Sebastian Nothwell’s Fiorenzo is a standalone tale of love and triumph over adversity set in a world inspired by the Venetian Republic in what feels like the late seventeenth/early eighteenth century. The author calls it a “fantasy of manners” - which brings to mind the comedies of manners of that period, with their secret identities, dastardly plots and dramatic storylines, and Fiorenzo certainly contains all of those. The romance is tender and warm with plenty of steam, the setting is richly imagined, well researched and well thought-out, and the characters are likeable and easy to root for. It’s unlike anything else I’ve read in quite a while, and I really enjoyed it.

Young, savvy and beautiful, twenty-year-old Fiore is a courtesan in the great realm of Halcyon. He plies his trade cheerfully from his accommodation by the shore – below deck on the Kingfisher, a grounded ship that has been converted into a tavern - and when the story begins, is getting ready to entertain whoever is seeking company on the final night of the festival of Saturnalia. Leaning against the rail on the top deck, his eye is drawn to the shadows – shadows which slowly resolve into the outline of a man dressed all in black, wearing the traditional bauta mask, with its distinctive, prominent beak obscuring everything from nose to throat. He can’t see the man’s eyes, but he can feel them on him. Fiore throws him a winning smile and waves in invitation, and is pleased when he sees him making his way towards the gangplank.

Enzo has only recently returned to Halcyon following his forced withdrawal from university, and has spent most of the time since then visiting the different islands and exploring places he hasn’t been to since he was a child. Wending his way alongside the canals on the last night of Saturnalia, he finds himself among the crowd outside the infamous dry-docked ship and looks up to find himself staring at the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. It hadn’t been his intention to hire a courtesan for the evening – it’s not something he’s ever done before – yet the man’s beauty, his sensuality and his confidence were so utterly captivating, that Enzo is already thinking about a second visit.

A couple of weeks later, Fiore is heading off to see his friend Artemisia, a sculptor of some renown for whom he models regularly, when Serafina, the other courtesan who lodges on the Kingfisher, scoffs that he’s unlikely to find himself a wealthy patron in an artisan’s workshop and suggests he should try the theatre district, specifically the Opera, as it’s “filled to bursting with nobles, aristocrats, [and] patricians”. Fiore - who has very good reason for his aversion - is chilled to the bone at the merest suggestion of going anywhere near the Opera, even as he has to admit that Serafina is right, so later that night, he turns his steps towards the theatre district, even though his every instinct is screaming at him to walk in the opposite direction. He has come to a stop at the marble steps leading to the Teatro Novissimo when a deep, soft voice addresses him, a voice he recognises. Fiore turns to see the gentleman in the bauta mask gazing down at him, his warm brown eyes smiling. They spend the evening together, walking, talking, drinking coffee, and ending it in spectacular fashion back in Fiore’s bed. Before Enzo leaves, he asks if they can meet again – perhaps Fiore would show him around the city? Fiore is only too happy to agree.

The romance between Fiore and Enzo develops at a leisurely pace and we watch them fall in love as they spend time together wandering around the city, visiting artists studios, and very slowly sharing something of themselves and their lives with each other. Enzo is smitten with Fiore and makes clear that he would like to be his patron, but Fiore has experienced too many broken promises in his young life to take him seriously. It’s true that his offer had a different ring to it, but it’s no matter, because Fiore already has a plan - to find an older, wealthy gentleman who will predecease him and leave him well provided for so he’ll never have to work again. Enzo clearly has the wealth – but not the years.

There’s a lot going on in this book, but the author doesn’t rush it and allows the story to unfold at a good pace. With Fiore and Enzo obviously deeply in love (well, it’s obvious to us if it isn’t quite to them!) before the halfway point, there’s plenty of time to explore and further develop their relationship as their mutual affection and trust grows deeper. There’s a lot of hurt/comfort, with conflict provided by a mixture of internal and external forces; I don’t want to give anything away, but illness, injury and more have parts to play in the story, as does Fiore’s self-doubt – he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of Enzo and has one foot out the door because he’s waiting for Enzo to realise the same, so focused on not letting Enzo break his heart that he is prepared to break it himself. Enzo senses that something is holding Fiore back, but doesn’t know what it is or how to ask.  He returned to Halcyon under a cloud, following a duel with a fellow student which led to him being banished from university and has been miserable under the restrictions placed upon him by his older sister, the head of his family. He wears the bauta both to conceal his scars and his identity, not wanting to remind people of the shame he has brought upon his family name, and was resigned to a life without affection or compassion. But falling in love with Fiore changes things, bringing love and happiness back into Enzo’s life and giving him something to fight for. He just has to convince Fiore to stay.

I really liked the world the author has created; it’s both familiar and not, and I found the combination of well-researched and realistic historical detail and fantasy elements completely immersive. I appreciated the different attitudes towards religion, sexuality and gender, and that the ruler of Halcyon is a woman (a Prince), and that women can be dukes and viscounts as well as men. The sometimes archaic word choices – such as “dropt” for “dropped” – are perhaps a bit of an affectation, but they work to provide a bit of period flavour, although there are only so many times I can read about “swords” and “silken sheaths” in sex scenes before I start rolling my eyes.

Fiorenzo is quite a long book and things move at a fairly leisurely pace, yet I was never bored. The fabulous period detail permeates the novel in a subtle way that transports the reader into Halcyon’s streets and canals and coffee-houses, and Fiore and Enzo are adorable together. Their romance is well-developed so we get to see how deeply they long for each other (seriously, there’s some top-level pining going on here!), and how they both work to accept and understand and make each other’s lives better. The secondary characters are well-rounded and I liked that the class difference between the leads is addressed appropriately and not just brushed under the carpet. The eventual HEA is very well-deserved – and that last line is perfect. Recommended to anyone looking for a well-written historical romance with something different to offer.

Note: This book contains references to sexual assault and some violence and gore. A full list of TWs can be found using Amazon’s Look Inside feature.