Painter of the Damned (Painted Souls Book 2)

In the 2nd novel of this series Nick and Julia O'Connor are hoping to return home from their vacation in Venice, which has been nothing less than a nightmare. Nick is trying desperately to rid his mind, and his desires, for a 16th century soul mate who is entombed in a Tintoretto painting. It is a purgatory for thousands of other souls. The painting titled Paradise is controlled by Salvatore della Porta, a corrupt head of an ancient, enigmatic order. Nick and Julia are enroute to the American consulate when they are detained by Interpol and Salvatore della Porta is behind it all.

Salvatore believes that Nick, in a previous life, where he met Isabella, his soul mate, knows the location of a book which will bring della Porta a power that can change the world or topple the order. Nick is detained and Julia is desperate to save her husband and to stop della Porta in his tracks. The new life force of Paradise is a young artist, Carlo Zuccaro, who has become the new painter and warden of the damned, but Julia is unaware of this as she befriends him in an attempt to rescue her husband. All the while Nick is still entwined with his past life and his struggles continue on many fronts.

Rob Samborn is simply a master at his craft. This story enchanted me with history, magic, art, adventure and the characters were absolutely captivating. He has a talent that is equal to or even surpasses that of author Dan Brown. The literary visuals that he creates in his stories is worthy of a major screen play production, generating excitement and intrigue from the first page to the last page. If you like action packed tales of adventure with an interesting blend of history thrown in, you're going to love this one! For everything I mentioned above, this is a must read!