Fiorenzo by Sebastian Nothwell

Fiore has a plan. Find a wealthy elderly gentleman, delight him until the end of his days, and retire on the resulting inheritance. It’s the best outcome a low-born courtesan in the city of Halcyon can hope for. And it seems a perfect scheme… until a mysterious masked man upends it. Banished from university after a disastrous duel, Enzo wanders the city searching for scraps of the affection he’s lost. His public mask conceals private agonies. A single night in the company of a courtesan, however, balms his wounded heart, and he finds himself returning again and again to Fiore, revealing more of himself than he’s ever dared before. Furthermore, and more astonishing still, Fiore finds he returns Enzo’s affections. But while Fiore wears no mask, he nonetheless has secrets of his own. And when the ghosts of their pasts return to haunt them, only the bond of trust between them will carry them through. ~ Fiorenzo is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring secret identities, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after.

Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Diversity Representation/Neurodiversity/Own Voices • Romance/Fantasy • Historical Fiction/Fantasy • Fantasy/Historical

Content Warning: Graphic: Medical trauma, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Cursing, Medical content, Blood, Animal death (hunting scene), Gore, Classism, Murder. Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic (the plague is over before the story takes place), Sexual violence (villain against hero; the actual event is off-the-page, but the lead-up to it and the aftermath are dealt with on-the-page), Death, Death of parent (one hero is an orphan and the other hero's father has passed), Rape (villain against hero; the actual event is off-the-page, but the lead-up to it and the aftermath are dealt with on-the-page), Sexual assault ( villain against hero; the actual event is off-the-page, but the lead-up to it and the aftermath are dealt with on-the-page), Alcohol.

Reviewed by inferiorwit writer on 2024-11-06T12:59:26Z: