Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn (Rome Trilogy #2)

9/10

A.D. 69. The Roman Empire is up for the taking. The Year of the Four Emperors will change everything - especially the lives of two sisters with a very personal stake in the outcome. Elegant and ambitious, Cornelia embodies the essence of the perfect Roman wife. She lives to one day see her loyal husband as Emperor. Her sister Marcella is more aloof, content to witness history rather than make it. But when a bloody coup turns their world upside down, both women must manoeuvre carefully just to stay alive. As Cornelia tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered dreams, Marcella discovers a hidden talent for influencing the most powerful men in Rome. In the end, though, there can only be one Emperor... and one Empress.

“The written word can last throughout the ages, but the spoken word holds greater persuasion.”

Four young woman, four different lives, four different fortunes all bound by the same faith, the rule of an Emperor.

When the Year of Four Emperors changes everything, especially the relationship between Cornelia and Marcella, it becomes very clear that in order to survive; the bonds of sisterhood no longer apply.

The eldest Cornelia is the perfect Roman wife, she does as she’s told, speaks when she is spoken to, yet, deep inside her is a woman searching and hoping for the one thing that has eluded her, a child.

Her sister, Marcella, is an aspiring writer who seems to be content with watching and documenting history as it happens, but what Marcella doesn’t reveal is her greatest talent…

The written word can last throughout the ages, but the spoken word holds greater persuasion.

The tale of these two sisters and their two cousins will have you questioning the real power of Rome and those who ruled it.

When the end nears, a sister will be lost, a cousin will fall in love and a new era begins.