{"product_id":"varnished-faces-david-blixt-9781944540128","title":"Varnished Faces: Star-Cross'd Short Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"New readers, beware! Once you start reading one of David's books, real life comes to a screeching halt until you finish it.\"\u003c\/b\u003e - Sharon Kay Penman, \u003ci\u003eHere Be Dragons \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Sunne In Splendour\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSome stories are part of a grand narrative. Others are small, insular, intimate, yet no less deserving to be told. Taken together, these pieces form a tapestry of life, love, and longing in early Renaissance Italy.\u003cp\u003eAt their heart of these stories are the false faces people wear to hide their true selves. Like the Venetian Carnivale masks, they are hardened, often grotesque, always mischievous. These are the Varnished Faces. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCollected here are fourteen short stories from the acclaimed \u003ci\u003eStar-Cross'd\u003c\/i\u003e series, set both within Verona and the world outside its wall. Join Dante's son and Shakespeare's most mercurial creation as they seek their hearts' ease, wending their way through the lives and loves that will one day tear Verona apart.\u003cp\u003eFilled with swashbuckling adventure, unrequited love, and brutal treachery, this epic journey recalls the best of Bernard Cornwell, Sharon Kay Penman, and Dorothy Dunnett. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the Star-Cross'd Series: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A novel of intricate plot, taut narrative, sharp period detail and beautifully realized characters.\"\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e- Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Intricate plotting, well-staged scenes, and colorful descriptions enhance head-spinning but lively entertainment.\"\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e- Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A delightful romp through the backstory of\u003ci\u003e 'Romeo \u0026amp; Juliet.'\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e- Chicago Sun-Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Be prepared to burn the midnight oil. It's well worth it.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e - Historical Novel Society\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"David Blixt bursts onto the historical fiction scene with this masterful tale of adventure, love, and intrigue -- this is high adventure at its best, an epic novel filled with the breathtaking feats and evanescent beauty of the early Renaissance.\"\u003c\/b\u003e - C.W. Gortner, \u003ci\u003e The Last Queen \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Tudor Secret\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Shakespearean actor David Blixt traces the genesis of the famous feud between the Montagues and Capulets in this sharp, arresting novel that is completely impossible to put down.\"\u003c\/b\u003e - Michelle Moran, \u003ci\u003e Nefertiti \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMadame Tussaud\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Dante's Italy and the internecine, blood-feuding struggle of the dominant families of the northern city states. This story of corruption and the quest for power is as compelling as Mario Puzo's\u003ci\u003eGodfather\u003c\/i\u003e and as thrilling as any of Rafael Sabatini's historical adventures.\" \u003c\/b\u003e- Peter Tremayne, \u003ci\u003eThe Chalice Of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Blixt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1944540121\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781944540128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Sordelet Ink\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/29\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.64lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.51d","brand":"David Blixt","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48486437552383,"sku":"9781944540128","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d67a7b72-ccf3-425a-8ea1-af96458d1a27.jpg?v=1778055469","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/varnished-faces-david-blixt-9781944540128","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}