Florence, 1464.

Within the cloistered walls of a convent school, young art student Sandro Botticelli steals a kiss from a beautiful schoolgirl named Simonetta-a fleeting moment that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

As Florence blossoms into the heart of the Renaissance, Sandro rises from apprentice to celebrated artist under the patronage of the Medici family. Yet despite fame and acclaim, he remains consumed by memories of the girl who captured his heart. Simonetta, now a celebrated beauty trapped by the expectations of marriage and society, longs for a life of freedom and dance denied to women of her station.

When fate reunites them years later, their connection ignites into a forbidden love that neither can resist. But in a city ruled by ambition, appearances, and the watchful eyes of Church and family, desire comes at a dangerous price. Jealous rivals, political intrigue, scandal, and even death threaten to destroy everything they hold dear.

As Sandro immortalizes Simonetta in his paintings, transforming her into the eternal face of beauty, he discovers that art may preserve love-but it cannot protect the living from heartbreak.

Set amid the splendor and turbulence of Renaissance Florence, The Adoration of Simonetta is a sweeping tale of passion, obsession, and sacrifice, perfect for readers of The Birth of Venus, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and The Marriage Portrait.

Some loves fade with time. Others are painted into eternity.