I was in the middle of reading a really dark nonfiction book about police torture and this book was a delightful escape.

I'm awfully glad I picked this book up on a whim, and the author has earned a place on my list of new releases to track. I love scholarly chick lit (which, since I enjoyed this and A Discovery of Witches, is apparently a genre, and one that I am quite into.)

Dr. Bryne is a historian facing a fair amount of ridicule in her field after declaring she had found real evidence of the existence of Atlantis and wanted to pursue it further. While otherwise maligned for her interest in the subject, she does find herself called to Venice to advise on a murder case where the murderer seems to have used symbolism seen in her research.

Having lived a rather mundane life until this point, she is startled to encounter in Venice what can only be described as magical phenomena, and recurring through it all is a handsome man she saw once in a dream. The two of them must work together through dangerous circumstances to stop the killer before he strikes again, while discovering that the lost secrets of Atlantis aren't so lost at all.

A good addition for fans of urban fantasy or paranormal romance.

I was happy to discover that Ms. Kuivalainen is already working on book three!

arc received from the publisher