No Roman woman could vote, play a direct role in political or military affairs or otherwise play an official part in how the republic and, later, the empire was run. With few exceptions-like the words of the female poet Sulpicia or the graffiti of a woman summoning her lover, found scrawled on the walls at Pompeii-what we know about them comes almost entirely from the writings of men in Rome’s most elite circles.Īs in many cultures, women’s value in ancient Rome was defined almost solely in relation to their fathers and husbands the majority were married off by their mid teens. But they lacked any voice in public life. She works to make a new career for herself as a singer, but that draws the attention of the Emperor herself and Thea will have to fight for her soul and her destiny if she wants to make it through this.Women in ancient Rome, whether free or enslaved, played many roles: empress, priestess, goddess, shop owner, midwife, prostitute, daughter, wife and mother. However, when a powerful gladiator falls for her it earns the ire of Lepida and casts her out. She manages to avoid her spite and even gets to hone her passion in music.

The book focuses on Thea, a slave from Judea, who is purchased as a toy for the spoiled heiress Lepida Pollia. Mistress of Rome is the first book in the Empress of Rome series. There is something about her that doesn’t quite sit right with him though and digging into her past discovers some dark mysteries in his family that may tear apart everything that he knows. Finally, in post-war Boston we have a 17-year-old Jonathan who sees his widowed father coming home with a new wife, a soft spoken German woman. Meanwhile, a British war correspondent has left his investigator life behind and become a Nazi hunter. Things go wrong for Nina and she becomes stranded behind enemy lines with the deadly Nazi murderess known as the Huntress after her. The book introduces us to Nine Markova who was apart of the Night Witches, the legendary all-female night bomber regiment that worked against the Nazis. One of Quinn’s book set in the 20th century was The Huntress.

If You Like Kate Quinn Books, You’ll Love… Note: Ribbons of Scarlet is a collaborative novel with contributions from Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E.

Mistress of rome