Blog Tour: The Cameo Keeper – Deborah Swift

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.

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

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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.

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My thoughts: Blending historical facts with fiction, this book brings 17th Century Rome to life, a city filled with intrigue, religion, superstition and the beginnings of proper medical science. 

The election of a new Pope brings fortune for some and not for others. With Innocent  X comes his widowed sister-in-law, who immediately starts shaping the city to her will and with that comes trouble for anyone who crosses her.

For Mia and Jacopo, the patronage of Donna Olimpia could bring good things, but they will have to please her, and she’s not above changing her mind. Their involvement with La Popessa puts them at odds and their engagement at risk.

Mia believes working for Donna Olimpia will help her protect the only family she has left, her stepmother, but Jacopo refuses to compromise his principles. Can their love survive the new regime?

Intelligent and interesting, with characters both real and imagined, this is an enjoyable and engaging book and I very much enjoyed it.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.