[ARC Review] The Truth About Myths by Giovanna Siniscalchi
Princess Isabel de Orleans would do anything for Portugal. When her brother, the king, asks for her help, she agrees to travel to Spain to defuse a diplomatic crisis.
A beloved rake as a babysitter…
Henrique, Viscount Penafiel, has no roots. He prepares to sail to greener pastures when his best friend blackmails him into accompanying the princess to an aristocratic-filled seaside resort.
Passion versus patriotism...
With his wit and ever-present grin, Henrique delights in showing how Isabel's morals are outdated. Isabel abhors philandering but is entranced by the caring man hidden below a devil-may-care attitude. The sister of Henrique's best friend should be high on a pedestal, safe from his lust. But by demolishing his ideas, she crumbles the height separating them.
A Bourbon with ulterior motives…
Alfonso is a king sans a throne. When the Bourbon's meteoric interest in Isabel threatens Portugal's independence, Henrique has to take drastic measures to save his country and Isabel's love.My thoughts: Oh, did I ever love the dynamic between Isabel and Henrique. Even before these two met on the page, I knew I was going to love their interactions, and Giovanna Siniscalchi absolutely did not disappoint.
I loved that Princess Isabel and Henrique's story takes readers into the drama of the continent as we travel across Portugal and Spain. I can't remember the last time I read a historical romance that happened outside of Great Britain, so this setting and plot was a refreshing foray into Victorian times.
Both main characters played off of each other so well, even with the inexperienced maiden/rake dynamic, and I loved that we also got the chaperone and brother's best friend tropes as well.
Giovanna is a new-to-me author, and I will definitely be going back and reading her previous releases. The writing was good, and had I not known that Giovanna was an indie author, I would've easily thought The Truth About Myths was coming from a big-five publisher. This book excelled at everything from descriptions to dialogue, and historical romance lovers will want to take note of this new release and add this author to their TBR.
This was a fun read, and although it's technically part of Giovanna's The Winemakers series, this story can definitely be read as a standalone. I enjoyed every aspect of this book, from the main characters to the supporting cast, from the action to the sense of adventure. I can't wait to dig into Giovanna's other historical romances and will be looking forward to what comes next from this author.
Rating: 4.5/5
Release date: 9/20/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the author
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