Romance has always been one of my favorite genres. Although this is true, there is time for romance and other times, it can seem like overkill. Venom, by Fiona Paul, was an interesting read that made me question whether I liked this book for a while. The beginning of the “Eternal Rose” series is about Cassandra, an upper class teenager living in the Renaissance period in the lovely city of Venice. The story begins at Cass’s friend’s funeral. After that, she meets Falco, a mysterious artist that floats around the graveyard near her family's estate. Together, they discover that her friend’s casket has been opened and the body has been replaced with someone else’s that has a red “X” on her chest. In this novel, Falco and Cass go on constant outings to discover who has been causing the murders around the town.

One of the reasons that this book troubles me is that the main focus seems to be on Falco. He is in Cass’s every thought, nearly on every page. It’s very realistic since she is a teenager, but at times it was frustrating that it was more focused on them being together, than solving the mysteries of the murders. Cass is in an arranged marriage in which her fiancé goes to study off in France for a few years. There is a lot that Cass must deal with and the book was very hard to get through because of this focus on romance issues. I kept reading and although there was a resolution, there will be more to uncover in the future novels in the series. Needless to say, I’m curious as to how it will play out, so it is something I might eventually pick up to read at a later time. It wasn't one of my favorites because it dragged through, but the little thrills kept me going.