Mask of Dreams - Paperback

by Leigh Grant (Author)

What if your temporary deception became an inescapable trap and forcibly determined your destiny?

In fifteenth-century Venice, a city of power and intrigue, lives are shaped by class, reputation, and fate, and for some, by the fragile boundaries between identity and survival.

Caterina, the spirited daughter of a wealthy Venetian merchant, is expected to follow the rigid path laid out for Renaissance women: obedience, arranged marriage, and silent acceptance. But when her defiance sparks scandal, she is subjected to a punishment designed to break her will and reshape her future.

Out of the violence of the Balkans comes Rade, a scarred brigand, driven by ambition and fate, and drawn to the world of Renaissance Venice for gain. The object of his quest is a fifteen-year-old girl. When fate draws these two lives together, secrets, masking, and efforts to survive collide in ways neither could have imagined.

Blending historical richness with an element of magic realism, Mask of Dreams explores identity, power, love, and the roles society forces us to play. Set against the vivid backdrop of Renaissance Venice and the Adriatic frontier, this sweeping novel asks a timeless question: who are we beneath the masks we wear?

If you love immersive historical fiction filled with intrigue, action, and unforgettable characters, this is a story you will not want to miss.

If you enjoy richly detailed historical fiction such as The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell, or The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, you will be captivated by Mask of Dreams. With its vivid setting, complex characters, and exploration of identity, power, and resilience, this novel offers an immersive journey into a world where destiny and courage collide.

Buy your copy today and step into a world where destiny, deception, and courage intertwine.

Leigh Grant holds degrees in art history from Hollins College (now Hollins University) and fine art from Pratt Institute. She studied in Paris and worked in London. A former illustrator, she received the Steven Dohanos Award from the Society of Illustrators and appeared on the Today Show with Katie Couric for her book The Twelve Days of Christmas: A History and Celebration, which she both wrote and illustrated. She later created two pop-up books on Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt. She also completed the certificate program at NYU to become an appraiser of fine art.

Fascinated by the Italian Renaissance and the Venetian Empire, Grant brings in-depth historical insight to her fiction. Mask of Dreams, pre-publication, received the Chanticleer Reviews 2017 Chatelaine Grand Prize for Romantic and Women's Fiction, was shortlisted for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction Before 1750, and received an honorable mention from the 31st Annual Writer's Digest Self-published Book Awards for mainstream/literary fiction. Artimon is the sequel. She lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.