The Renaissance Club: Timegathering series Book 1 by Rachel Dacus

Touring beautiful northern Italy with her slow-quitting boyfriend is like having a nightmare in heaven for this art historian. But what if she could travel back in time to meet her Renaissance hero in person?

May Gold escapes her frustrating life in daydreams of 17th century artist Gianlorenzo Bernini. She fervently wishes she lived in a more romantic time, when passionate geniuses made gorgeous art. No sooner does this wish escape her than like a genie summoned from his bottle, their tour guide parts the curtains of time, and May comes face-to-face with her handsome idol.

Can it really be Bernini? His burning gaze captivated countless women and now bores through her as he questions her presence in St. Peter’s Basilica, where he’s working to ornament the church. She tells him his glorious future as the world’s most famous artist, and he pronounces her his chosen historian. Eyeing her up and down, he also asks her to model for him and quickly sketches her. To be a portrait by Bernini! Did it really happen?

But when she slips back to the present, she aches to return and help prevent the disasters she knows await Bernini. Their tour guide allows May several more visits to her favorite genius, and with each visit, they fall more deeply in love. She warns him about the obstacles and realizes she would sacrifice her life to improve his. But will she have the chance?