Rating: 
Summary: A disapointment, wait for paperback
Review: Set in Renaissance Venice, Michelle Jaffe's first book, Stargazer left me with mixed feelings. At one point I truly enjoyed the book, at another point I found it to be pointless, boring and long.When Ian Forcassi walks into the house of a renouned courtesean and finds Biance Salva pulling a dagger out of her heart naturally he assumes that she is the murdered. Instead of turning her into the authorities, Ian decides to announce that Bianca is his betrothed, therefore making his family happy that he will be finally getting married. Knowing that Biance will be found guilty of murder and eventually hung, Ian knows that the betrothal will be short lived. Determined to prove her innocence, Bianca convinces Ian to allow her one week to prove who the real murderer is. During the week of their "betrothal" Ian and Bianca fall in love, all the while trying to find who the murderer is. I did like the interesting storyline and the dialog. It was obvious that the author is well versed in Renaissance history. What I didn't like the way that Ian treated Bianca. Bianca was constantly berated, treated like a criminal, anythingthing she did to prover her innocence Ian tried to turn it around on her and wouldn't listen. This could have been a very good book if it wasn't for that aspect. Read it for yourself and judge.
Rating:
Summary: Too much Star-Gazing?
Review: Michelle Jaffe's first book, set in Renaissance Venice, introduced me a whole different kind of genre. Because of this book, historical romances are more enjoyable; however, this particular story wasn't all engrossing. Though the title really doesn't involve any kind of astronomy or stargazing except a little part, it encompasses a different kind of startgazing... A wealthy jaded man, Ian Foscari, catches Bianca Salva, a scientist of sorts, with a dagger in her hand and a well-known but veyr dead courtesan known by both Bianca and Ian. Obviously, he assumes Bianca is guilty but takes her as his fiancé to quell the harping of getting married from his brothers as well as to keep his eye on her as they both investigate the murder of the courtesan. ((At this part--you quark your eyebrow at the idea Jaffe is throwing at you. Not all that plausible, but give it a try.)) To prove her innocence, Bianca is given one week to clear herself, and it's an interesting adventure. The characters are both very strong and Bianca is very independent and curious, she's very refreshing, no backing down. She is very innocent, hence her open curiosity, while Ian is jaded by a revengeful former lover. Lots of adventure, mystery and romance. Jaffe is well educated in Renaissance history and it shows. The story really doesn't seemt o be well put together. It's a little choppy or some parts rushed. It's not as corny or roll your eyes type of romance at least. The two main characters are pretty well developed but everyone else is kind of 2-D or flat. I wouldn't mind reading it again, at least for awhile that is. If you don't like the story, at least you learned something about history. Ri-ight. I was cut down the line. It was great but it's not so bad you can't read it. You'll just have to read and see for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, I'm not gonna read it again...
Review: ...But it has its good points, too. The plot is very interesting, the characters equally engaging, and the history well researched. The writing, however, leaves something to be desired. I can't quite put my finger on the problem, but there were numerous times when the story felt extremely unreal because of the way it was written. That said, I had no trouble finishing it, which I usually do when books suck. The end is predictable, but the plot never loses interest.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the romance?
Review: Very disappointing novel...wish I had paid paperback price. The plot was interesting so I was hooked, but as I read I became disenchanted. I enjoy a intelligent heroine and was disappointed that Bianca could be so consumed by sex (not love) that she often forgets to work on solving the mystery. (My heroine would be able to say "I love ya, but I've got a murder to solve.") Also the love scenes were in my view pornographic. This is where romance novels differ than other love/mystery novels in my opinion. Romance is that mysterious element between two characters, eye contact, tingling sensations, etc. I do not understand why so many good authors must describe the sex scenes so graphically...is this to sell books? Ms. Jaffe's book is entertaining, but her characters were inconsistent (not believable). Her sexual scenes were too graphic and too often distracted from the plot. I wish I had my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply a mess!!!
Review: This "simply" has to be one of the worst books I have ever read. I can say that I seriously considered dropping this one in the trash! However I perservered and found this: an extremely choppy mess with a rushed onset-pressing an excessive amount of secondary characters before we had even been introduced to the primaries. "Simple" me had figured out the killer after the first introduction to the cousin and the ending was long-overstated with a blunt ending of the harsh herione finally saying the "I love you". At first I was excited-the setting-Venice-rare not your typical "ton" atmosphere. I was extremely disappointed about the form of the text-shocked the author is a Harvar graduate-seen better writing in high school. The reasons I gave it one star-the scenery-sadly wasted on this book. Too bad she couldn't have applied this discription to the characters. The sex was hot-but if I wanted strait erotica I would have picked several other authors. Overall-"Simply" disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad for a first time writer.
Review: I think it's not too bad for a first time writer. I do have problems with the continuity of the events. It is very choppy and confusing. You get the impression that there are pages missing between pages. I did however enjoy the plot and the dialogues, and the characters are likeable, although i'm sure they would have found out who the real killer is in the middle of the book. All they had to do is ask Bianca's brother who asked him to commission the dagger. But, this is her first book and i've read worse books from other experienced writers. That's why I gave it 3 stars. There's still room for improvement.
Rating:
Summary: That's what I get for buying a book for its cover!
Review: This book contained some of the worst writing I've ever seen published. The scenes were choppy and unrelated. The characters were flat, and even then they were inconsistent. The tone of the book switched from page to page so you never knew what you were to be feeling. The sex was jarring and emotionless. I won't even mention the lack of (or perhaps disregard of) historical research that was evident. I threw my copy away so no one else would have to suffer at my hands. If you want a good historical romance about Venice try Susan Wiggs' Lord of the Night.
Rating: 
Summary: A different type of romance, but brillant just the same
Review: When I first started reading THE STARGAZER, I was not used to that kind of romance novel and I was put off by it. I thought it was boring and lacked enough romance to keep me interested. But as I read further and finished the whole book, I realized that this was just not an ordinary romance novel, but it is a complex mystery story that, as it progresses, strengthens the love, passion, and trust between our two heroes: Bianca Salva and Ian Foscari. CHARACTERS BIANCA SALVA: By passionately and devotedly taking up the study of the human anatomy in Renaissance Venice where womens' education is frowned upon, Bianca risks her reputation as a gracious noblewoman. She is one of the most intelligently written female characters I've ever encountered in a romance novel because she has a remarkable method of reasoning and logicality that makes her come across and striking and intriguing. She is so persistent that she even strives to be the first woman to have her anatomical drawings and discoveries printed in a book. She is an amazing, beautiful woman whose intelligence and sexual passions make her unforgettable. IAN FOSCARI: Also known as an Arboretti due to his family business shared amongst him and his other good-looking male relatives, he is also every bit as intriguing and unforgettable as his eventual love, Bianca. Although he has an extremely difficult time trusting her innocence during their murder investigation together, his caring, love, and intuition win out. Passionate and handsome, his intelligence and massive sex appeal is also apparent. The only thing that is wrong with him is that he appears to have some striking weaknesses that do not seem to be consistent with his character. However, the action that he performs for Bianca at the very end of the story is very touching and reveals how much love this man is actually capable of. Honestly, due to the murder mystery and passion and countless clues and side stories going on simultaneously, this book is complex. It's not one to read in a day because each sentence and occurence should be pondered in order to understand the entire scope of the story. But if you have patience, you will be rewarded with a brilliant story full of breathtaking adventure, intense passionate heat, and powerful love. Truly one of the best books I've read in my life.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I was glad to read that other reviewers were disappointed by this book. I was impressed that the author has a degree in literature from Harvard University, and was looking forward to some really good writing. What I found instead were extremely weak characters, an unrealistic plot premise, and sex scenes that were graphic enough to distract from the story, yet seemed to contain no emotion. I would not call this book a romance. I bought the paperback in a bookstore, and I am really wishing I could have the 6.99 back to spend on a different book!
Rating:
Summary: The Stargazer
Review: Absolute rubbish. Character are immature and stilted. You cannot like any of them. Supposedly, the male lead is of a superior intellect. It's hardly visible in this author's dialogue. Could not finish.
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