Cover: Um. Not bad. I have another edition on my Kindle, though, and I’m not a fan of that one.

What a brilliant series (I think) I found! This first installment, called Brides of Rome, is full of promises and delights me to no ends—I already have the next two books on my Kindle, ready and raring.

The Vestal order is helping to maintain peace in Rome after Julius Caesar’s assassination. Does it succeed? Yes, and no. These are turbulent times. The power struggle between Octavian and Marc Anthony is in full swing, forcing people to take sides, and Pomponia walks a fine line between her duty to Vesta and the razor-sharp friendship with Octavian. As if things are not complicated enough, her heart also belongs to Quintus, one of the priests of Mars.

What I appreciate the most of this novel is the fact that while it’s a love story, per se, it’s not a mindless or predictable one. Macleod plants many red herrings and deals out plot twists without breaking a sweat.

Third and multiple point of views—not my favorite ever, but I can deal with multiple as long as it’s done right—excellent grammar, pleasant rhythm. Brides of Rome flows so well it reminds me of why I love reading with every page.

The characters are interesting, too. Each of them is well-rounded, even the minor ones, and they sound realistic. I don’t like to suspend my disbelief too much, especially when it comes to historical novels.

All in all, an enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to check the rest of the series!

5 stars on GR.

I enjoyed the book and characters around the time of Julius Caesar and cleopatra and Mark Antony. The main character is a female lead who is a vestal at the temple. The ending of the book was rushed.

I'm not against these kinds of books at all. I really enjoyed Kate Quinn's Rome books for example but I couldn't get into this one at all. The author clearly knows a decent amount about Ancient Rome but the references and historical facts are thrown in in a really ham fisted and obvious way. The dialogue is jarring and unrealistic and throws off any sense of immersion and the whole thing felt a bit like reading a fanfic.

Review not posted anywhere else.

An interesting and well written book about Virgin Vestals in the late Rome Republic/Early Empire
It's engrossing and well written, interesting characters and a vivid historical background.
Recommended.
Many thanks to publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is really well written and the descriptions are so good that i felt like I was in ancient Rome. I was completely beguiled by this book i couldnt stop turning page after page, I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I picked up this book because I have always been interested in Ancient Rome and, in particular, the lives of religious people during that time, but I have only read mysteries set in that time where the story usually centres on secular life.

I had heard of Vestal Virgins before but never really understood what they did. The story revolves around a Priestess of Vesta called Pomponia, who along with her sister priestesses, guards the eternal flame of the Goddess Vesta and represents the purity and goodness of the Romans. Pomponia is expected to serve 30 years as a Vestal Virgin and therefore never marry or be intimate with a man.

However, Pomponia is drawn to a representative of the God Mars, a childhood friend of sorts, Quintus, who both infuriates and attracts her. While she struggles with her attraction to him and the implications this may have on her life (punishment for losing her purity would be a particularly horrific execution) she is thrown into the machinations of politics and war. The new Emporer Octavian is at odds with Marc Antony and Cleopatra and Rome is starving. While the citizens of Rome look to Vesta and her priestesses to uphold the pure values and motivations of Rome, others work against them and Pomponia must draw on all her skill and intelligence to protect her order and her heart.

This is the first book in the series and I am very much looking forward to the next. The book is well-written and the characters are genuinely interesting. Even those names that one knows from the history books become real people to the reader. Highly recommended.