Get a free audiobook
-
Brides of Rome
- A Novel of the Vestal Virgins (The Vesta Shadows Series, Book 1)
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Series: Vesta Shadows, Book 1
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction
People who bought this also bought...
-
On Brassard's Farm
- A Novel
- Written by: Daniel Hecht
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a radical departure from her urban life, Ann Turner buys a piece of remote Vermont land and sets up a tent home in the forest. In an effort to escape an unending string of personal disasters in Boston, she hopes to find a kind of peace in this new life. She soon learns she was mistaken in thinking a kindly Mother Earth would grant her wisdom and serenity in her new home. The forest confronts her with unanticipated dangers, aching loneliness, harsh weather, and wildlife. Then necessity requires her to start work as a farmhand.
-
Our Lady of Infidelity
- A Novel of Miracles
- Written by: Jackie Parker
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It begins when a vision appears in a carwash window in the tiny, dusty desert town of Infidelity, a blip on the map just outside of Joshua Tree, California. Seven-year-old Luz Reyes, whose family was killed by death squads in her native land and whose mother is gravely ill, is the first to see it. Then Walt Adair, the divorced owner of the carwash. Then Zoe Luedke, the golden-haired stranger in search of her runaway husband. And even the child's skeptic mother, Josephina Reyes, sees it.
-
The Company Daughters
- Written by: Samantha Rajaram
- Narrated by: Antonia Whillans
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amsterdam, 1616. Jana Beil has learned that life rarely provides moments of joy. Having run away from a violent father, her days are spent searching for work in an effort to stay out of the city brothels, where desperate women trade their bodies for a mouthful of bread. But when Jana is hired as a servant for the wealthy and kind Master Reynst and his beautiful daughter Sontje, Jana’s future begins to look brighter.
-
The King's Retribution
- The Plantagenet Legacy, Book Two
- Written by: Mercedes Rochelle
- Narrated by: Kevin E. Green
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years was a long time to wait before taking revenge on your enemies, but King Richard II was a patient man. Hiding his antagonism toward the Lords Appellant, once he felt strong enough to wreak his revenge, he was swift and merciless. Alas for Richard, he went too far, and in his eagerness to protect his crown Richard underestimated the very man who would take it from him: Henry Bolingbroke.
-
Nemesis and the Swan
- Written by: Lindsay K. Bandy
- Narrated by: Sarah Naughton
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite her world of privilege, Hélène is inspired early on by the radical ideas of her progressive governess. Though her family tries to intervene, the seeds of revolution have already been planted in Hélène’s heart, as are the seeds of love from an unlikely friendship with a young jeweler’s apprentice. Hélène’s determination to find true love is as revolutionary as her attempt to unravel the truth behind the concealed murder that tore her family apart.
-
The Silken Rose
- Written by: Carol McGrath
- Narrated by: Jodie Hollie-Anne
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1236. Beautiful Ailenor of Provence, cultured and intelligent, is only 13 when she marries Henry III. Aware of the desperate importance of providing heirs to secure the throne from those who would snatch it away, she is ruthless in her dealings with Henry's barons. As conflict escalates between them, Ailenor's shrewd and clever Savoyard uncles come to support her, but her growing political power is threatened when Henry's half-siblings also arrive at court. Henry and Ailenor become embroiled in an unpopular war to protect Gascony, the last English territory on the continent.
-
On Brassard's Farm
- A Novel
- Written by: Daniel Hecht
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a radical departure from her urban life, Ann Turner buys a piece of remote Vermont land and sets up a tent home in the forest. In an effort to escape an unending string of personal disasters in Boston, she hopes to find a kind of peace in this new life. She soon learns she was mistaken in thinking a kindly Mother Earth would grant her wisdom and serenity in her new home. The forest confronts her with unanticipated dangers, aching loneliness, harsh weather, and wildlife. Then necessity requires her to start work as a farmhand.
-
Our Lady of Infidelity
- A Novel of Miracles
- Written by: Jackie Parker
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It begins when a vision appears in a carwash window in the tiny, dusty desert town of Infidelity, a blip on the map just outside of Joshua Tree, California. Seven-year-old Luz Reyes, whose family was killed by death squads in her native land and whose mother is gravely ill, is the first to see it. Then Walt Adair, the divorced owner of the carwash. Then Zoe Luedke, the golden-haired stranger in search of her runaway husband. And even the child's skeptic mother, Josephina Reyes, sees it.
-
The Company Daughters
- Written by: Samantha Rajaram
- Narrated by: Antonia Whillans
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amsterdam, 1616. Jana Beil has learned that life rarely provides moments of joy. Having run away from a violent father, her days are spent searching for work in an effort to stay out of the city brothels, where desperate women trade their bodies for a mouthful of bread. But when Jana is hired as a servant for the wealthy and kind Master Reynst and his beautiful daughter Sontje, Jana’s future begins to look brighter.
-
The King's Retribution
- The Plantagenet Legacy, Book Two
- Written by: Mercedes Rochelle
- Narrated by: Kevin E. Green
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years was a long time to wait before taking revenge on your enemies, but King Richard II was a patient man. Hiding his antagonism toward the Lords Appellant, once he felt strong enough to wreak his revenge, he was swift and merciless. Alas for Richard, he went too far, and in his eagerness to protect his crown Richard underestimated the very man who would take it from him: Henry Bolingbroke.
-
Nemesis and the Swan
- Written by: Lindsay K. Bandy
- Narrated by: Sarah Naughton
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite her world of privilege, Hélène is inspired early on by the radical ideas of her progressive governess. Though her family tries to intervene, the seeds of revolution have already been planted in Hélène’s heart, as are the seeds of love from an unlikely friendship with a young jeweler’s apprentice. Hélène’s determination to find true love is as revolutionary as her attempt to unravel the truth behind the concealed murder that tore her family apart.
-
The Silken Rose
- Written by: Carol McGrath
- Narrated by: Jodie Hollie-Anne
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1236. Beautiful Ailenor of Provence, cultured and intelligent, is only 13 when she marries Henry III. Aware of the desperate importance of providing heirs to secure the throne from those who would snatch it away, she is ruthless in her dealings with Henry's barons. As conflict escalates between them, Ailenor's shrewd and clever Savoyard uncles come to support her, but her growing political power is threatened when Henry's half-siblings also arrive at court. Henry and Ailenor become embroiled in an unpopular war to protect Gascony, the last English territory on the continent.
-
Wolf of Wessex
- Written by: Matthew Harffy
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston's solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse. Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man's daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed. Rushing through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness.
-
A Better Next: A Novel
- Written by: Maren Cooper
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jess Lawson, a 45-year-old healthcare consultant, wife, and mother of two, has spent most of her adulthood fostering the illusion of having a perfect life. Her impending empty-nest syndrome as her youngest child prepares to start college is troubling enough, but when her doctor husband, Arthur, announces his intention to take a prestigious new job on the other side of the country - and relocate without Jess - her world quickly crumbles.
-
Her Rebel Heart: A Completely Irresistible Historical Romance
- Far Horizons, Book 2
- Written by: Kate Hewitt
- Narrated by: Kate Handford
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1832, Scotland: When Caroline Reid is offered the chance to travel to America to live with her estranged uncle, she has only two things on her mind: to become the belle of Boston society and to make an enviable - and financially advantageous - match. But from the moment her journey begins, things do not go as she expects. From the seasickness on her Atlantic crossing, to the unexpected friendship she strikes up with a young widow named Eleanor, the Caroline who set sail for the New World isn’t quite the same person who arrives there....
-
The Royal Nanny
- A Novel
- Written by: Karen Harper
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
April 1897: A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. She is excited, exhausted - and about to meet royalty. So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte - LaLa, as her charges dub her - nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.
-
Melt Zone
- A Robert Spire Thriller, Book 3
- Written by: Simon Rosser
- Narrated by: David Loving
- Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mysterious structure is found buried beneath the Antarctic ice. Undiscovered for decades...it should have remained that way. A team of climatologists are sent on a routine expedition to Antarctica to investigate a rapidly melting glacier, where they make a startling discovery. In Europe, a secret Nazi document surfaces which points to a historical government secret, and which appears connected to events unfolding in Antarctica. Robert Spire, tasked to hunt for the secret document, soon becomes the hunted, as he is chased across Europe.
-
People of Abandoned Character
- Written by: Clare Whitfield
- Narrated by: Tuppence Middleton
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. Thomas' behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets. The gentle caresses she enjoyed on her wedding night are now just a honeyed memory.
-
Breaker of Bones
- Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery, Book 2
- Written by: David Penny
- Narrated by: Ian Russell
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is March 1483, and surgeon Thomas Berrington is making a reluctant journey to Qurtuba at the request of his master. He expects only to operate on a Spanish prince and return home to Moorish al-Andalus. But fate has something else in store for him and his companion, the eunuch Jorge. A warped killer has been murdering young women and creating twisted creatures from their bodies.
-
The Lady of the Tower
- Written by: Elizabeth St. John
- Narrated by: Bridget Thomas
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned Lucy St. John, described as "the most beautiful of all", defies English society by attracting the eye of the Earl of Suffolk. In 1609, the court of James I is a place of glittering pageantry and cutthroat ambition, when the most dangerous thing one can do is fall in love. Lucy's envious sister Barbara is determined to ruin her happiness and drives Lucy into exile from the court. Heartbroken, she has to find her own path through life, becoming mistress of the Tower of London and gaining a fortune through the patronage of the Duke of Buckingham.
-
An Excellent Mystery
- Written by: Ellis Peters
- Narrated by: Roe Kendall
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year of our Lord 1141, August comes in golden as a lion, and two monks ride into the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul bringing with them disturbing news of war...and a mystery.
-
The Queen of Paris
- A Novel of Coco Chanel
- Written by: Pamela Binnings Ewen
- Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel is revered for her sophisticated style - the iconic little black dress - and famed for her intoxicating perfume Chanel No. 5. Yet behind the public persona is a complicated woman of intrigue, shadowed by mysterious rumors. The Queen of Paris, the new novel from award-winning author Pamela Binnings Ewen, vividly imagines the hidden life of Chanel during the four years of Nazi occupation in Paris in the midst of WWII - as discovered in recently unearthed wartime files.
-
Highland Raven
- The Celtic Blood Series, Book 1
- Written by: Melanie Karsak
- Narrated by: Lesley Parkin
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.
-
This Fragile Heart
- A Totally Unmissable Romantic Historical Love Story (Far Horizons, Book 3)
- Written by: Kate Hewitt
- Narrated by: Kate Handford
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boston, 1838: Once upon a time Isobel Moore was thought to be one of Boston’s most eligible young women. But, after a marriage proposal gone wrong, she is now at threat of being labelled a spinster. And, though her work at a small school for impoverished immigrants brings her great joy, she can’t help but wish for more in life. When her dream of finding love fails to come true, she knows - if she’s to have the family she dreams of - it will take desperate measures.
Publisher's Summary
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 30-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 recreates the world of ancient Rome with all its brutality and brilliance, all its rich history and even richer legend. A true pause-resister that is as smart as it is compelling, this must-listen novel brings the Vestal order to life like never before.