1. Daughters of Rome
In AD 69 the fall of Nero leaves Rome exposed to rival military claimants. Cornelia expects her husband to rise within the new order, while her sister Marcella believes she can observe history without becoming responsible for its direction. Successive coups destroy those assumptions as Galba,…
2. Mistress of Rome
Thea, a Jewish slave in the household of the cruel Lepida Pollia, falls in love with the gladiator Arius. Lepida separates them, forcing Thea to rebuild her life as a singer whose talent eventually brings her to the attention of Emperor Domitian. Domitian's possession of Thea…
3. Empress of the Seven Hills
Under Trajan, Rome's armies push through Dacia and into the eastern provinces. Vix, once a gladiator's son, seeks advancement through military service, while the senator's daughter Sabina rejects the restricted future expected of an aristocratic woman. Their loyalties to Trajan bring them into conflict with Hadrian,…
4. Lady of the Eternal City
Sabina is empress beside Hadrian but remains caught between the emperor and Vix, the soldier who once loved her. The balance becomes more dangerous when Hadrian's attachment to Vix's son Antinous turns the young man into the centre of the imperial household. Antinous's death in Egypt…