Review: Sylvain Reynard's "The Prince (The Florentine #0.5)".

Review: Sylvain Reynard's "The Prince (The Florentine Series # 0.5)". 

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/1ucCywk

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/15d7fv0

Synopsis:

The unveiling of a set of priceless illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy at the Uffizi Gallery exposes the unsuspecting Professor Gabriel Emerson and his beloved wife, Julianne, to a mysterious and dangerous enemy.

Unbeknownst to the Professor, the illustrations he secretly acquired years ago were stolen a century earlier from the ruler of Florence’s underworld. Now one of the most dangerous beings in Italy is determined to reclaim his prized artwork and exact revenge on the Emersons, but not before he uncovers something disturbing about Julianne …

Set in the city of Florence, “The Prince” is a prequel novella to “The Raven,” which is the first book in the new Florentine Series Trilogy by Sylvain Reynard.

“The Prince” can be read as a standalone but readers of The Gabriel Series may be curious about the connection between The Professor’s world and the dark, secret underworld of “The Prince.”

Review-Jo 

I absolutely adored Sylvain Reynard's "Gabriel Series" so of course it was a given that I would want to read his new series. I couldn't wait, especially because I knew my beloved Gabrielle and Julianne were going to be in it. 

This story was set in the beautiful city of Florence. A city that fellow Gabriel fans will be already familiar with. I was transported back to the time when Gabriel and Julianne placed the illustrations of Dante's Divine Comedy into the care of the Uffizi Gallery. These famous illustrations once belonged to Florence's underworld until they were stolen many years ago. In  this book, we saw Gabriel and Julianne placed in danger as the underworld sought to take their revenge out on the new owners of the Devine Comedy which unfortunately happened to be the couple. 

The Professor must be made to suffer and that meant his beautiful wife must suffer.

For me, the highlight of this short story was being reunited with Gabriel and Julianne. My heart soared each time they made an appearance and I was disappointed when the story moved on to other events. I wanted to stay with the couple and was desperate for more from them. Unfortunately, for me, the underworld was not particularly inviting and as such, I was not keen on the particular aspects of the story. I was however drawn into the parts that were about Gabriel and Julianne and I am eager to know more about what the series has is store for them. 

Mercy was not part of the Prince's nature and not all the romantic love

 in the world could change that fact.

I really didn't know what to make of the Prince himself. I feared what he was going to do to Gabriel and Julianne and I feared the world that he came from. There was so many questions going around in my head about this strange character. I didn't like him much but  I was extremely curious. What i did know was the kind of people he came from were not exactly a friendly bunch. 

He was the predator, not the prey, and so he had little to fear.

As always, Sylvian's writing was as beautiful as ever. "The Prince" was the perfect novella to kick a new series off. It left me utterly intrigued and wanting to know more. Bringing Gabrielle and Julianne into the story made it far more appealing to me. How can I not read a series that includes this beautiful couple? Bring on "The Raven" and maybe I will warm to the Prince! 

"The Prince" gets ❤️❤️❤️❤️   from me!