the murderer and her best friend's body. While Cass is out at night, dressing up to infiltrate parties and break into houses, and oh, getting to know the body the mysterious boy with the bright blue eyes, her mind can't help but wander back to her beloved Luca studying law in France to give her a good life.

 

Sure, she's having fun. Sure, she's had more life experience in the days after her friend's funeral than she did since her parents died five years before. But Luca has always been there for her, and without him, Cass knows that all final pieces of a normal and safe life will disappear.

 

Right now, the series is on it's second book, Belladonna, and it has left Luca and Cass's relationship on much stable ground than Falco and Cass at the moment. But Luca has his own secrets and plans too. So the question is, will Cass chose comfort over being free?

 

Anyways, enough with the dark and gloomy stuff! Let's get to know more of Mr. Proper himself!

• He is 19 years old (making him four years older than Cass and three years older than Falco. it was the 1500s guys, it wasn't uncommon for women in their late teens to marry men in their mid to late forties- or something like that).
• He's tall, he has brown eyes and blond hair
• He studies law in France (fancy, huh?)
• His father and his younger sister, Diana, are both dead
• He has known Cass since childhood
• He's related to some pretty crazy people

So what makes Luca worthy of this week's Fangirl Friday?

 

Well, I love him as a character because he brings out the girly side of Cass- she's nervous around him, is worried about her looks etc. With Falco, she taps into her feminine side as well, but both have walls and a lot of very strong opinions that either work or clash. She is perfect with Falco, but she is perfect with Luca.

 

But what I love the MOST about Luca is that, well... Luca isn't all that he seems to be!

 

Other than him being reliable and patient, kind and intelligent, Luca isn't all fun and games. If he's really mad, he won't care to unleash his temper on you. He has family members that can be classifed as insane. And, OH! And if you dare try to harm his fiancee, Cass, it is war.

In other words? Luca, along with being good-looking and smart, he is also very badass!

 

Falco has that fierce, protective side too, but I like seeing it on Luca more because 99.999999999999% of the time he is described by Cass as gentlemen of the year; even Marco (Cass's best friend's husband) speaks of Luca like he is the image of goodness and properness while discussing his sentence with Signor Rambaldo in Belladonna! It's weird seeing him lose his temper and fighting off crazy people to save Cass, but at the same time, its just..works!

 

Favourite Quote:

Luca's smile wavered for a moment. He stretched out his long legs and crossed them at the ankles. "No matter. I'm here now. Just in time to protect you." (Venom)

 

Favourite Scene:

When Luca saves Cass from Cristian in Venom!

 

Favourite Quality:

His kindness and thoughtfulness with his engagment with Cass. She is his top priority, and even asks her if she is ready to get married- he doesn't push her!

 

So that's it for me for Fangirl Friday! Come back tomorrow to see my interview with the real Fiona Paul, Ms. Paula Stokes!

AND if you want to know more about Luca, Cass and Falco, check out this Venn Diagram/ character sketch I found at the Paper Lantern Lit blog here!

 

 

Venom by Fiona Paul: Review

Venom

Pages: 435
Author: Fiona Paul
Status: 1st book in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose Trilogy
Release Date: October 30th 2012

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?
Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself

I fixed my blog guys! I'm so happy, you don't even understand. Now, I can fianlly review two of my favourite books that I (personally) think haven't been getting enough recognition: Venom and Belladonna by Fiona Paul. The books are the first and second book of the Eternal Rose trilogy, with the third and final instalment, Starling, coming out on March 2014. I am a huge fan of the series, and I have been waiting pretty much FOREVER to review them.

I read Venom back when it was first released last year, and recently got a hard copy of Belladonna last week. I finished Belladonna the same day I got it, but my laptop broke, I had no access to a computer for DAYS (posting on mobile is TERRIBLE), and my blog had a few glitches. So, I decided to do a double review on the books. And I'll try my best to steer clear of any spoilers.

This book was pretty...steamy, to say the least.

As the first book of the series, I wasn't expecting it to be full of action or anything, since most first books in series (ESPECIALLY trilogies) do a lot of world-building book 1. I knew that there was going to be romance (as hinted by the book), and that it would either be a hit or a miss.

The beginning was a little slow with the funeral, and I found myself flipping through the pages and a little upset that there was so much description that I nearly put the book down. Then BAM! The romance that I said that would either be a hit or miss just made me want to read more.

We are immediately introduced to Cass, our protagonist, at her friends funeral, and throughout the ceremony we get a lot of description of how her life is, the people around her, etc., and her love interest, Falco da Padova, the swoon-worthy bad-boy artist from Padua. While sneaking out one night to the graveyard beside her aunt's place (very Haunted Mansion like) and discovers a dead person in her friend's grave. She and Falco go around Venice looking for the killer and her friend's dead body. They discover that not everyone is who they seem, and it's the last people they would ever expect to be behind the deaths of numerous girls floating up in the canals of Venice.

I liked the suspense that came with trying to solve the murders, but I found that the mystery behind Livi (Cass's dead best friend) and her missing body to be predictable. I like how we got to see Cass slowly come out of her shell and realize that serene Venice isn't as serene as she thought it would be, and I liked the historical accuracy that came with how some households (mainly Dubois's estate) did function (I'm a history geek).

I found it enjoyable, but I felt like I was reading to see where Cass and Falco would end up. Since I already had a good idea as to what happened to Livi's body and who stole it, I really did stick around to see who WAS the murderer and how the two would end up when all the secrets of the book exploded in their faces.

What I didn't expect though, was the return of Cass's long awaited fiance, Luca da Peraga, and I enjoyed that alot. And near the end of the book, when we got to learn about his family history, yeah, that threw me off! I was left wondering how it would affect the last two books in the series.

Overall, the book was enjoyable, but there were times (mostly in the beginning) that I found a little slow. But the book picked up pretty fast and I couldn't stop reading till I finished the book. There was a lot of romance and relationship in this book, but there was also a lot of development with these relationships as well, something that I found very interesting (most book 1's don't change relationships as drastically as Venom), but I know that it will lead to more devlopment in the future books of the trilogy.

There was mention of the Order of Eternal Rose in the book, and it did play a sneaky, background role. It wasn't the centre of it, and there was a lot of holes pertaining as to what it was, and what they did exactly but I guess that's what's going to make the other books very enjoyable.

I'll have to rate this book a 4.3 out of 5 stars. There's a lot of action, a lot of romance, a lot of suspense and mystery that WILL hook you and make you want to continue the trilogy!

Fangirl Friday: Falco da Padova from The Secrets of Eternal Rose Series

Last week, I was lucky to get a reply from actor/dancer Nate Shaw who was willing to do an impromptu interview with me on twitter, but alas, my luck has run out and unfortunately I wasn't able to get a reply from anyone! (Conor Maynard, Dominic Sherwood, Ed Holcroft, and Michael Fjordbak, I'm looking at you!).

Falco da Padova (portrayed in the book trailer)

Instead, I decided to feature Falco da Padova, a character from one of my new favourite YA Historical Trilogy, Secrets of the Eternal Rose! The trilogy currently consists of Venom and Belladonna, with the final book Starling coming out on March 20th, 2014.

The series revolves around Cassandra 'Cass' Caravello, a fifteen year old noble woman from Venice, Italy currently living on a tiny island outside of the famous city- surrounded by a graveyard. Her parents are dead, her fiancé Luca da Peraga is in France studying law, and her best friend Liviana Greco has just died. She meets Falco da Padova, a swoon-worthy artist with a knack for getting into trouble by chance.

Together, they embark in a series of adventures to solve Jack-the-Ripper like crimes while learning more about the real Venice and it's dirty and dark secrets. As the series continues, their relationship changes drastically as Cass seems destined to live her life putting her feelings aside and making decisions based on what's better for everyone else, and Falco is on his way to become a true artist.

The trilogy is currently on it's second book, Belladonna, right now and (without giving any spoilers) has left all the characters walking on a tight rope relationship wise. Although the trilogy is at its climax at the moment, one thing is for sure: Falco is a constant throughout all three books, and spices up the story line by bringing his Italian Renaissance mysterious-ness and hotness!

Michael Fjordbak as Falco da Padova
 

So here's a bit of info about Mr. Mysterious and Sexy himself, Falco da Padova!

• He is seventeen years old
• He has curly brown hair and eyes as blue as the Adriatic
• He is an artist; he loves to paint and draw
• He has a scar underneath his right eye
• He was born outside of Padua, Italy

What makes this fictional character worthy of today's Fangirl Friday? Well, other than his ability of being super hot, he's totally sarcastic and to the point!

He tells it like it is, and if you don't get it, he'll tease you relentlessly! Despite being born in the 1500s and fictional, he is totally down-to-earth and doesn't really think much for the luxurious life. He understands that no matter what social standing your from, there are pros and there are cons!

Falco also has a little bit of a bad boy side: he get's into fist fights, drinks and was once a tomb raider (yeah, he totally gives Laura Croft a run for her money!). But what makes his character so amazing is that all his layers (yes, even that annoying part of him that he keeps guarded) makes him a relatable and likable character (Luca fans, give me a sec here).

Sure, he's a bad boy that's too mysterious for his good; sure, he may pull at the heartstrings of all the women around him; sure, he may be annoying as hell sometimes; and sure, he may not be a stable guy. However all of those flaws make him real character and make him a real person. Cass may be the narrator of the trilogy, but Falco is definitely the heart. He's a guy with a shady past who tries his hardest to make things right. He may not be reliable and stable as Luca, but he is a hero in his own right.

FAVOURITE QUOTE:

 

"Let me go," she said. "Or I'll scream"

Falco released her. "Please, not that again. My head still hurts from the last time." (Venom)

 

FAVOURITE SCENE: When Falco and Cass see each other for the first time in Belladonna

 

FAVOURITE QUALITY: His sarcastic sense of humor. For example, the graveyeard conversation at the beginning of Venom:

 

"I discovered a dead body." Hearing the words brought back the true gravity of the situation, and panic shot through her all over again. She hugged her arms across her body to keep form trembling.

 

Falco laughed tersely. He made a sweeping motion with his hand. "Of course you have, my dear. We are literally surrounded by the dead."