In addition to the benefit of escaping the recent tragedy, Sophie is seduced into joining the team when she discovers that the one scroll that the group has recovered includes a narrative account of the life of a Roman slave girl.  The same slave girl was the object of Sophie’s own college thesis, and she is instantly attracted to the project.

 

As Sophie delves deeper into the ancient manuscript, she becomes aware that there is a strange faction conspiring to steal the manuscript for their own purposes.  This insurgent group has already caused injuries and even deaths at the dig site of Herculaneum.  They will risk everything to get their hands on the scroll.

 

The papyrus scroll leads Sophie and her crew on a treasure hunt through the catacombs of the ruins of the “Villa della Notte” (Night Villa) as they discover the mysterious happenings during the most famous volcanic eruption of all time.  Sophie follows the clues in the recovered manuscript that lead to the valuable “lost” scrolls of Pythagoras.  The closer she gets to the scroll, the more danger and subterfuge she encounters.

 

THE NIGHT VILLA is truly a tale of love and loss, hope and discovery, and disappointment and promise.  Sophie renews old alliances and, in the process, severs ties with her past.  She is forced to shed her preconceived notions regarding the project in order to make room for the frailty of humanity.  Along the way, she discovers more than the power of the ancient written word.  Sophie opens her mind and encounters a love that has been waiting years to be noticed.

 

This is not a traditional romance story, yet I found myself falling in love with Capri, Latin and Herculaneum through the beauty of Goodman’s prose.  Sophie is the quintessential novel heroine in that she faces loss and disappointment, and then she achieves tremendous personal growth through her experiences.  It is a page-turner and I recommend it to anyone but most especially to those readers who enjoy the journey as much as the destination!   After reading THE NIGHT VILLA, I plan to run out and get the rest of Carol Goodman’s novels.    

 

By Romance Junkies Reviewer: Darla Click here to Buy this Book Now!   Romance Junkies Content Editor: Dottie Romance Junkies Publishing Editor: Chrissy   Top of Page