Brides of Rome

The Priestesses of Vesta are known as the Brides of Rome. When entering the order, they take a thirty-year vow of chastity that if broken, will be punished by having them buried alive. Priestess Pomponia gets caught up in the political intrigue of Julius Caesar, Octavian, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra. While watching these figures tear each other apart, she attempts to fulfill her sacred duty to the goddess Vesta while not acting on her forbidden love because of the dire consequences. Violence, wars, assassinations, accusations and poisonings are the everyday normal to those in ancient Rome. Pomponia will have to decide how far she’ll go in order to survive in this world of gods, goddesses, curses, and blessings.

Overall, this was a fantastic book with excellent research done into the history of Rome. It is fiction and the author has taken some liberties with the storytelling, which she admits, but it was very well done. My only complaint is how each chapter moves to another year or even two. It’s like getting a glimpse at one moment out of thousands before it moves to another entire year. Even if it meant the book was longer, I would have appreciated it being on a smaller scale. Those famous figures really came to life, as does everyday life in ancient Rome. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in historical fiction, and I look forward to the next book in The Vesta Shadows Series.