I constantly beat myself up about not writing book reviews for every book I read. So much to do with so little time! However, I only leave reviews when I’m giving at least 3 stars.

I made time to write a review for this little beauty, Beatrice’s Fate by Camilla Galbiati.

“How rapidly everything can change. Happiness is like a house of cards, easily destroyed even by the faintest of breezes or the lightest of touches.”

1614, Italy. Nine-year-old Beatrice Locatelli is forced to leave her family, and her beloved mountain hamlet, to move to Bergamo and work as a scullery maid for the Terzi, a noble family. Her future looks bleak until a fortuitous encounter with Eleonora, Lord Terzi’s daughter, changes the course of her life forever.
Ten years later, on a stormy summer afternoon, Beatrice meets Alessandro Lanzi, a young nobleman who saves her life. Despite being attracted to him, at first, she refuses his attentions, conscious of her humble origins and of the social disparity between them; as growing feelings become impossible to resist, will the love that they feel for each other be enough? With circumstances beyond their control, duty and a deadly pestilence raging through Bergamo, can their dream of a life together ever become reality?

‘Beatrice’s fate’ is a powerful story of love, loyalty, friendship, pain and loss. A tale whose plot twists and turns like the tightly clustered streets of Bergamo’s Città Alta. With the foothills of the Alps providing a backdrop as dramatic as her tale, Beatrice will take you there through her incredible journey, and you will not want to leave her side!

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I saw this book on Instagram and firstly, I was drawn to the cover, and then I saw that the author would spend a morning book signing in my local book shop later that week.

I went along for a chat with Camilla and bought my signed copy.

Here’s what I thought of Beatrice’s Fate.

I liked the main character, Beatrice, from the very beginning and I was rooting for her throughout the story. She was strong and resilient, and faced many challenges in her life. Often it seemed like she was finally finding peace and happiness, but misfortune and tragedy, usually in the form of Bastiano Terzi, would plague her yet again.

At no point did I have any sympathy for Bastiano, or no understanding as to why he was so cruel and horrible.

Alessandro Lanzi, the main love interest, seemed lovely but to be honest, I wasn’t rooting for him. He was weak, which he admits to in the end. Maybe I’m being too hard on him! At one point he did risk his life for his true love and I had hoped that they would live happily ever after at that point, but I knew it was too soon in the story for happy endings.

My favourite male character was Paolo, the perfect loving husband, and I wish things had turned out differently for him. I liked him better than Alessandro.

Romance novels are predictable and this was no different as far as love goes. However, the events, and twists and turns were in no way predictable. Camilla did a fantastic job of keeping the story going at a good steady pace with little room for ‘zone-out moments’.

Beatrice showed so much strength and resilience as she experienced pain and loss, not to mention injustice and ridicule. She sacrificed so much in the name of love and friendship. It was a joy to read her story.

Did it end as I had hoped? I’m afraid not because of what happened with Paolo. I can’t elaborate any more without spoiling the plot.

I must mention that the author’s descriptions of Bergamo and other parts of Italy are very well done. A great debut novel by Camilla.

The only negative comment I have about this book is the regular bouts of head hopping. It pulled me out of the story so many times, disrupting my flow. I find it difficult to fully connect emotionally with a character when suddenly I’m taken into another character’s head. This isn’t an issue for everyone but I’m afraid it is for me. However, the story was good enough to make me see past that.

I would recommend Beatrice’s Fate for every other reason. It’s a fantastic story, and isn’t that what it’s all about! A good story that takes us away from the hum drum of everyday life.

Connect with Camilla on Instagram and Camilla on Facebook

Thank you for reading today!

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If a family saga set in a small Irish town is up your street, you might like to have a peek inside the pages of my novel, Secrets in the Babby House.

Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.

MORE ABOUT ME, MY BOOKS AND MY CHARACTERS IN THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO!

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