It is a world of power and privilege, secrets and sacred duty. It is the world of ancient Rome. And it is the esteemed Vestal Virgins--priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the home and hearth--who protect the Eternal Flame that protects the Eternal City.

Dedicated to a thirty-year vow of chaste service, Priestess Pomponia finds herself swept up in the intrigue, violence, wars, and bedroom politics of Rome's elite--Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian and his maneuvering wife, Livia--all the while guarding the secret affection she has in her heart.

But when a charge of incestum--a broken vow of chastity--is made against the Vestal order, the ultimate punishment looms: death by being buried alive in the "Evil Field."

In Brides of Rome, Book One in the Vesta Shadows series, Debra May Macleod skillfully re-creates the world of ancient Rome with all its brutality and brilliance, all its rich history and even richer legend. A true page-turner that is as smart as it is compelling, this must-read novel brings the Vestal order to life like never before.