Prince of Cups

The Italian Renaissance — this was a time of opulent beauty and inspired creativity, of violence and vile treachery. The decadent Borgias ruled in Rome while the zealous monk, Savonarola, held sway over the city state of Florence.

Betrayed and disowned, Antonio di Fabiani can reclaim his lost heritage with a joyless political marriage, or reach again for love — reach for a woman more passionate, and perhaps more deceitful, than the one who destroyed his life.  Called wanton by some, witch by others, Veronica della Montagna must find the strength to challenge and overcome Antonios's fears and her own. Only then will she win the Prince of Cups promised her by the Tarot.

Excerpt from Chapter 14:

Their bodies still and trembling, they held each other for a long moment, then he pulled back slightly, so he could look at her.

His eyes were all pupil, black as onyx in the moon drenched night, passion igniting their depths with dark intensity. But it was not the passionate fury she had seen burning there on the other nights when he had taken her so ruthlessly. Tonight it was the hot flare of pain, a glittering flicker of fear. He had given her his tenderness, his gentleness, but there was this dark suffering still inside him that he withheld from her. From the beginning she had felt it in him, loved it with every other part of him. She had surrendered all her pain to him, all her pride, given way to the deepest, most vulnerable point of herself. She stared into his eyes, into that inner darkness where he locked himself away from her.

"My pain for yours," she said, asking for an exchange of gifts.

Antonio's breathing quickened and she felt him tense. Even if his mind did not fully comprehend, his spirit understood her request. He gave way to her suddenly, completely. Abandoning all control, he plunged into her, the driving force of him not brutal but desperate. His hands clutched her hair, bruised her as they grasped her shoulders. She moaned, not for the little hurt he gave her, but for his own deeper pain. At the sound, the wild lunges suspended themselves, shifting to slow and tortuous thrusts he as he writhed against her, wrestling against an inner barrier of his own, his body wrenched and racked with shudders. The struggle went on and on until Veronica felt she could not bear the agony of his passion. Blindly her spirit reached out to him, reached through the black flaming darkness to touch the even more deeply hidden flame of light burning at the core of him. Antonio groaned as if something had broken or torn itself open inside him, then he cried out her name, his voice filled with fearful ecstasy. She sobbed his name in turn as the aching pleasure of his release spilled into her, hot and bright as tears.

Some Comments:

Romantic Times Magazine K.I.S.S. Of The Month July 1995
Gayle Feyrer, a new author of tremendous talent, is able to infuse her story with the passion and color of the 15th century. Veronica and Antonio ask no quarter and no quarter is given. Like true Renaissance people, their passions carry them into all kinds of situations where courage and love are their only weapons. You’ll be pulled into The Prince of Cups and held in awe of Ms. Feyrer’s articulate prose. A sophisticated read for anyone who craves a feast for the senses, the heart and the mind.
Kathe Robin

Publishers Weekly July 1995
Life in 15th-century Italy was no slice of panforte--at least as Feyrer portrays it in this strong debut romance. Reading her tarot cards, Mama Lucia tells her great-granddaughter Veronica not to worry: times may be tough (murder, betrayal, attempted rape), but there’s a tall, dark Prince of Cups in her future. So, despite all manner of Machiavellian intrigue (some provided by Machiavelli himself), everything will turn out well. Red-haired Veronica, a wild gypsy who loves books (and is clairvoyant to boot), is forced to wed an impotent simpleton. Her lascivious father-in-law keeps trying to deflower her, and followers of the Dominican reformer Savonarola threaten to stone her unorthodox family. Meanwhile, courtier and self-made merchant, Antonio de Fabiani, is making his way from Lucrezia Borgia’s bed to Florence in order to sort out his various family tragedies. While dallying with a courtesan who doubles as a hit woman for Cesare Borgia, he spies Veronica, who’s disguised as a boy. Antonio fights against it, but Veronica is his destiny. There’s a long way to go, filled with decadent historical characters and lots of local color, before the lovers can ride off into the tramonto.

Dell Publishing
An exciting new voice in historical romance, Gayle Feyrer has penned a spellbinding novel that has all the ingredients of a bestseller. Dell’s commitment to this author’s enormous potential includes a stellar marketing campaign. A rare first novel, The Prince of Cups is a tale of love and war, passion and destiny set against a vivid backdrop of the Italy of the Borgias, Machiavelli and Savonarola.

With The Prince of Cups, we at Dell are proud to introduce Gayle Feyrer, a tremendously gifted new author on our list. Feyrer's extraordinary novel sizzles with fiery sensuality, timeless romance, and the passion and tumult of history. In it, two unforgettable characters --Veronica Danti, the Gypsy temptress whose touch could heal, and Antonio di Fabiani, the rakish aristocrat--play out their star-crossed love against a vivid backdrop of fifteenth-century Italy. In a land seething with intrigue and debauchery, religious fervor and the fire of war, a love story unfolds that is so filled with passion and truth. it will take your breath away.

B. Dalton’s Romance Newsletter Heart to Heart
The Prince of Cups is an incredible first novel, rich in history and afire with sensuality. Fifteenth-century Italy is a land torn asunder by religious fervor, political intrigue, and power struggles--the land of the Borgias, Machiavelli, and Savonarola--a land where debauchery, assassination and betrayal are commonplace, and true love must fight fiercely to survive. Beautiful Veronica Danti trusted her Gypsy grandmother’s prediction of love in her future. But, from the first, her passion for the handsome aristocrat Antonio di Fabiani seemed star-crossed. Veronica’s Gypsy heritage had earned her enemies, and unwanted marriage vows bound her to an empty life, while the enticing Antonio was both promised to another bride and armored against true intimacy by the bitter memory of past betrayals. But, once joined together, no obstacle could stand against them, or thwart their promised destiny--a perfect, all-consuming love.

The Prince of Cups

Dell Publishing, New York, NY

Published July 1995

ISBN:  0-440-21777-6

471 pages