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Secrets of Milan, Book Two of the NightFlyer Trilogy

(Night Flyer #2)

Edale Lane (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 24 ratings · 7 reviews

Some secrets are meant to stay hidden.

While Florentina as the Night Flyer searches for a mysterious underworld organization that has attempted to murder the woman she loves, Maddie struggles to deal with the danger Florentina is courting. Her brother, Alessandro, has become the most prominent merchant of Milan, but the Night Flyer uncovers a secret so shocking it could des ...more

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Published May 13th 2020 by Past and Prologue Press

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Aug 04, 2020 AnnMaree Of Oz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Clandestine groups and mystery surround the events of book 2. Who is trying to kill beloved Maddie and frame the heroic Night Flyer?

Fiore and Maddie's relationship deepens. ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 XR rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

Three stars for the Secrets of Milan, and an extra star for the short story at the end! More Mr. X and Jewel please and thank you, Edale Lane!

Oh and in regarts to Secrets of Milan, I thought Fiore's investigating skills along with Maddie's help, was top notch. She's so blase about getting hurt it's amusing to me. I look forward to seeing how their story plays out in the third installment of The Night Flyer trilogy. ...more

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Jul 12, 2020 Arina rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-stars, alternative-history, bi-woman-mc, favorite, female-main, historical-fiction, indie-published, queer, ff

I am enamoured of books that exude passion the more I read them, and Secrets of Milan is undoubtedly such a book. You won’t be able to keep this one a secret.. Every turn of the page is enhanced by historicity, action-packed scenes, and the authenticity of Florentina and Madelena’s desire to be with one another.

It’s a story that takes you by the hand throughout significant moments in the history of Italy and its people, from Italian religious myths like La Befana, to actual historical mementos ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Margaret Fisk rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Secrets of Milan starts with Fiore and Maddie in a relationship crisis, with Maddie holding herself separate. This confused me for a short while because I’d thought their crisis over, but when Maddie quickly reveals the cause, it’s something new. Her concerns about Fiore putting herself in harm’s way when Maddie already grieved for her spouse are compelling and not the kind of fears easy to resolve.

We might learn why Maddie has withdrawn early, but this Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Secrets of Milan starts with Fiore and Maddie in a relationship crisis, with Maddie holding herself separate. This confused me for a short while because I’d thought their crisis over, but when Maddie quickly reveals the cause, it’s something new. Her concerns about Fiore putting herself in harm’s way when Maddie already grieved for her spouse are compelling and not the kind of fears easy to resolve.

We might learn why Maddie has withdrawn early, but this forms the bridging conflict, giving the pieces of the next mystery time to gather. Yes, we knew of the secret society by the end of the first book, but Maddie might not be the only target, nor does Fiore’s investigation go unnoticed.

The pursuit of the secret society consumes the entire book, offering a central plot which affects many aspects, including their relationship. I found it infected my own perspective, making me expect clues everywhere, much like Fiore does. I consider that a sign of how the text absorbed me.

However, this difficult search is not the only plot thread running. There’s a lot to keep the reader interested beyond tracking down the society by translating the ravings of a madman. Fiore’s position as tutor, Maddie’s work on the charity house, and even a bit of blackmail, exist within a rich tapestry. The series’ world has both social and economic aspects built on the firm grounding of known history.

This book goes further into the merchant guilds and the rules governing the different classes and genders. While accepted within their household, society frowns on the love between Maddie and Fiore both for their same gender and their difference in economic standing, adding another layer. Nor is this the only story occurring hidden from public view. Where Fiore had a singular focus in the first book, the Night Flyer cannot keep a simplistic view of her world forever.

One thread that could easily have become a distraction focuses on Benetto, the villain of the first book, and I worried he would return to that status. Instead, his path is much more complicated. Fiore gave him a second chance, but it’s not in his nature to see ruin as hope. I appreciated the depth in this thread and how Benetto had to struggle. The continuing shadow of the Night Flyer and his daughter’s unwavering love for Alessandro’s son, Antonio, kept this piece connected to the whole.

Antonio’s life as a soldier is laid out for the reader in all its contradictions. We rejoin him as part of the eager standard bearers struggling to train their first command. War is a lot of waiting and lack of conflict. This does not last long, though, and their introduction to the realities of war is daunting. The thread kept him in mind despite the distance and allowed us to see both sides of the second love story between him and Benetto’s daughter.

As with the first book, I enjoyed the interactions with the kids and experiencing Fiore’s teaching style. We are as much her pupils as the children whether for points of science or history. The book is still a little heavier on the description than I prefer, but whenever it dipped into these areas, I was enthralled. A good example of this is the technical description of how a harpsichord functions as a mechanized combination of string and percussion. Nor did I skim over the visits to places I have never seen with my own eyes, taking in the detail as though I were there with them.

There’s much more I would like to mention but can’t for fear of spoiling something. For a middle book, this is all but a standalone novel. The main crisis reaches a satisfying, and surprising, conclusion while still leaving more for the series to explore. The love story between Fiore and Maddie continues to develop with intimate but not detailed scenes. This book is an honest sequel to the first, extending what happened there in interesting and unexpected ways. I’d guessed some pieces but not the whole, making me a part of the journey rather than an observer.

P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the blog tour company Other Worlds Inc in return for an honest review. ...more

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May 24, 2020 Lenny Cavallaro rated it it was amazing

If anything, this second volume of the trilogy is an improvement on the first (cf. *Merchants of Milan*). The novel is very well paced, and the author maintains the suspense admirably. Her descriptive passages hold the reader’s interests, while her dialogues move the action forward without monopolizing it.

As reviewers have already noted, the series involves a Renaissance heroine (and student of Leonardo da Vinci) who can fly, the household in which she serves, her lesbian passions, and – as we ...more

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May 29, 2020 Karen rated it it was amazing

Wow, what an exciting conclusion to the novel! I have to admit that since being home all day every day for weeks, it’s been hard to read, but I managed to finished this book more quickly than the others I’ve been reading. There are some interesting twists to the plot. For myself, I was fascinated by the science and history that Florentina teaches the children. There is action, intrigue and romance. I enjoyed the family dynamics, especially when Portia speaks with Magdalena about her love life. T ...more

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Jun 11, 2020 Kristian Walls rated it it was amazing

The compelling sequel to Merchants of Milan is exactly what I was hoping for after the exciting start of The Night Flyer trilogy. Secrets of Milan is a profound and intriguing story. Everything is unsettled and there is no clear path for the characters to take.
Book two is full of suspense. The general feel is one of mystery and intrigue. Secrets and cloak and dagger tactics run rampant and it is up to Florentina to solve the mystery of the secret society plaguing Europe before its too late.
The p ...more

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About Edale Lane

Edale Lane

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Edale Lane is the pen name used by Melodie Romeo for her LGBTQ literature to differentiate from her more mainstream stories. She is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi. She earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree in History from the University of West Florida. Ms Romeo is a retired school teacher who currently travels the count ...more