Varnished Faces

Some stories are part of a grand narrative. Others are small, insular, intimate, yet no less deserving to be told. Taken together, these pieces form a tapestry of life, love, and longing in early Renaissance Italy.

At their heart of these stories are the false faces people wear to hide their true selves. Like the Venetian Carnivale masks, they are hardened, often grotesque, always mischievous. These are the Varnished Faces. Collected here are several short stories from the acclaimed Star-Cross'd series, set both within Verona and the world outside its wall. Join Dante's son and Shakespeare's most mercurial creation as they live, love, and lose, seeking their hearts' ease.

Filled with swashbuckling adventure, unrequited love, and brutal treachery, this epic journey recalls the best of Bernard Cornwell, Sharon Kay Penman, and Dorothy Dunnett.