A Thing Done by Tinney Sue Heath Book Tour Review

About the book:

Florence, 1216: The noble families of Florence hold great power, but they do not share it easily. Tensions simmer just below the surface. When Corrado the Jester's prank-for-hire goes wrong, a brawl erupts between two rival factions. Florence reels on the brink of civil war. One side makes the traditional offer of a marriage to restore peace, but that fragile peace crumbles under the pressure of a woman's interference, an unforgivable insult, and an outraged cry for revenge.
Corrado is pressed into unwilling service as messenger by both sides. Sworn to secrecy, he watches in horror as the headstrong knight Buondelmonte violates every code of honor to possess the woman he wants, while another woman, rejected and enraged, schemes to destroy him.
Corrado already knows too much for his own safety. Will Buondelmonte's reckless act trigger a full-scale vendetta? And if it does, will even the Jester's famous wit and ingenuity be enough to keep himself alive and protect those dear to him?
This is Corrado's story, but it is also the story of three fiercely determined women in a society that allows them little initiative: Selvaggia, the spurned bride; Gualdrada, the noblewoman who both tempts Buondelmonte and goads him; and Ghisola, Corrado's great-hearted friend. From behind the scenes they will do what they must to achieve their goals—to avenge, to prevail, to survive.

My Review:

I was really impressed with this book by Tinney Sue Heath, she does a wonderful job of bringing this story to life.  The plot moves along quickly and I found myself not able to put the book down at times, I could not wait to see how the events that were set in motion by Corrado would turn out.

Corrado is a strong character who tells the story well, he is not perfect but he does his best to do the right thing.  It was fascinating to read about how he kept trying to get away from the danger that was growing around him and how he was constantly pulled back into the drama by the other characters in the story.

What I appreciated the most about the book was how well Heath kept the story moving, there was just enough descriptions and details added to the story to give a good idea of the setting and the people.  I never found myself getting bored while reading about the feud between these families and Corrado's involvement with it.

Besides Corrado there was one other character that I loved reading about, the rejected bride Selvaggia.  She was not a likable character but she was so passionate and smart that I really enjoyed reading about her.  I might not have agreed with her actions in the book, but I did feel sorry for her and how she was treated.

I would recommend this book to any historical fiction fan, it is a book with a great plot set in a wonderful city that I never grow tired of reading about.  I was very impressed with Heath's writing and I am very glad that I got the chance to read this very entertaining book.

My rating:  4 stars out of 5

About the author:



Tinney Sue Heath has loved music and history all her life. Born near Chicago, she started college in Boston at the New England Conservatory with the intention of becoming a professional flutist, but after a rather abrupt change of direction she wound up with a degree in journalism from Antioch College. She worked as a staff reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education and later provided editorial assistance to University of Wisconsin-based editors of two professional journals.

Her musical and historical interests eventually merged, and she discovered the pleasures of playing late medieval and early Renaissance music on a great variety of instruments. Her historical focus is currently on Dante's Florence, so she and her husband spend a lot of time in Florence and elsewhere in Tuscany. They live in Madison, Wisconsin, where they enjoy playing music and surrounding themselves with native wild plants.

The rest of the tour can be found here.