Cross My Heart

January 15, 2012
Sixteen-year-old Laura della Scala becomes dangerously embroiled in the secrets, scandal and political intrigue of 16th-century upper-class Venice as she seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding her sister's unexpected death. Summoned home from the convent where she's lived for five years, Laura discovers her beloved sister Beatrice has drowned, and her father expects her to marry Beatrice's wealthy fiance, Vincenzo. Still grieving for Beatrice, Laura's pulled into the gossip and rivalries of Venetian society, in which everyone is "part of a scheme or a plot." When Laura realizes her future husband is elderly, cruel and lecherous, she feels powerless to disobey her father. Desperate to avoid marrying Vincenzo, Laura betrays a confidence to join the Segreta, a powerful secret society of masked women who arrange for Vincenzo's disgrace and exile. Saved from the marriage, Laura feels indebted to the Segreta, but she also suspects they may be involved in her sister's death. As she searches for Beatrice's murderer, Laura falls in love with a penniless young artist with his own volatile secret guaranteed to rock Venetian society. Told in the first person, present tense from Laura's perspective and set amid glittering ballrooms and dark canals, this richly atmospheric thriller stars a bold heroine who tackles murder, betrayal and revenge with contemporary gusto. Enticing, exciting fare. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-Born into an aristocratic family in 16th-century Venice, 16-year-old Laura della Scala should have been living a glamorous life of balls and dinner parties. Instead, she was sold to a convent. As the second daughter in a family on the brink of financial ruin, she was sent away so that her older sister, Beatrice, could have a large enough dowry to marry well. Laura despairs at being away from her sister, so when she unexpectedly gets sent back home, she is elated. She is devastated to learn the reason: her sister has drowned, and her money-hungry father is forcing her to marry Beatrice's wealthy fiance. Laura meets Vincenzo, who is more than 30 years her senior and an unpleasant man who leers at her youthful beauty. She is desperate to save herself when she is approached by a secret society called the Segreta, that offers a way out of the marriage in exchange for Venice's most powerful currency: a secret. Laura realizes that she does possess just such information, but she is unsure if she can trust this group. To further complicate her life, she meets a lowly painter with whom she forms an instant bond, yet she knows that they could never be together due to their class differences. All the while, Laura suspects that Beatrice's drowning was no accident. Secrets, mysteries, and twists and turns appear throughout this riveting story. It will appeal to mature readers who are willing and able keep up with the many revelations. Fans of Tracy Chevalier's The Girl with the Pearl Earring (Plume, 1999) will enjoy it.-Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades 8-12 It's Venice in 1585, and 16-year-old Laura has been in the convent for several years. But now her older sister, Beatrice, has drownedmurdered, some sayand Laura returns home only to find herself compelled to heal the family's financial woes by marrying Beatrice's fiance, a repulsive old man. When a way out suddenly appears, through a women's secret society, Laura quickly takes it, but the price attached may be too high. Set in historically rich Venice, with characters from every strata of society, this novel pulses with life. Laura is a sympathetic, if impulsive, girl that readers will connect with, and the story's pace is perfect. The mood is appropriately dark and mysterious yet not overwhelming. Quality historical fiction is always in demand, and this novel will engage even reluctant readers. With its satisfying yet open-ended resolution, this will leave teens hoping for a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)