Friday, March 27, 2015

BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn

01_Lady of the Eternal City

Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Berkley Trade
Formats: eBook, Paperback
528 Pages
Series: Empress of Rome Series, Book Four
Genre: Historical Fiction

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National bestselling author Kate Quinn returns with the long-awaited fourth volume in the Empress of Rome series, an unforgettable new tale of the politics, power, and passion that defined ancient Rome.

Elegant, secretive Sabina may be Empress of Rome, but she still stands poised on a knife’s edge. She must keep the peace between two deadly enemies: her husband Hadrian, Rome’s brilliant and sinister Emperor; and battered warrior Vix, who is her first love. But Sabina is guardian of a deadly secret: Vix’s beautiful son Antinous has become the Emperor’s latest obsession.

Empress and Emperor, father and son will spin in a deadly dance of passion, betrayal, conspiracy, and war. As tragedy sends Hadrian spiraling into madness, Vix and Sabina form a last desperate pact to save the Empire. But ultimately, the fate of Rome lies with an untried girl, a spirited redhead who may just be the next Lady of the Eternal City...


My Review

I have been a fan of Kate Quinn ever since I read her novel Mistress of Rome, which was about yet another ruthless emperor (seriously, how many weren’t either ruthless or insane), Domitian, and also happens to be the first novel in this series. So, when I was given the chance to read and review Lady of the Eternal City, which is the fourth volume in the Empress of Rome series, but on the second one I’ve had the chance to read, I jumped at the chance! After reading, and absolutely loving Mistress of Rome a couple years ago, I paid attention the next time I noticed a new novel by Kate Quinn coming out. It made it that much better when I saw it was the first novel in a series of novels about the Borgias, a family I can’t get enough of. So, I picked up the book The Lion and the Rose, and I was not disappointed in the least, and Ms. Quinn has found herself a lifelong fan! Anyways, this is a review about Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn, not her other novels, so I should probably get back on track!

Lady of the Eternal City is just as great as I expected it to be coming from Kate Quinn, and belonging in a series and interesting and with as strong of a historical base as this one has. There is everything that you expect a novel that takes place in Rome in the 2nd Century; intrigue, murder, betrayal, passion, love, sex, romance, and danger. The author is able to take this considerable amount of drama and actual history, and weave a wonderful and exciting tale that puts you right in the middle of everything. Ms. Quinn’s writing style is seriously fantastic, and you can easily get lost for hours while reading. I also appreciate that massive amount of historical research that obviously goes into her novels. It is awesome when historical fiction authors have creative license to use, but still choose to try to stay close to historical accuracy, while keeping still keeping the novel as interesting and smooth flowing as possible.

At first Sabina seems almost cold and standoffish, like she doesn’t really have feelings, or at least have feelings that she shows. As the novel goes on the reader is able to relate to her better, and find out that he coldness is just a façade that she puts up as a type of protection, and that there is much more to her. Her relationship with both Hadrian and Vix are confusing at times, but I like that she isn’t afraid to go “toe-to-toe” with them just because they are men. Overall great characters that make it easier for readers to relate to certain characters, and to root them on to a happy ending!

I would recommend this to all lovers of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy more of the Ancient Rome time period. However, that is not my favorite time period, and I absolutely love this series, so I think that historical fiction fans in general will really enjoy it. Great book, great writing, great characters, and a great story. I give Lady of the Eternal City a solid FIVE out of FIVE stars!


Praise for Lady of the Eternal City

“Quinn specializes in bringing the splendor of Britannia and Rome to readers. The tangled lives of her three-dimensional characters represent the entanglements of the Empire. She cleverly pulls readers into the complex relationships, and even more complicated history, while bouncing back and forth between viewpoints. This is a feast for historical readers.” - Romantic Times Book Reviews

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Books-a-Million
iTunes
IndieBound

Titles in The Empress of Rome Series

Book One: Mistress of Rome
Book Two: Daughters of Rome
Book Three: Empress of the Seven Hills
Book Four: Lady of the Eternal City

Praise for The Empress of Rome Series

“Gorgeously wrought.”— C. W. Gortner, author of The Queen’s Vow

“Deeply passionate.”—Kate Furnivall, author of Shadows on the Nile

“[An] epic, sexy romp.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

02_Kate Quinn AuthorKate Quinn is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance detailing the early years of the infamous Borgia clan. All have been translated into multiple languages.

Kate has succumbed to the blogging bug, and keeps a blog filled with trivia, pet peeves, and interesting facts about historical fiction. She and her husband now live in Maryland with a small black dog named Caesar, and her interests include opera, action movies, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.

For more information visit Kate Quinn's website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Lady of the Eternal City Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 2
Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, March 3
Spotlight at Historical Readings and Reviews

Wednesday, March 4
Review at Back Porchervations

Thursday, March 5
Review at The Maiden's Court

Friday, March 6
Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes

Monday, March 9
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective
Review at The Mad Reviewer

Wednesday, March 11
Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, March 12
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Sunday, March 15
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, March 16
Review at Just One More Chapter
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Tuesday, March 17
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Wednesday, March 18
Review at Book Lovers Paradise

Monday, March 23
Review at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, March 26
Review at Book Nerd

Friday, March 27
Review at Unshelfish
Review at Genre Queen
Review at Let Them Read Books
Review at Historical Fiction Obsession





1 comment:

  1. Thought I had posted this comment when the review went up, but apparently it disappeared into the ether! Love this review, and I'm so glad you enjoyed LEC!

    ReplyDelete