On a roll...

Whoo-hoo! Just found out this evening that I have won a third book from Goodreads, The Pindar Diamond by Katie Hickman. That's two historical fiction and one historical romance in eight months. Apparently, the PTB agree with Adelle and think there's enough mystery in my life, since I have absolutely no luck winning anything in that genre. Actually, though this falls into the genre of historical fiction, it is also a bit of a mystery, so I guess it does (sort of) count. I'm looking forward to receiving it!



Here's the blurb from GoodReads:


In a small town on the Italian coast, a mysterious woman washes ashore. She is crippled, mute, and clutches a bundle to her chest—a baby the townspeople insist is a real-life mermaid. It can only bring bad luck; they pay a troupe of acrobats to carry mother and child away.

In the bustling trade center of Venice, merchant Paul Pindar is the subject of his colleagues' concern. Since his return from Constantinople, they have found him changed; raging over the loss of his beloved, Celia, he has gambled away his fortune at the gaming tables. But when a priceless blue diamond surfaces in the city, Pindar recognizes the opportunity to regain everything he has lost—including, perhaps, the woman he loves.

A celebrated writer of history and travel books, Katie Hickman has always been a master of evoking time and place. With The Pindar Diamond, her follow-up to The Aviary Gate, she brings early-seventeenth-century Italy vividly to life, and also demonstrates her maturity as a novelist. A tale of love and avarice, with a touch of the mystical, The Pindar Diamond is rich with historical detail, and unfolds with urgency and grace. It is accomplished, wholly satisfying historical fiction.