G. A. Henty 
The Lion of Saint Mark: A Story of Venice in the Fourteenth Century [EPUB ebook] 

G.A. Henty was a 19th century British novelist known for historical action and adventure books, many of which were best sellers in his day. Even today, classics like
The Dragon & The Raven (1886), For The Temple (1888), Under Drake’s Flag (1883) and In Freedom’s Cause (1885) are still widely read.

This is a historical novel that depicts life in Venice just ahead of the Italian Renaissance.