Fiona Paul

A sequel to Venom finds Cass following a set of clues to Florence in the wake of Luca's wrongful arrest for heresy, a situation that leads to a partnership with the artist Falco to investigate apparent vampire attacks on young girls at a powerful young woman's sumptuous palazzo.

The Secrets of the Eternal Rose

Belladonna

Cindy Lee

Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.

*This review contains spoilers to Venom*

In Belladonna, Cass is trying to forget about Falco. Because of that, she's growing closer to her fiance, Luca. But within the first few chapters, Luca gets locked up in prison because of heretics against the Church. From there on, Cass goes to Firenze (Florence) to look for the book of the Eternal Rose, the only thing that can prove Luca's innocence.

The Order of the Eternal Rose never made an appearance in Venom, so I was pumped when I knew that they will be in the second book. Belladonna is definitely a much more sinister book than the first. Cass learns of the Order's true purpose and what they're trying to do. It disgusts me, actually. Cass is playing detective again and she is figuring out stuff about the Order and using that to try and save Luca. It felt off to me though. The rescue of Luca and the Order's business wasn't actually tied up so I don't get why Cass needs to go to Firenze to find evidence to save Luca.

In Firenze, Cass bumps into her true love, Falco. (Why am I not surprised by this?) They still can't get over their attraction for each other and Cass is still trying to see whether she likes Falco or Luca. It was a very annoying process. Being a huge fan of Falco in Venom, I think he fell flat in Belladonna. I saw more of his flaws, and he was quick to temper. (Now officially Team Luca, hehe) I would say Falco and Cass needs to talk out their difference and not to judge each other so quickly.

Overall, Belladonna is a nice addition to the series. It gets me pumped up about Starling and want to see how the whole thing would end.

The deliciously seductive sequel to VENOM. Beauty, romance, murder - this historical romance series has it all Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiance, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he's arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass's life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose - the only evidence that will prove he is innocent. So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of corruption, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who's working for the Order's eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself. Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time? Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all...Ages: 12+

Justine Rose

3.5* 
While I have to say that the plot of the first book in this series was far more intriguing than in this instalment, I did feel that the writing improved in this one because the whole “I’m not like other girls” thing was entirely dialled back (thank god) and Cass wasn’t an annoying mind to be stuck in this time. The setting of the story was still one of the best parts, but honestly the middle part of this book was kind of boring, with our main character spending pages upon pages in bed at one point.

Belladonna The Secrets of the Eternal Rose

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