The Rose of Ravenna
by Veronica Guido

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A forbidden love for the ages. A betrayal that echoes throughout history. Those who bore witness are ready to tell their story. Ravenna, Italy, 1275. Beautiful Francesca da Polenta starts every morning with a sweet nectarine from the grove outside the castle she grew up in. Raised by her father, Guido, Lord of Ravenna, her mother, Sofia, and the lush flora of the castle grounds who have come to care for her as one of their own, Francesca’s life seems an idyllic dream. However, conflict looms as the Guelph-Ghibelline war bleeds the land dry. In this game of competing powers, marriage is a strategic move, and Francesca is but a pawn. In an effort to solidify a powerful alliance, Guido marries her off to one of the four troubled sons of the despotic Rimini magistrate, Malatesta da Verucchio. Francesca is initially dismayed, but soon after she meets sensitive, handsome, green-eyed Paolo, she finds her heart is no longer her own. Once Francesca arrives in Rimini, however, things take a turn for the worse. Obsession, jealousy, and lust wreak havoc on the Malatesta household, and Francesca is soon caught between fate and her own desires as she is swept up in the dark undercurrents of power and greed. Ever hidden in plain sight are the narrators of Francesca’s story—the botanical cohort who have interests and motivations all their own. In the tradition of Dante Alighieri, Veronica Guido’s fictionalized account of these historical figures gives their story a fresh perspective, shedding new light on a familiar tale of tragedy and woe.

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Veronica Guido is a lawyer by day who, inspired by her great-grandmother, has always felt called to write. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, through which she studied Greco-Roman philosophers and became interested in the works of writers such as Dante, Ovid, and Homer. From there, Veronica developed a special interest in her ancestral Italian culture, history, and literature, which she combined with concepts from her Indigenous heritage to create The Rose of Ravenna, her first novel. Veronica lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with her husband, Bilal, and her cat, Inde. She can be found at www.veronicaguidowriter.com or on social media @veronicasmuses.

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Veronica Guido