The Italian - Softcover

Elaine Coffman is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, which have been published worldwide and won numerous awards. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel. Visit www.elainecoffman.com.

Beatrice Fairweather is going back to Italy as a new woman. When she left five years ago, she was timid and unsure of herself, and refused to trust her cousin, Angelo Bartolini. Now a confident painter, she wishes to paint her beloved relatives and to see Angelo, the love of her life, once again. Angelo has also changed. No longer a callow womanizer, he is a man with a cause: the unification of Italy. Napoleon has been defeated, but the Austrians rule with an iron fist and Angelo has joined a secret organization, the Carbonari, whose goal is freedom for the Italian states. Beatrice and Angelo rekindle their romance, but Angelo's covert activities make him a wanted man in his beloved Tuscany and he is afraid he'll put Beatrice in jeopardy. Beatrice, however, is inspired by Angelo's cause as treachery dogs their every footstep and leads them both into danger and each other's arms. Coffman's gentle historical romance brings to life the struggle for Italian independence. Patty Engelmann
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