"New readers, beware! Once you start reading one of David's books, real life comes to a screeching halt until you finish it." - Sharon Kay Penman, Here Be Dragons and The Sunne In Splendour Some stories are part of a grand narrative. Others are small, insular, intimate, yet no less deserving to be told. Taken together, these pieces form a tapestry of life, love, and longing in early Renaissance Italy. At their heart of these stories are the false faces people wear to hide their true selves. Like the Venetian Carnivale masks, they are hardened, often grotesque, always mischievous. These are the Varnished Faces. Collected here are fourteen short stories from the acclaimed Star-Cross'd series, set both within Verona and the world outside its wall. Join Dante's son and Shakespeare's most mercurial creation as they seek their hearts' ease, wending their way through the lives and loves that will one day tear Verona apart. Filled with swashbuckling adventure, unrequited love, and brutal treachery, this epic journey recalls the best of Bernard Cornwell, Sharon Kay Penman, and Dorothy Dunnett. Praise for the Star-Cross'd Series: "A novel of intricate plot, taut narrative, sharp period detail and beautifully realized characters." - Publishers Weekly "Intricate plotting, well-staged scenes, and colorful descriptions enhance head-spinning but lively entertainment." - Kirkus Reviews "A delightful romp through the backstory of 'Romeo & Juliet.'" - Chicago Sun-Times "Be prepared to burn the midnight oil. It's well worth it." - Historical Novel Society "David Blixt bursts onto the historical fiction scene with this masterful tale of adventure, love, and intrigue -- this is high adventure at its best, an epic novel filled with the breathtaking feats and evanescent beauty of the early Renaissance." - C.W. Gortner, The Last Queen and The Tudor Secret "Shakespearean actor David Blixt traces the genesis of the famous feud between the Montagues and Capulets in this sharp, arresting novel that is completely impossible to put down." - Michelle Moran, Nefertiti and Madame Tussaud "Dante's Italy and the internecine, blood-feuding struggle of the dominant families of the northern city states. This story of corruption and the quest for power is as compelling as Mario Puzo'sGodfather and as thrilling as any of Rafael Sabatini's historical adventures." - Peter Tremayne, The Chalice Of Blood