My Weekend Read this week is Hiding the Flame by historical fiction author Angela M Sims which is set in Florence, Italy. Isn’t the cover striking! Angela is going to tell us a bit about the book and what inspired her to write it. So grab yourself a cuppa, get cosy and let’s get chatting to Angela.
Blurb
Florence, 1497. A city ablaze with religious fear. A woman forced to hide her art. And a love so dangerous it could cost her everything.
Francesca Rosini, a gifted but silenced painter, lives under the strict rule of her husband – a man whose devotion to Savonarola’s puritanical revolution leaves no room for beauty, tenderness, or truth. While Bonfires of the Vanities burn paintings, books, and anything deemed sinful, Francesca keeps her talent locked away like a forbidden flame.
Then she meets Vittoria, a merchant’s wife with a bold gaze and a quiet courage that unsettles Francesca’s careful obedience. What begins as admiration becomes a connection too powerful to ignore – a forbidden love that awakens Francesca’s spirit, her artistry, and her longing for a life she has never dared imagine.
But Florence is a city where secrets are dangerous… and desire is deadly.
Buy link: https://amzn.eu/d/0h8nL2Em
Welcome to my blog, Angela, your books sounds fascinating. Thank you for dropping by to talk to us today.
Thanks for inviting me over, Karen. I thought I’d share a little about the inspiration behind my books – the beautiful city of Florence, Italy. Anyone who has visited Florence will know that it is teeming…with tourists and with history. Some years ago, I was one of those tourists (I now consider myself a regular visitor!), and even while jostling with crowds, you can’t fail to be moved by the city, the art, and the stories that surround you. The historic centre of Florence has changed very little in over five hundred years, so you can walk down any small side street or cross any large piazza and see much the same as people like Michelangelo, da Vinci, Machiavelli or Botticelli would have seen. It’s that one fact that inspired me to write. We can read the history books, learn about what happened to those in power, those who became famous, but what about the ordinary people, those whose lives were affected by these events? This is how I approach my writing. I start with an historical event (and all the research that entails) and build my fictional story around it.
My first book, The Rose of Florence, was set against the backdrop of the Pazzi Conspiracy (1478), an assassination attempt on the Medici brothers in Florence’s great Cathedral. My second book, Hiding the Flame, takes place around twenty years later, when Florence came under the influence of a radical friar, Girolamo Savonarola, who instigated the Bonfire of the Vanities, an enormous public bonfire, burning all things considered ‘ungodly’, including music, cosmetics, and art. There is even a suggestion (though no definitive proof) that Botticelli threw some of his paintings on the fire.
For my third book (title tbd), I’ve left the 15th Century behind. On 4th November 1966, the river Arno, which flows through the centre of Florence, burst its banks and flooded the city. In some places, it reached over 15 feet. Besides the devastating effect on lives, jobs and homes, many works of art were lost. However, many were rescued and restored, and this is due in no small part to the ‘Mud Angels’. Young people from all over Europe heard of the disaster and flocked to the city to help. They spent weeks working through the mud to recover pieces of art, books, and documents, living in train carriages and relying on the generosity of the Florentine people.
As always, Florence does not try to hide its history. There are flood markers on the walls of buildings, and one can only imagine what the Florentines had to live through on that night. So, this is the focus of my current book, and I’m delighted that I will be in Florence on the anniversary of the flood. I plan to pay my respects to those who lost their lives and livelihoods, and those who worked so hard to save the treasure trove of art that beats in the heart of this beautiful city.
This is all fascinating, Angela. I can see why you were so inspired Your book sounds really interesting, I hope you sell shedloads.
Meet Angela
Author Bio
Angela is a writer of “compelling and extensively researched” historical fiction. Now retired, her professional background included 27yrs in clinical cardiology and 15yrs as a university lecturer, but her keen interest in the art and history of the Italian Renaissance sowed the seed for her first book, The Rose of Florence (2023), followed by Hiding the Flame (2025). She lives in Cardiff, UK, visiting Florence whenever she can.
Author Links
Facebook: Angela M Sims – Author (@angelamsimsauthor)
Instagram: angelamsims1
Website: https://angelamsims.co.uk
Angela’s first book
