Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

This book will appeal to readers of historical fiction, art lovers, romance readers, feminists, and those intrigued by the Italian Renaissance.  It tells the story of Alessandra, daughter of a Florence cloth merchant and aspiring artist, as she encounters her first love and the constraints of growing up in 15th century Florence.  The story is set at the end of the reign of the Medici family, who loved art, luxury, and learning. They are replaced by a fundamentalist preaching monk Savonarola who begins a purge of what he views as the sinful excesses of Florence.  This puts Alessandra and her family at risk, as they have supported the Medicis and their luxuries. Alessandra's love story and its related plot twists are a bit over the top, but she is eventually able to express her artistic side.  A wonderful picture of life in Florence, Italy.  301 pages.

The Lady of the Rivers by Phillippa Gregory

Jacquetta, a young French noblewoman is married off to an English lord, the Duke of Bedford, who is only interested in her inherited ability to see into the future.  In fact, he even thinks he has to maintain her status as a virgin in order to preserve her powers.  His interest is in foretelling the location and outcomes of future battles with the French.  This tells the embellished story of a historical character, during the Wars of the Roses in 1400s England and France.  Jacquetta soon tires of her solitary husband and his narrow interest in her as a fortune teller, and of course falls in love with one of his squires.  Conveniently, the Duke falls ill and dies, leaving Jacquetta free to marry her lover, an act which results in a heavy fine from the king and loss of her wealth.  The story follows the intrigues of the royal court of King Henry VI.  While Gregory is a well-respected writer of historical fiction, I found a number of the plot twists to be implausible, and she puts modern criticisms of the place of women in the culture into the mouths of the characters. She does paint a very vivid description of the setting and the historical characters.  435 pages

The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato

Is it 'National Treasure' meets 'The DaVinci Code' in 15th c. Italy?  Fiorato has created a mystery/romantic comedy romp involving political intrigue among the rival city states of Italy, as slowly unraveled by Luciana Vetra, a young, beautiful prostitute/part-time artist model and her unlikely sidekick, a young novice at the local monastery who also happens to be a member of the royal family of Florence.  The mystery revolves around decoding clues in a new painting by Botticelli, La Primavera, in which a political plot that could start a war is shown in the symbolism of the human figures and other elements in the painting.  Who's involved, and who's on the side of the young couple?  This is a fun read, with lots of period detail and a well-described romp through Italy to discover clues.  There are numerous plot twists and unlikely escapes of our intrepid pair to keep the story moving along.  514 p.