Juliet by Anne Fortier

This book splits its attention between present day Julie Jacobs (aka Guilietta Tolomei) and 1340s Guilietta Tolomei. The historical story of Romeo and Juliet is at the center of this book and plays out in present day Siena as well as in 1340.  Julie Jacobs is descended from the original Juliet (Guilietta. Upon the death of her mother and father, she and her twin sister Janice were sent to live with her aunt. Her aunt suddenly passes away and Janice is left with everything. This is a huge shock to Julie since her aunt always said they would share her fortune.  Umberto, her aunt's butler/housekeeper/jack of all trades, presents Julie with a letter and safe deposit key to a safety deposit box belonging to her mother.  The box is located in Siena, Italy which is the twins' birthplace.  Upon taking the key and starting off on her journey, Julie begins an adventure that will make sure her life will never be the same. The premise of the story is that Romeo and Juliet did not take place in Verona but actually in Siena.  The historical aspects of the story are wonderful. I listened to the audio version and it was absolutely heaven. Hearing the Italian names correctly pronounced and the accents-wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the ending was so suspenseful. I think this was a great book and highly recommend it.

New York to Dallas by JD Robb

This is a recent book in the In Death series. It begins with LT. Eve Dallas bemoaning the necessity of paperwork. Unfortunately, she gets a reprieve in the form of an prison escapee from her past. Isaac McQueen has escaped from prison and begins his new reign of terror. Through flashbacks, we see how a lucky break lead Eve to his door and ultimately sent him away. During his prison time, he has been cooking up a plot to get back at her that will take her away from her known territory of NYC back to Dallas where she was able to break free of the years of abuse at the hands of her father. The storyline is fast paced and brings a new cast of characters. Peabody is still involved but only superficially. I like the story for the most part but felt like it ended too perfectly. It was almost too easy to be true. But I did like it.

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