Vix has been hardened by his hatred for the man he is forced to serve and the things he has been forced to do, and Sabina has become disillusioned and wary, hiding a huge secret from her increasingly erratic husband. This book opens with Hadrian's ascension to emperor and the execution of his rivals for the throne. But their paths were fated to cross numerous times as Vix rose through the ranks and Sabina's husband became the favorite to follow Emperor Trajan. In that book, we watched as young Romans Sabina and Vix came of age as friends and lovers and then separated to follow their destinies, Vix to the legions and Sabina to the world of politics as wife of the rising legate Publius Hadrian. I have been dying to read Lady of the Eternal City ever since that cliffhanger ending of Empress of the Seven Hills. Kate now ranks among some pretty illustrious company on my shelf of honor, including Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, and Diana Gabaldon. It takes true talent not only to bring history to life but to do so with (seemingly) effortless style and dignity. It's no small thing to weave a story with dozens of characters over three books and a forty-year time span and keep a reader hanging on every word. Kate Quinn has quickly become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. This is an action-packed final volume to Quinn's Empress of Rome series. This is historical fiction at its best, filled with characters who will stay with you long after you've finished the final chapter. As always, Quinn breathes life into ancient Rome so you really feel as if you were walking through Hadrian's marble palaces or even floating down the Nile in a royal procession. The plot twists and turns around brutal Roman military campaigns and even a mysterious murder, and in typical Quinn fashion, there are a few reveals that will have you gasping out loud and tearing through the pages as fast as you can. (If you haven't already read the first three books in the series, I suggest you remedy that immediately!) There are new characters here to fall in love with, most especially golden Antinous and a red-haired tomboy who runs like a gazelle (who had me cheering and laughing out loud). The scope of Lady of the Eternal City is staggering, but Quinn handles the span of time and miles with ease, picking up where Empress of the Seven Hills left off with Hadrian, Sabina, and Vix. Just when I think Kate Quinn can't get any better.
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