Kate Quinn is one of my favorite authors. I love her Empress of Rome Series and am offering a gently used copy of book one, Mistress of Rome, to one lucky reader.
Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life-that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.
As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.
Paperback, 470 pages
Published
April 6th 2010
by Berkley Trade
(first published 2010)
My favorite debut novel is Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy favourite debut novel is Thornwood House by Anna Romer.
ReplyDeleteOh no....I guess I'm different in that I don't keep track of which novels are debut works, so I'm not sure about this. But I think The Pearl That Broke It's Shell by Nadia Hashimi was her debut. And it's the best book I've read this year....so that is my answer.
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