This book suffers the curse of many historical novels: by trying to explain and detail every historical reference or archeological find, the story seems like an afterthought. ( )

While I appreciate the historical aspect of this story, I agree with another reviewer that the protagonist is not engaging. Things happen to her, and she makes dumb choices. She's largely a victim, which doesn't tend to make for a compelling narrative. ( )

A closer, intriguing glimpse into the people of ancient Rome. The author skillfully interweaves one woman's struggle with her identity, having come from two different social classes, while being used as a pawn much like Helen of Troy. She is forced to marry a wealthy man from her country's enemy as a bargaining chip against civil war. Past and present struggles are displayed in this epic, consuming historical fiction. ( )

After her father dies, Caecilia of Ancient Rome is relieved when she is adopted by her uncle. However, her relief is short-lived when she learns that she is to be married to Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman and widower for political purposes. Although Mastarna lives in the Veii, a city in Etruria, and is only approximately twelve miles north of Rome, its culture is so different from her home, it might as well be hundreds of miles away. Although she welcomes the more egalitarian relationships between the sexes refreshing, she finds many of the religious and sexual practices abhorrent. Although the affection between Caecilia and Mastarna grows, she feels that the love for her deceased wife is an insurmountable barrier between them.

Much of the book describes Caecilia feeling like a “stranger in a strange land” grieving unfulfilled dreams left in Rome. The novel did provide a list of principle characters and glossary of terms which helped with unfamiliar aspects of both the Roman and Etruscan cultures; however, I did find that I spent so much time looking up terms that it took away from the story.
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First in a new series called Tales of Ancient Rome, the Wedding Shroud is set in 406 BC. Roman noble Caecilia is the orphaned daughter of a patrician woman and a plebian tribune. She was adopted by her maternal uncle, Aemilius, and is being sent to the city of Veii in Etruria to wed Vel Mastarna to seal a truce between the two cities. She feels no attraction to Vel and longs to stay in Rome where she's in love with Drusus, rather than enter into a political marriage as a hostage.

The wedding shroud, part of the Etruscan wedding ritual, is a mantle that covers the couple during the ceremony symbolizing a united destiny in life and death. Caecilia's been taught her entire life that the only right way is the Roman way. She's appalled and intrigued by the Etruscan way of life and the freedom the woman are allowed. Caecelia is stubbornly trying to cling to her stoic self control and rigid behavior but she reluctantly begins adjusting to the new freedom offered her in Veii. She learns of Vel's dark and painful past and reluctantly begins to fall in love with him.

The book is filled with rich historical detail and complex character development. There are intriguing details of both Roman and Etruscan life. The detail is artfully handled with an eye to revealing more about the cultural attitudes. Both historical and romance-oriented, the sexual situations are handled within what I would consider the time period. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the second of the series, The Golden Dice. ( )