Happy Friday! Today’s #read99women guest, like many of our recent guests, has a new novel out (what is it with February this year, seriously?) In a starred review, Library Journal called THE BORGIA CONFESSIONS an “excellent tale of family infighting, jockeying for power, and exploiting the church to attain personal wealth and power,” and added that it “will keep readers enthralled long into the night. Who needs sleep, anyway?” Sounds like a serious case of “one more chapter” syndrome! Hardcore readers know how that goes.

Alyssa Palombo is a writer living and working in Buffalo, NY. She’s a classically trained mezzo-soprano who also dabbles in playing piano. When not writing, she can usually be found reading, hanging out and laughing way too hard at nonsensical inside jokes with friends, traveling (or dreaming of her next travel destination), at a concert, or planning for next Halloween. She’s a metalhead and a self-proclaimed French fry connoisseur. She’s the author of three other historical novels: THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN FLORENCE, and THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL.

Alyssa’s recommendation: "I absolutely adored Cass Morris's FROM UNSEEN FIRE; it's one of my favorite books of the last few years. The novel is a fantasy set in a world closely based on ancient Rome, and it has absolutely everything I want in a book: solid research and worldbuilding; a badass, admirable heroine coming into her own power; a dashing hero; a delicious romance; and lots of politics and scheming a la Game of Thrones. The heroine, Latona, is someone I'd love to be friends with - along with many of the other awesome ladies in the cast - and the hero, Sempronius, is utterly swoon-worthy. I love the elegant, well-thought out magic system, and the Roman-inspired background is beautifully detailed and completely immersive. There's a sequel coming soon - this book is the first in a planned series - and I can't wait, just as I can't wait for anything else Morris writes in the future!"