Cover Crush: A Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter

The cover of A Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter looks like a Renaissance portrait pulled straight out of a gilded frame. A young man in a ruffled collar and dark velvet doublet stares directly at us as the viewer, holding a quill, a jeweled ring on his finger and something slightly questioning in his expression. The whole thing is framed in ornate gold and set with the painterly quality of an actual Old Master, which makes sense for a book set in alternate Renaissance Florence where artists bargain with angels for their talent. Erin Cotter’s queer historical mystery follows Virgil, a young painter who has traded most of his life away for divine inspiration, as he teams up with the infuriating and charming Leonardo da Vinci to infiltrate the Medici family and find his missing brother. Enemies to lovers, angels, murder, the Italian Renaissance. It’s out September 22nd!

A Dangerous Bargain

by Erin Cotter
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on September 22, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+
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A young artist who has bargained away most of his life for divine inspiration pairs up with fellow apprentice Leonardo da Vinci to infiltrate the Medici family and find out the truth about his missing brother in this Renaissance-set young adult mystery perfect for fans of F.T. Lukens.

It’s the height of the Italian Renaissance. In the golden city of Florence, art is equal to holiness—and angels walk among us, bestowing their talents…for a price.

Seventeen-year-old artist Virgil is in trouble. To support his family, he’s bargained most of his life away to an angel—only to discover that his missing brother is in danger, and nothing but magic can rescue him. Now, with just a few months left to live, Virgil is desperate enough to try the one thing he swore he would never, ever do—team up with the infuriating, annoyingly talented, and most notorious playboy in all of Florence, the charming Leonardo da Vinci.

As the two journey through Florence’s gilded streets, luxurious cathedrals, and glorious Medici palaces, they unearth dark truths beneath the city’s facade.

Those in power will do anything to keep their deadly secrets safe, but with his feelings for Leonardo giving him new life, Virgil is determined to expose their lies before he runs out of time.

Even if it might cost him his soul.