1 March 2016

Review #355: The Crimson Amulet (The Templar Trilogy Book # 2) by Adriana Girolami



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged”

----Heinrich Heine



Adriana Girolami, an American author, pens her next book in The Templar Trilogy called, The Crimson Amulet that continues the tale of Polyxena, Duchess of Lorengard-Lorraine, who is now married to the Duke of Saxe-Hanover, Arsenio, who one fine day is abducted by a stranger named Lord Zanar from their palace. The first book in the series, Revenge of the Knights Templar unfolded the love story between Polyxena and Duke Arsenio's royal knight, Duccio, which is an extremely delectable tale that made me fall for both the characters. And this time in this new book, one of my favorite character, Polyxena is back, as in the previous book, we found out that Duccio met with his tragic fate.


Synopsis:
The Crimson Amulet, follows Polyxena of Nemours, Duchess of Lorengard-Lorraine as she is kidnapped by Lord Zanar Mutamin, Sheik of Hasssan el Cabir. Does the mysterious and handsome lord of the desert fall in love with the beautiful Polyxena?
What evil awaits her at the mysterious castle of his elusive grandmother Camilla guarded by an aerie of a thousand vicious attack eagles? What revenge does she harbor against Polyxena and the House of Nemours?
Will the long running hatred of the Muslims for Christians and the Templars rekindle the flames of the Crusades?
What is the crimson amulet and why is it so evil?



In the previous book, we saw that Polyxena has been married off to the Duke of Saxe-Hanover, Arsenio, but their marriage is put on hold when she falls for the royal knight, Duccio and after his death, she falls pregnant with Duccio's child. Moreover, she saved the life of her husband who was buried alive in a war to protect his kingdom, thus restoring their love. This book unrolls their love story, of how Polyxena starts to fall for her brave and kind husband, despite she gave birth to Duccio's son. Their passion and new found love made them strong as a couple. But soon their martial bliss is snatched away when Polyxena is abducted by Lord Zanar, a Muslim Sheikh by posing as a guest in their son's baptism ceremony. But little did Polyxena knew the reason behind her abduction or she had any idea about the identity behind her handsome and tall captor, who with time made her heart grew a bit fonder towards his forbidden demeanor. Will Polyxena be able to go back home? Why did a Muslim man abduct an Western Duchess? Read the book now to unravel these mysteries.

Polyxena has took an oath under her father, Duke of Nemours, that she will forever keep the secret of the hidden treasure of Knights Templar buried within her and will protect the treasure with her life. But when she is abducted from her palace, it is easy for her to guess that the Muslim Leader is after the treasure and somehow she needs to protect it. But the reason behind abduction is otherwise which throws her off the edge.

Firstly, once again, just like the previous book, the author has painted that spectacular and enchanting book cover, looking at which immediately pulled me inside the book. Polyxena is the most gorgeous woman in her times and her enticing beauty has deluded so many men from their direction, but she never used it for negative reason or for her advantage. And the author has skillfully depicted and projected her beauty not only through her pen but also with the help of her paint brush.

As usual, the author's writing style is exquisite and flawless. The narrative style is layered with mystery, suspense and deep emotions. The mystery is riveting and that kept me glued to the story line to find it out. Yes the author has often tried to delude her readers with twists and turns that made anticipate the mystery wrongly, as the mystery is too brain-twisting and complex. The author has included the story with lots of vivid, graphic and adrenaline rushing action scenes that kept me on my edges with fear and panic. There are journeys through unknown and untrodden lands, the details of which are strikingly written down thus letting the scenes unfold tight in front of my eyes. In short, the story has lots of dimension and layers to explore thus making it an enticing read for all.

The characters are all well-developed and drawn with enough chivalry and bravery. The author lets her readers take a peek into the lives of some brave Emperors of Europe be it a woman or a man. The female characters are developed with lots of self-respect, strength, dedication and loyalty towards their family and kingdom and womanhood. The evil characters play their part pretty good which eventually makes the readers' hearts fill up with rage against them.

Polyxena's unmatching beauty as well as her immense love for her family and kingdom makes her a true heroine which is the perfect example of beauty with brain. There is yet another character, named, Sulimah, whose loyalty towards her sadistic husband is really astounding. Despite of the torture, Sulimah stayed put with her husband and never seek any outside help until Arsenio arrives along with her husband. The male characters are also great but not that striking like the female ones.

The love is deep and passionate and will make you fall with the idea of love in a new way. The author's depiction of the "love" is layered with sexual undertone but largely wrapped with feelings that lies deep in the core of the human hearts. The attraction and the sexual tension projected between Polyxena and the male characters is vivid and the love-making scenes are quite graphic. In short, I'm a huge fan of the author's style of projecting the most precious human emotion which not too pornographic yet there is a beauty hidden in those scenes that is bound to arouse the hearts of readers with passion.

In a nutshell, the story is captivating, at times, heart-stopping and most of the times, engaging that not only made me hooked into the depths of this story but also made me root and feel for the characters deeply. And of course, I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Verdict: A perfect read for all the historical fiction readers as well as for the romance fans.

Courtesy: Thanks to my dear friend-cum-author, Adriana Girolami, for giving me this opportunity to read and review her book.
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Author Info:
Born in Rome, Italy, Adriana’s artistic inclination as a graphic illustrator, author, and lifelong lover of the written word was nurtured by the ancient beauty of her native country. As a child, her parents encouraged her to read, and books were always available in her home. Her mother Lena was an avid reader who inspired Adriana by her example, favoring distinguished historical authors such as Alessandro Manzoni, Sir Walter Scott, and Adriana's personal favorite, Alexander Dumas.
Adriana immigrated with her family to the United States , attended The Art Students League in New York City and eventually embarked on a career as a portrait artist and illustrator. She found her profession satisfying, but craved the freedom of the written word, remembering all those wonderful and exciting books that stimulated her imagination as a child.
In her spare time Adriana enjoys physical activities. She jogs faithfully, plays racquet ball and has a black belt in Kenpo karate. She loves to travel and has visited many different countries throughout Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
She currently lives in Florida with her husband Raymond.
Visit her here


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1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much, Aditi for that amazing review, I am honored by your words and truly grateful! :) Adriana

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