Thea, slave to the horribly vain and devilish Lipidia, is at a crossroads. The love of her life "Arius the Barbarian" is the most famed gladiator in all of Rome. Even as she dies a little every time she sees him in the ring, Lipidia rivals for his attentions and brings their affair to a halting stop when her jealousy gets the better of her.
As Thea struggles to remake herself, Arius mourns the loss of his lover. Can the Gods be generous and bring them together once again before he meets his eventual fate in the ring?
"Misstress of Rome" has a dubious start. Into the second chapter I was tempted to put it down because of all the gore. It was seemingly neverending, and I tend to have a tender tummy when it comes to things like that.
However, I stubbornly ploughed on and was rewarded for my efforts. About four chapters in I was hooked. Quinn has managed to create amazing characters and if you can get past the blood and guts and really see her amazing characters for what they are you are in for a real treat. I became numb to the gore scenes eventually, pressing on to find out what would happen to my beloved Thea and Arius and the detestible Lipidia.
I loved to hate Lipidia. Even though she ended up being one of the main antagonists of the story, she was probably my favorite character. Not because of her depth, but because she was so shallow and couldn't see past her raging jealousy and her own vain ambition. I find that this kind of character is extrememly hard to create outside of your imagination. I applaud Quinn on this feat.
While lacking in some historical accuracy, "Mistress of Rome" was a colorful and moving love story that my next book will more than likely have a hard time holding a candle to.
Great read!
As Thea struggles to remake herself, Arius mourns the loss of his lover. Can the Gods be generous and bring them together once again before he meets his eventual fate in the ring?
"Misstress of Rome" has a dubious start. Into the second chapter I was tempted to put it down because of all the gore. It was seemingly neverending, and I tend to have a tender tummy when it comes to things like that.
However, I stubbornly ploughed on and was rewarded for my efforts. About four chapters in I was hooked. Quinn has managed to create amazing characters and if you can get past the blood and guts and really see her amazing characters for what they are you are in for a real treat. I became numb to the gore scenes eventually, pressing on to find out what would happen to my beloved Thea and Arius and the detestible Lipidia.
I loved to hate Lipidia. Even though she ended up being one of the main antagonists of the story, she was probably my favorite character. Not because of her depth, but because she was so shallow and couldn't see past her raging jealousy and her own vain ambition. I find that this kind of character is extrememly hard to create outside of your imagination. I applaud Quinn on this feat.
While lacking in some historical accuracy, "Mistress of Rome" was a colorful and moving love story that my next book will more than likely have a hard time holding a candle to.
Great read!
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