Received in the mail for the September Elle reading jury.

Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, their stomachs swollen with the cache of jewels thay have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice to start life anew. Once in that fabled city, the two begin to rebuild their business. As partners, they are invincible: Bucino, clever with a sharp eye and a wicked tongue, and Fiammetta, beautiful and shrewd, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Venice, however, is a city that holds its own temptations and dangerous secrets.