An Uprising In Rome: 1849: (Historical Fiction Book 1)

Finalist 2020 Page Turner Awards, England. Based on actual events between 1846 and 1850 in Italy and America. A young American sculptor in Rome, meets and falls in love with a beautiful Italian woman who belongs to a secret society intent on unifying the Kingdoms of Italy. She introduces him to the world of Italian politics, and its dangerous subversive activities. She is asked to help the famous American journalist Margaret Fuller, sent to Rome to report on the political unrest in Italy. Fuller falls in love with a young Italian aristocrat, and he and the young American sculptor become part of Garibaldi’s military force defending Rome from a siege by the French army. The couples flee to Florence, and together cross the Atlantic on a tragic voyage.

Novak's description and use of Rome as a setting is magnificent...
...It allows the city to house the love and struggle in this story without taking over as the city, steeped in ancient grandeur, often does. This, coupled with Novak's excellent conveyance of the civil strife which occurred after Pia Nono's ascension as the new head of the Papal States, created a narrative which delivers more than romance and history. It intertwines multiple genres (romance, thriller and historical fiction) to become a fantastic piece of literary fiction... 
Reedsy Discovery Review 
Kristiana Reed