Hiding the Flame

Hiding the Flame is a richly atmospheric historical novel set in Florence, 1497, during Girolamo Savonarola's religious revolution and the infamous Bonfires of the Vanities. At the heart of the story is Francesca Rosini, a talented but silenced painter whose life is defined by obedience, secrecy and fear.

Married to a rigidly devout merchant, Francesca hides her artistry in small sketches and washed-out pigments kept behind locked drawers. Her world changes when she meets Vittoria, a merchant's wife with an independent spirit and a compassionate, knowing gaze. What begins as friendship blooms into something far more dangerous: a forbidden relationship that awakens Francesca's passion for art, truth and selfhood.

As Florence's political climate grows increasingly volatile, the crackdown on "sinful" expression intensifies. Paintings are burned, books are destroyed and women are expected to remain silent and dutiful. Francesca must decide whether to continue living in hiding, or risk everything to follow the calling she can no longer ignore.

Exploring themes of queer identity, female agency, artistic resistance, religious repression and the personal cost of courage, Hiding the Flame offers a moving portrayal of love in an era where such emotions were condemned. The novel will appeal to readers of Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, Jessie Burton, Sue Monk Kidd and Kiran Millwood Hargrave - particularly those who seek lyrical, emotionally resonant historical fiction with LGBTQ+ representation.

With its evocative setting, compelling character dynamics and nuanced exploration of secrecy and self-expression, Hiding the Flame stands as a powerful depiction of the risks faced by women - and queer women especially - during one of Europe's most turbulent cultural shifts.