Teaser Tuesday #27: Venom by Fiona Paul ~ ***The Starry-Eyed Revue***

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from the following book:

Title: Venom
Author: Fiona Paul
Series:  Secrets of the Eternal Rose, book #1
Publisher:  Philomel
Publication Date: October 30, 2012
Source:  Southern Book Bloggers ARC Tours
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.

My teaser:

"Cas felt torn in two, like the sky split by lightning. One side guilty. One side wanting. She froze, statue-still, as Falco's lips brushed against her earlobe and then moved down and across her jawbone. His mouth hovered in the air, a parchment width away from hers. Eternities came and went.
Slowly, Cass tilted her lips to meet his." -- p. 187 of ARC

*fans self* Whew! I sense some major chemistry! Too bad she's already engaged to some bookish type. :( It's taken me a bit to get into this novel because the dialogue doesn't really fit the time period, but the murder mystery aspect is compelling. And obviously the romance is off to a great start. :P