Livia, Julia, and Cleopatra Selene tell their stories from Octavian/Augustus's triumph over Egypt to Julia's exile.

Interesting and believable, especially as we see the same events from the women's different viewpoints. ( )

A disappointing sequel to the excellent I Am Livia which I thoroughly enjoyed. Featuring 3 prominent Roman Women, the author never fully develops them into realistic characters. The storyline starts off well, but ends up more like a mediocre romance novel. It could have been so much better. ( )

Did not finish. The writing was quite simplistic. I can understand that for young Julia but not for adult Livia. The anachronisms were SO grating. A Roman soldier would not have popped off a "thanks" at the First Kid of Rome. I seriously doubt that Roman fathers walked their daughters down an aisle. And there was no Spain and no Italy at the time. Any amateur historian or fan of history would know that so one does assume that the author knows it, also, and is talking down to her modern audience. ( )

I read and enjoyed I Am Livia so as soon as I saw this second offering by Phyllis T. Smith, I jumped at the chance to read it. I'm still a fan. I wanted more of Livia's voice when the last book ended and I got it here. What drew me in was the fact that Cleopatra Selene was featured. I so rarely run into books that feature her that I tore through the story and very much enjoyed her voice here. Julia was the third POV character and I felt she was rendered well and it shone through that she was captive to her fate. That Selene is ultimately the freer and successful one and Julia not is like Cleopatra reached out of her grave to curse her child's captor's child. Julia couldn't catch a break and so deeply & longing sought love it consumed her. It made for an engaging read. While I've no idea to the historical accuracy, I also very much enjoyed Livia relating that she saw herself in Selene and the similarities their young lives held.

I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of I Am Livia and also fans of historical fiction. It's a quick read that's time well spent.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. ( )

This was an interesting read about three Roman women connected by their position in the First Citizen's life. There are the typical Roman cliches of sex, plotting, and power hungry individuals, but there is also a softer side and one filled with historical information. The book was a little slow at times, but the last 15% was a real page turner. ( )