Velvet in Venice by Karin Kallmaker is a perfect blend of all the things that makes her a great sapphic fiction author. Her love for food, travel, music and sapphic women is clear with every word in this book. Add to that a touch of magic in the form of a mysterious coin and you have the perfect romance.
Before I get too enthusiastic, let me start with the premise.
Artie Bryson is a tour guide in Venice. She has been putting off finishing her PhD and living a decent life taking tourists around a city that owns her heart. Artie is content in her fairly simple life and isn’t really looking for anything more.
She finds a mysterious coin in amongst her change, pops it in her pocket and forgets about it. Soon after she seeks a break from the heat of summer in the Casino di Venezia cabaret.
A captivating singer has her attention and before she knows it she has returned for a second, third and fourth night in a row to catch the performance.
Nikki Velvet’s career is finally beginning to show promise. Her tour through Europe, titled Postcards from America, is a success and she is enjoying the work.
And when she notices the handsome woman in the crowd she is drawn to say hello. With Arttie she finds a fellow American and the attraction between them is electric.
Nikki only has two weeks in Venice. Not really enough time for anything more than a nice distraction.
But just maybe the magic of love has something else in store. Something a little deeper.
What I Loved
Food – Kallmaker describes food in such exquisite terms that I was permanently hungry. Everything from simple fare to complex baked confections. Not only is the appreciation for good food evident in this story but it was also used as a wonderful storytelling tool.
Fun fact, the toasted sandwich in the book inspired me to make a version for my wife and it was a huge hit!
Travel – If you don’t have the desire to visit Venice I bet you will once you have read this book. The place is described so vividly that the setting becomes more than just a place. The nuances of living there have never occurred to me before and so it was fun to armchair travel with the characters.
The art and locations chosen and described interwove in the story so that we felt their budding relationship develop with the background of history and the weight of the expectations on women.
Music – The concept for the music in this book was perfect. I LOVED the idea AND for there is a bonus playlist at the back of the book, which had me very excited.
Loving a woman – The act of loving a woman is sensuous and beautiful. Kallmaker’s descriptions manage to perfectly capture the way it feels in your very soul so that the act becomes sensuous and emotive rather than mechanical. Very few authors have ever been able to capture it for me the way Kallmaker does. There is a reverence to her words that I feel all the way to my toes.
Magic – A tiny touch of magic makes everything better, even an already perfect romance.
When you combine all of these things you get a book that made me feel like I was 19 again and reading my first Kallmaker and thinking how awe inspiring and perfect it was.
The Conclusion
Kallmaker wrote an exceptional book and I highly recommend it. The gentle but beautiful romance will take you on a tour through Venice as you see the sights, hear the music, taste the food and discover the love between these two women.
There is something so soothing about this book that it makes me feel like I have come home.
Excerpt from Velvet in Venice by Karin Kallmaker
As she settled her satchel along the front of her torso, she heard fresh music coming from the cabaret. The prime of the evening had been occupied by an eternally popular ABBA tribute act that had made her meal all the more pleasant. This music was a softer, bluesier sound that was purely American. Or sounded so to her ears.
Beguiled by the unexpected melody, she decided she could afford the glass of wine it would cost her to listen. She realized she was homesick, something she hadn’t thought possible.
The moment she crossed the threshold into the cabaret, her gaze was drawn to the vocalist. Her dark brown skin shimmered with red highlights in the stage lights. A glittering blue dress wrapped around her shapely, ample body to frame broad shoulders. Dark gold cornrows ended in neon orange, lime, and raspberry beads that sparkled as she swayed to the music she made. Her hands danced over the keyboard as her voice rippled like cool water on marble stones.
Artie found a seat at a tiny table without taking her gaze off the singer’s face. Thick, red lips nearly brushed the microphone in front of her. Large, dark eyes widened and flashed as the melody rose and fell.
It took a moment for Artie to realize that the woman was singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The transformation into a minor key filled the words with longing and loneliness. It seemed an odd piece for a casino cabaret, but it segued seamlessly into a more upbeat “Walking in Memphis.” By the third piece the singer had fully hit her stride with a saucy, sultry rendition of “Route 66.”
Artie was sorry when the set ended. There was no way she could stay for the woman’s next set at eleven o’clock. She had a tour tomorrow morning and ought to be home trying to sleep by then. The cantante had a full, sensuous figure, though, and her parting smile was lively and genuine — and abruptly very tempting.
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Series: The Coin of Love Series
Velvet in Venice
Knight of Nights
Wind in her Hair
Checked Out
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8363201882
Publisher: Indie Author
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