Juliet by Anne Fortier

Julie Jacobs's life is turned upside down after the death of her Aunt Rose. While her twin Janice inherits the estate, Julie only recieves a letter and a key. The letter informs her that she is really Giulietta Tolomei and that her long-dead mother has left her with a legacy in Siena, Italy. She also discovers that she is a descent of another Giulietta Tolomei, the inspiration for Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Julie's search for her heritage in Siena leads to adventure and romance. As Julie searches for the truth behind her family, she encounters several old texts that share the fate of 13th century Giulietta and her Romeo. As she reads these texts, she learns about a curse that may or may not be still haunting her family.

I found this story to be very entertaining. The mystery of Julie's inheritance was filled with DaVinci Code type moments. Honestly, this book was more adventurous than I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a heartwarming tale about a woman discovering herself, instead I got a fast-paced adventure. It was a nice surprise. I also enjoyed the interwoven story of Giulietta and Romeo. Personally I've never been a fan of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I always thought the characters were annoying. I disliked that they chose suicide as a solution to their problem. Fortier's story was tragic, but the main characters were victims of horrible circumstances, not just some silly star-crossed lovers. I liked the character of Giulietta, she was quite a woman. Siena was not a city I had ever read much about, so I enjoyed reading about it as both a medieval and current place. It seems like an interesting place to visit someday.

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it.