The Varnish Protocol: A Romantic Suspense Thriller - Book 2 of Provenance Series

A wartime secret drowned beneath the Venetian tide. A coded archival trail. A syndicate that will burn the city to keep it buried...Four months after surviving the lethal fallout of the Raphael forgery in France, Dr. Evie Thorne has transformed her forensic laboratory into an operational command node. When an encrypted wartime correspondence from the 1943 Axis retreat surfaces in Venice, Evie discovers that the retreating officers did not merely loot Renaissance masters-they encoded the blueprint to a shadow banking empire directly into the chemical layers of antique protective varnishes.Reunited with Julian Vance and his razor-sharp tactical intelligence cell, Evie heads into the heart of Venice during the chaotic spectacle of Carnevale. But beneath the masked balls and gilded gondolas lies a submerged battlefield of centuries-old flooded foundations, crumbling palazzos, and treacherous lagoon currents.Every step through the city's labyrinth brings them closer to Aurelius Holdings, the clandestine financial conduit funding the Obsidian Network's global operations. But a rival syndicate broker is shadowing their every move, deploying cutthroat mercenary divers into the subterranean canals to ensure the archives remain lost beneath the rising tide.As the danger escalates and their unspoken desire boils over into undeniable intimacy, Evie and Julian must rely on each other's specialized instincts. In the murky waters of the Venetian underworld, a single misstep won't just cost them the evidence-it will drag them both to the bottom of the lagoon.The Varnish Protocol is the gripping, atmospheric second novel in The Provenance Series. Featuring immersive European settings, authentic materials chemistry, and electric romantic suspense, it delivers a breathtaking adventure across the historic shadows of Venice.