Acquired Book By: When I first started book blogging in [2013] one of my first touring companies to work with was Tomorrow Comes Media who worked in conjunction with Seventh Star Press (an Indie publisher of Speculative Fiction) whilst featuring other Indie and/or Self Published authors. I am a regular blog tour hostess with Tomorrow Comes Media and enjoy getting to read a wide range of Speculative Fiction across Science Fiction, Fantasy and Cosy Horror genres of interest. Sometimes the stories are genre-benders and/or they’re embracing the beauty of #SpecLit to such a degree they are their own unique niche in the larger expanse of the genre itself. 2020 marks my seventh year hosting for Tomorrow Comes Media and Seventh Star Press respectively.
I received a complimentary copy of “Chaos in Milan” direct from the author Edale Lane in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
And, for the new visitors & readers alighting on this review –
You might be curious what drew me into the Night Flyer Trilogy:
One of the highlights for me during the turmultous 2020 year of reading was the DISCOVERY of Edale Lane and her Night Flyer trilogy! I kid you not – it was one of the most engaging & layered Historical Fantasies I’ve read in recent years whilst it was wickedly historical in scope and even brought forth a variant of impressioning Leonardo da Vinci into the background of a series he isn’t technically physically present inside! And, yet,… dear hearts, he is evermore a part of this trilogy!
I originally crossed paths with Ms Lane early-on in February, 2020 wherein I first started my journey into her Night Flyer trilogy and of whom has written such a convicting slow-burn Historical Romance set within a Renaissance Fantasy world. And, that dear hearts – right there is the heart of the series itself – how one author can curate such a convicting premise & carry it through a trilogy you’re not sure you’re even prepared to see END and give us a thirst of excitement about what the ‘finale’ and final installment will mean for the characters we’ve come to know so dearly well!!
I first discovered her style of writing whilst I read “Merchants of Milan”. I anchoured the delightful #vlog interview I shared after my readings of “Merchants of Milan” with my ruminative thoughts of “Secrets of Milan” and a follow-up interview on behalf of the second installment as well.
Meanwhile, If you haven’t yet seen the lovely in-depth #behindthebook featured guest essay Ms Lane contributed to my stop on her tour with OWI – kindly take a moment to visit her words to find out how Art History and research into the world of art played such a strong role in how she developed the background of this series! This blog tour was a bit of a preview of what would come next during the Tomorrow Comes Media tour (for “Secrets of Milan”) which is why I was thankful to be a part of both tours and have the chance to feature this author on five separate occasions whilst helping to relate to my readers why I am enjoying her stories and why they ought to consider placing her trilogy on their #nextreads list!
Oh! And, not to mention I nominated AND advocated for “Merchants of Milan” as one of the books to be added into the library during a library drive during September, 2020! And, for those of whom missed my End of the Year Survey – you might want to open this TWEET!
However, we also had a delightful time meeting up with each other in 2020, too! It was the first year where I could meet an author I had loved reading and appreciated the conversation we shared, the memories we had over lunch and the joys of being a reader in a time and age where writers like to meet their readers on the spur of when their lives can intersect with each other!
To continue hosting this author via Tomorrow Comes Media has been a delight of joy – as they truly champion Indie Authors and Indie Publishers. It felt right to celebrate this third and final (?) installment of the series with TCM as the story comes to its natural conclusion. Or does it? I know there is a question mark if this is indeed the final story of the Night Flyer series – something I will be addressing after my review in regards to what my takeaways are about this series extending itself past the first trilogy and where I hope the series could go from where we’ve concluded this sequencing of the story itself.
If you’ve been privy to all the posts as they alighted on my blog last year, you know what you’re bracing for in the finale as much as I do! I am quite eager to see if I’ve unearthed whom is whom behind the whole conspiratorial plot as much as I want to see how Lane has knitted together all the fragments and tangents of the story overall! She has such a creative mind and an ingenious way of fusing it all together – just to see the final showdown (or is it?) happen is going to be EPIC.
For those of you whom are new to Jorie Loves A Story,
let me share a bit about why I loved reading the Night Flyer trilogy by way of Secrets of Milan:
One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed reading this trilogy by Ms Lane is how she’s chosen to merge Historical details from our own living histories of the Renaissance into a new timeline of where Historical Fantasy can cross-sect with known History. In this way, we’re re-peering into the Renaissance through the eyes of a keen researcher who knows how to insert historical details which align with her fantastical elements (such as the Night Flyer). The series itself is definitely a succession of sociological observation and intrigue – in how she chooses to lay a firm hand on the behaviours and choices of her characters (lead, supporting and even the villain’s!) to where she orchestrates this lovely symphony of drama percolating through the series.
There are even moments wherein I learnt more about History and the ways in which History afforded certain allowances for women (both in the freedom of pursuing business to how the structure of society had been laid out) through reading this series and of which I will highlight within our conversation when I share my follow-up interview with Ms Lane on the 6th of July. This is another reason why I love reading Historical Fiction (overall) as it let’s you tuck close to the historic past and re-see those historical eras with finite detail you might have either overlooked elsewhere or been unable to find.
The human condition is definitely explored throughout the Night Flyer trilogy – however, in this instance, for the sequel I felt Lane did a wonderful job of giving us a more introspective response to the continuing events which are shaping her characters’ lives. She choose to take us deeper into the heart of what is fuelling Maddie’s quandary over embracing newfound happiness and romance whilst at the same time she presented us with a morally gray character who was seeking his own redemption for a life he felt was forfeited. It is through these new insights on behalf of her characters we start to see the greater picture of the series itself – not just the intrigue about the unknown but how her characters are shaping the trilogy and how the trilogy is being built behind them.
A special treat of this installment I felt was the inclusion of the Christmastide celebrations of Renaissance Milan! You get to see the traditions and the cultural or religious ways in which people would celebrate the Christmas season as a reflection of the era but also a reflection of how despite everything going on in their lives, Christmas did not take a hiatus from arriving. They each had to find ways to both acknowledge Christmas and either make peace with the holiday on arrival or find ways to muddle their way through it. I loved those details because Christmas has always been a special holiday for me and my family; as it was one of those holidays where traditions were constantly passed down, cherished and celebrated.
I was not quite prepared for how Secrets of Milan concludes because it owns to the title – wherein there are far more secrets afloat in the series now than there were previously! Including one that I felt would be difficult for Florentina to maintain as it might drive a wench in her relationship with Maddie – time will of course tell in that regard but for me personally, I loved how this one concluded because it honed in on the heart of the series – giving us more time to spend with Florentina and Maddie as their relationship drew closer together and allowed us further chance to peer into this hidden dark world Florentina is bent on exposing. Towards that end, the tenacles of how this secret world interacts with society is more intricate than a spider’s web and far more deadlier than a black widow.
-quoted from my book review for Secrets of Milan
Chaos in Milan
Subtitle: Book Three of the Night Flyer Trilogy
by Ms Edale Lane, Edale Lane
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Enggar Adirasa
Source: Direct from Author
One woman stands between chaos and order – the Night Flyer.
When chaos strikes at the heart of Milan, it is up to Florentina’s alter-ego the Night Flyer to stop it. As Florentina and Madelena’s love deepens, so does the well of danger surrounding them. The race is on to discover the mysterious Shadow Guild and uncover who is behind the deadly rampage, but Florentina’s mission is threatened by a gang of assassins. Can the Night Flyer prevail, or will Maddie’s love be ripped from her arms?
Chaos in Milan is the third book in Edale Lane’s Night Flyer Trilogy, a tale of power, passion, and payback in Renaissance Italy. If you like action and suspense, rich historical background, three-dimensional characters, and a sweet romance, then you’ll want to complete the Night Flyer saga.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 979-8578153334
Also by this author: Heart of Sherwood, Viking Quest, Merchants of Milan, (Video) Interview feat. Edale Lane (Merchants of Milan), Secrets of Milan (Guest Post by Author), Secrets of Milan, Secrets of Milan (Interview)
Also in this series: Merchants of Milan, Secrets of Milan
Published by Past & Prologue Press
on 8th December, 2020
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 246
The Night Flyer trilogy:
Merchants of Milan (book one) | see also Review
Secrets of Milan (book two) | see also Review
Chaos in Milan (book three)
Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Alternative History,
as well as Renaissance (time period), Action and Adventure, Superhero Fiction
Identities represented: F/F Romance, Lesbian friendship/relationships
Converse via: #WyrdAndWonder, #HistoricalFantasy, #SapphicFiction,
#SpeculativeFiction, #LGBTQ and #NightFlyerTrilogy with #EdaleLane
one aspect of the trilogy I am in love with:
I am truly captured by how Lane has chosen to tempt us with a rapid curiosity about the secret society who consistently meets in the shadows of the novel(s). They do not disclose their names nor their full intentions of why they have chosen to meet in clandestine ways but in this Prologue for Secrets of Milan – you gather a bit more of a sense about what is motivating them even if you’re still trying to guess what their endgame might entail.
Keeping with the secrecy, Lane only gives us a smidge of an idea about how expansive their reach truly is by disclosing how when it comes to interacting with each other, they only know the location of their individual cities vs disclosing identifying information! This is a bit interesting on several levels because it shows how the society itself is dearly entrenched into the events of the series itself – as they have this peripheral viewing of the events as their unfolding but they also are a step removed from them as well.
What keeps my curiosity piqued though is finding out (at long last) how influential they were on the course of the events which led to certain tragedies in the series and of course, if they had any leverage of power which might have affected how other circumstances would play out as well. They definitely seem to have an interesting attachment to monitoring the Night Flyer and in that regard, readers will denote one interesting observation about how they are gaining their information. (in effect they mention something about the Night Flyer which eludes that even they do not know as much as they believe they do about everything)
a note of explanation & apology:
Originally, my review for this lovely blog tour was meant to run during my #HistoricalMondays featured reviews last week. However, due to a personal emergency I had to withdraw my review as it wasn’t ready to be shared and due to circumstances out of my control that morning, I wasn’t able to complete the review in time to run during the blog tour; either on my scheduled day or throughout the final days of the tour. The past week has been emotionally & physically taxing on both myself and my family – it took until this weekend just to feel we’d turnt a corner on everything but we still have some adverse circumstances to work through. I have also been having issues with reading and blogging stemming from health issues and injuries I had sustained at the end of January which is why my beloved #SatBookChat has been placed on hiatus for the month of February.
I apologise for the blog tour followers, to the author and tour host Tomorrow Comes Media for this extended delay in reading my thoughts on behalf of the third story in this beautifully conceived trilogy. It was not for lack of enthusiasm as this became one of my top favourite series I read in 2020 if you took stock of my post I shared in January which summarised my End of the Year Survey for 2020.
I was thankful both Tomorrow Comes Media and the author understood my delays and gave me the grace to go through the week and come back to my blog at a time which worked better for me.
Therefore I am showcasing this a week later during #HistoricalMondays the day after St. Valentine’s Day as it truly is a testament to the power of love and the hope we all have to find someone who understands us without needing to explain ourselves. This is a Historical Fantasy series with a f/f romantic thread weaving in and out of the adventures of the Night Flyer which hinges the story with the suspenseful bits which kept me coming back for each new installment!
For everyone experiencing non-traditional weather patterns this Winter, I pray and hope you and your families are safe whilst riding out the storms as our climate and weather starts to re-write what is plausible in our challenging world of meteorological events.
my review of chaos in milan:
I had stepped away from the series just long enough to have forgotten about one secret alliance which might have been important to have remembered as it became a renewed surprising reveal to me as I entered into Chaos in Milan. As for such a long time within the series, both Maddie and Fiore are two warriors against the world – keeping themselves secreted from public and prying eyes whilst not allowing themselves the indulgence of having someone know about their connection to each other outside their own confidences. Hence why at first I was finding myself curious about the revelation Maddie learns so early-on in this installment of the series until I reminded myself – yes, of course, it would surprise her but it shouldn’t have surprised me!
Prior to this scene, where we get into the thick of the conspiracies swirling behind the drama of the series and the reasons why the suspense has oft kept me guessing at the truer reasons why there are deceptions within this world – we re-entered Fiore’s life as a the Night Flyer, seeing her in action in the streets and seeing once again what she has to contend with in order to defend her own identity as the ‘Night Flyer’ as that has now become an issue she has to contend with proving whilst still finding ways to protect the innocent and marginalised in her society.
I felt this was a wicked good place to put us in this installment – to showcase Fiore’s dedication to protecting the people of Milan against the harder issue in resolving what is actually happening in Milan from the perspective of what she’s been investigating and how that investigation has led her to some alarming realities very close to home. As Lane starts to pull the veil off those responsible for the reprehensible acts in the series, we first get privy to those who are working as peacekeepers rather than adding any fuel to the fires already established in the conspiracy arc itself. It is here where there is ample curiosity to find out more about how her characters were able to maintain their secrecy as their involvement in those acts of investigative peacekeeping practices went counter-current to the conspiratorial nature of the series itself. In other words, it is wicked good folly to finally see all the pieces of the trilogy’s puzzle starting to come together in front of us as we read this conclusionary installment!
One of the sweeter sidelines in the plot is how Florentina influenced a young and impressionable maid to stand strong against her bullies and those who wish her harm. It was lovely seeing this young girl re-emerge now – noting her personal growth and the warmth of the pride in Fiore’s heart knowing she had taken on the task of changing a person’s life simply by listening to them and finding a way to help them move forward past a tragic circumstance not of their own control. It also showed how Fiore like Maddie has a heart for the marginalised and how both women prefer to fight for social justice whenever they can and more than ever find meaning in their work. For Maddie it was accumulating in the house for women and girls’ and for Fiore it was in the smaller acts such as the efforts she put into helping the young maid. There is a lot of maternal heart threading through the series and also in how both women approach what renews their own soul and heart – in regards to what is most important to them to both accomplish and give help towards influencing positive change in their society.
Peering into the Hope House Maddie built for women girls’ was a wonderful moment as it showcased how homes like these do a lot of good towards helping those who have fallen on hard times find ways to put their lives back on track. We have some of these homes in our country too – especially for young unwed mothers who want to find a safe place to have their babies and start to rebuild their lives through classes, education and a bit of help in finding jobs which will help them rejoin society as they work towards living independently of the group homes. The same philosophy was being established in this Hope House and it was one of my favourite sequences because of how organic this thread of interest fit into the backbone of the series.
Of course, not everything is ever truly benign in this series – there are forces of darkness everywhere and especially in regards to those who seek to do harm to the lead characters. It is an interesting series from that angle as because Lane is showcasing independent women at a time in History where not all women were equal nor as free to live as Fiore and Maddie are themselves – there are some negatives attached to their choices in lifestyles. For Maddie, being a widower Lane explores how this places her at greater risk for being a man’s prized reward or a pursuit of a misguided passion play by someone who would not make a good match at all no matter who the woman would be for his liking. In other regards, both of them do as they please and live by their own code of rules but sometimes their lives are at risk due to that fire and independence in their veins because it goes counter-current to regular society. I love the risks Lane took to showcase their lives differently than their contemporaries but also to show how adversely challenging it is to live this independently in a world that was not yet prepared for women to seek power and position in business much less outside the home or state of marriage.
I was thrilled to bits to see what had become of Benetto – he was a hard character for me to reconcile in the series – as he just didn’t seem to have anything redeemable about him and yet, his time ‘away’ as it were to figure out life from a perspective he never intended to experience has done him well. It has given him a chance to regroup and sort out things most people never take the time to do with their own lives. Even the incredible strength and will of his wife – to both thrive out of their adversity and to find serenity in her own terminal health diagnosis is a witness to their overall change as a family dynamic. Yet it was how he seemed to have changed internally himself – from how he viewed his circumstances to how he wanted to re-approach re-entering the world of business. I could only hope this change was everlasting and not a fleeting one as if anyone could prove redemption is plausible even with undesirable characters, it would be Benetto!
I loved how Lane discusses duality and the concept of perception – how one person sees something as one way and another views it differently entirely. It came be quite surprisingly insightful to see how what most would deem beneficial and beautiful others might see as negative and ugly. It is this concept of duality and the duelling perspectives of the women (ie. Fiore, Maddie, etc) and the conspirators who come to a head in this storyline. The conspirators themselves thrive on destruction – something which has been evermore present since the beginning of the trilogy because they see themselves able to gain leverage through violence and through the chaos of what comes from such violent acts. They do not see mediation and peace as a method forward nor do they appreciate progress and enlightenment. If anything they consider most of that a threat to themselves and to others at large in the wider world. In essence, where most would consider things which expand human understanding and knowledge to be beneficial to progressing forward these people would prefer to view all of that as a giant step backward in furthering our progress into the future.
For those of us who were hoping the master of influence on Fiore might take a bow in the series finally makes his presence known in Chaos in Milan. It was handled so well and fit so organically into the background of the story, I was quite overjoyed he finally was able to be ‘seen’ in-scene! As the conspiracy and the conspirators were finally unmasked and presented into the foreground of the story, I must say, I was not overly surprised by the person responsible for the heartaches and the despair affecting Milan as a city as a whole. The circumstances which led to the reveal and to the person’s choice to choose this line of destruction truly made sense once Fiore and Maddie had all the information. In many regards it was quite a sombering ending because of how hard it was to reconcile what truly led to the madness and to the violence.
I can see where Lane has left the door open on these characters and has cleverly left herself a way to move forward with them. Either by writing a new trilogy or by writing stand-alone sequels which would creatively extend the series. I would even imagine, there is room for growth for even the Night Flyer and for the work both Fiore and Maddie love to do both together and independently of each other. The character I felt had a greater role in this third installment was Maddie’s brother – as he truly had the chance to shine in this volume of the series. He is a bit of a mystery up until now and the more you get the chance to get to know him the more he is appreciated. One critical reason I am thankful he had such an expanding role this time round is because of how important the ending is to surmise the strength of family, love and the uniting unity of siblings. There is a lot going on behind the suspenseful arc of this series and at the heart of it is a family which I loved the most.
Small fly in the ointment:
Normally I can overlook certain scenes which are more graphic than most but I think because of the events of the past week and of finding myself taking longer to read stories overall as I’ve had a rough go at reading this New Year, the scene involving the eye was one I had to gloss over and move past because I just couldn’t take the details right now. For those who are sensitive to those kinds of scenes it occurs towards the final chapters of the novel as it is part of the showdown and finale of the trilogy.
on the historical & fantastical styling of edale lane:
Lane has a wonderful gift for giving her readers a great intense reckoning of place and setting within her series to where whichever installment you pick up to read first, you can gain a wealth of information about the context of the series, the journey of her characters and in this concluding chapter of the initial trilogy (as there is a rumour the stories or characters within this world might yet continue forward) you can see how she’s tucked in reminders of the past, reconnected key events and revelations as well as solidified the continuity for you to ease into the series at your own personal point of entrance. I personally recommend reading this one start to finish – to ensure you take the journey through the romantic arc between Maddie and Fiore as it is the best way to understand their relationship but if time is short or if you’ve unbeknownst to yourself picked up the second or third installment rather than the first – I think you’ll find yourself comfortable within the series.
This one involves finding clues towards understanding the method of cipher used by the conspirators to mask their intentions and their activities. As both Fiore and Maddie had a copy of their words and philosophies which outlined their ongoing plans and efforts. A part of me was wholly intrigued by the concept of a hidden layer of ciphered text within the surfaced words they were reading – as it was a clever way of hiding information in plain sight. I was curious how Lane would handle revealling the secret to the cipher and how long it would take her characters to find it as that would increase the risks for Fiore and Maddie as they continued to sleuth and seek out more of the secrets the conspirators wanted to hide from everyone’s sight.
Equality in Lit: LGBTQ+ relationships
There has always been an open discourse in the series about Maddie and Fiore’s relationship. In this third installment, it is broached from the POV of a teenager who wishes to understand the connection between the two women and how that affects their own understanding about love and relationships. It is openly discussed between the teen (Maddie’s niece) and Fiore directly – giving weight to the need to always be transparent to topics and subjects which arise in our lives and to be comfortable enough to discuss them when children and teens ask questions. I felt the topic was handled quite well and that it served a purpose at this junction in the series.
This blog tour is courtesy of:
Follow the rest of the blog tour for wicked insightful reviews & more guest features:
This post is part of my #EnterTheFantastic showcases!
A book blogger’s journey into the realms of Fantasy betwixt and between #WyrdAndWonder (annually in May).
{SOURCES: Book covers for “Secrets of Milan”, “Merchants of Milan” and “Chaos in Milan” as well as the dual flat cover graphic, book synopsis for “Chaos in Milan”, author photo (of Edale Lane) and biography as well as the TCM badge and blog tour banner were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #EnterTheFantastic Book Review banner, #EnterTheFantastic banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2021.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
.@joriestory NEW #HistoricalMondays
"I can see where Lane has left the door open on these characters and has cleverly left herself a way to move fwd. Either by writing a new trilogy or stand-alone sequels which would creatively extend the series."?
??https://t.co/Rl8Gb6oHMN pic.twitter.com/S7uIuAEJom
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter ?? (@joriestory) February 16, 2021
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #EnterTheFantastic
- 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Leave a Reply