Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...
Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.
Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.
When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.
Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...
History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.
What did I think?
Costanza is absolutely unmissable for historical fiction fans; it is as stunning inside as out, I mean just look at that beautiful cover! I had no idea that Costanza Piccolomini was a real historical figure until I read the author's note at the end of the book. Even more astonishing is that this is Rachel Blackmore's debut novel - brava!
The tantalising prologue haunted me throughout the novel and I couldn't read fast enough to discover whose life was in danger and how it came to be. So I stepped back into 17th century Rome and devoured every single perfectly crafted word in this stunningly breathtaking novel.
I was completely riveted as I discovered Costanza's story and my heart went out to her when her marriage didn't turn out quite as she planned. If circumstances had been different, I think she still would have been attracted to sculptor Bernini but she would have been more reluctant to act upon it. Bernini takes advantage of Costanza's situation and moulds her into the woman of his dreams. Of course, he is completely blameless when it all goes wrong as he had been powerless to resist seduction by a temptress!
Magnificent, compelling and powerful, Costanza is an absolute masterpiece filled with passion and betrayal and it evoked such fury in me at the way women were treated and often still are. I really must applaud Rachel Blackmore for giving Costanza such a strong and powerful voice and writing her back into history where she belongs.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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About the author:
Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King's College London, where her fascination for women's history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair. Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.
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Thanks for the blog tour support x
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