The Raven: The Florentine, Book 1

The Raven is Sylvain Reynard's first paranormal romance preceded by The Prince, which is like a prequel. I have to say that I loved it! It is well written and there is never a dull moment in the storyline. The plot is great and moves at a good pace, and leaves you wondering as you are reading -what next? The book is really well written and will leave you wanting more!Raven has come to Florence to forget her past life and she loves working at the Uffizi Gallery. She is a beautiful woman, however she lets her disability make her feel like she is less than desireable. She helps restore paintings for the gallery. Raven is a woman with a lot of compassion and love to give and this is what gets her into trouble one night on her way home. She sees a homeless man she knows being beaten up and she runs to his aid, not only do the men kill him but they know they have to kill her to to leave no witnesses. They drag her to an alley and she is beaten and would have died if not for the appearance of someone or something she does not understand She is knocked unconscious.A week later she wakes up in her apartment having no memory of what has happened to her! She gets up to get ready for work and looks in the mirror but what she sees shocks her-she does not recognize herself. She also realizes she is thinner and has no leg disability anymore! She goes to work and is not recognized, not even by her friends. There has been a terrible burglary at the museum of Gabriel Emerson's prized possession of Gabriel Emerson's priceless Botticelli illustrations. There were a hundred of them- just gone. They can't figure out what has happened.William York is a vampyre, and he is the one who has saved Raven and looked after her, rather than letting nature take its course and let Raven die from her injuries in the alley. After he kills all involved and rescues Raven and heals her in his home, after a week he brings her back to her apartment. No one knows who William York is, not even Raven at first. Several things happen and William intercedes on Raven's behalf like making sure she is not arrested by the Inspector on the case who knows something is up with her. She does not see him at first he only shows up in the dark and does not let her see him, and he tells her to leave Florence within two weeks and leaves her a lot of money to leave with. She does not leave. After several more things happen she finally meets the Prince. This book is about what happens and of the war in Florence's underground all the citizens know nothing about! We also find out about the underground in Florence in which he is in charge.As they get to know each other we see that they are both flawed in their own way, and it is amaing that they are even aware of each other as they run in completely different circles. William can not believe what an awesome woman Raven is, the way she stands up for those in need and would help anyone who needed it.As they get closer and start sharing a little bit of their lives, it is sad as I kept thinking there was no way these two could be together. Raven thinks that William is heartless because he won't tell her he loves her but it is something vampyres do not do-fall in love. Things happen that will leave you breathless and scared for both of them. I do not want to say anything else or abut how this ends, but it is really an amazing book and as we all know about Sylvain Reynard's books after reading the Gabriel Series, the book is well written, and the way it is written is so unique, and so wonderful, I felt sorry the book had to end!Do Raven and Wiliam even stand a chance of happiness or love? Will William be able to keep everything in order in the place he loves the most? Will Raven be willing to give this vampyre a chance? I can't wait for The shadow the next book in this series to come out on Feb. 2nd! I will be waiting to watch it appear on my kindle so I can continue reading the story about the Prince of Florence and the woman he loves.I gave this book 5 Stars but I would have given it 10 stars if I could- it is that good.

"Cassita vulneratus"Reynard’s centuries-old Machiavellian Prince of Florence finds himself drawn to an innocent, raven-haired beauty whose life he saves when she’s viciously assaulted for intervening in the senseless beating of a homeless man. He craves her intelligence, her protectiveness, and he wants her as a companion, a lover. Someone he can talk about art and beauty with. But can he risk leading her into his dark underworld where vampires have thrived for centuries and whose inhabitants will kill to keep their secrets?Once again, Reynard uses his knowledge of Renaissance art, history and architecture, as well as his love of Italy, to create a well-written, passionate story full of supernatural beings in THE RAVEN . He has said he was inspired by the poet Apuleius’s account of the love affair between Cupid and Psyche while writing the series—a poem that is not very well known, but that he makes several references to throughout the book.The Prince—aka William York…aka William Malet—was the eldest son of a noble Norman family during the thirteenth century and a novice in the Dominican order when he was transformed into a vampire. And he’s been in possession of the principality of Florence since the fourteenth century. Part of the story focuses on William’s stolen Botticelli illustrations and his desire to exact revenge upon Professor Gabriel Emerson who purchased the illustrations from a prominent Swiss family in a private sale, while the majority revolves around his desire for Raven Wood—a disabled American art restorer working at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. But the story isn’t completely about renaissance art, revenge and an unconventional love affair. Human hunters are stalking and killing older vampires in Florence and draining them of their valuable blood, while war brews within the principality to unseat William from his throne.

Si vous esperiez vous délecter d'une bonne histoire de vampires en plongeant dans les bas-fonds d'un Florence underground surnaturel vous serez déçu.Certes le mythe du vampire a toujours été empreint de romantisme mais là on pousse le vice jusqu'à élever le "prince" en parangon du fantasme de midinette. Le beau sauvage musclé qui se plie par amour pour la jeune fille blessée dans son enfance brisée...Dommage car on pressent de très bonnes idées sur le monde des vampires à faire découvrir, quelques personnages avec un potentiel intéressant mais tout est éclipsé pour décrire aux 3/4 de l'oeuvre une romance téléphonée pour une marquise des anges.Bref si vous voulez de la romance sur fond (ombré) de vampires allez-y ça se laisse lire, si vous cherchez plutôt des crocs et de l'intrigue optez pour autre chose.

Sylvain Reynard has created the start of another masterpiece. The storyline is compelling and begs you to read more. Bravo

I have first read Sylvia's Gabriel's inferno and fell in love with the book. The author has exquisite knowledge of Italian poetry and art. I loved his way of narrating . I completed Gabriel's redemption. Now I read the Raven . It's beautiful but I should say some how I loved Gabriel's inferno lil better . But I am glad I read the Raven with its vampyre prince and the heroine who is normal . Loved the way the romance progressed between the two . Now I am gonna read the shadow in florentine series .

Uma história que mostra que o amor não tem limites. Adorei o enfoque sobre a valorização da pessoa pelos seus sentimentos e não pela aparência. Ansiosa pela sequencia

I've wanted to read this since it was published, but kept putting it off for some reason. I read all the Gabriel series more than once and absolutely loved them. I downloaded this hoping and praying I wouldn't be disappointed. The reviews were full of praise for this which is usually a good sign, well they were all most definitely right it's fab! The characters are great and the story is fast paced and beautifully written. I have to go to Florence now. Love the way SR writes and will be downloading the next book as soon as I've finished my review. It's essentially a love story within a very good story if you read the twilight series then you may just possibly enjoy this although this is far better written and a lot more sinister.