Meet the Healer in A War Within by @NathanDMaki for #EggcerptExchange

Today on The Maze for the Eggcerpt Exchange, I introduce fellow novelist of Ancient Rome,
Nathan Maki, and his epic novel
A War Within: The Healer.

Synopsis

How far would you go to free your mother from slavery?

Suzanna ben Ya’ir is a slave to the king of Hatra, the indomitable fortress city. She dreams of escaping the harem and finding her way back to Rome to find her son, but she is held prisoner by the king’s soldiers, towering walls, and untold miles of murderous desert. To escape she must earn coins as a healer among the common folk of the city and join forces with a Hatran guard who secretly loves her. But when the Roman legions arrive to besiege the city her hope of escape seems more unattainable than ever.

Theudas ben Ya’ir is a fierce warrior and a member of the Roman Emperor’s guard, but he also harbors a deadly secret – he is a Christian. Theudas longs to find his mother and rescue her from slavery, but the Emperor, his legions, and Plautianus – the ruthless leader of the Praetorians – are besieging the city where she is held captive. Now Theudas must break the Roman siege and infiltrate the hostile city, find his mother and help her escape. But doing so will mean committing treason against the Emperor. Will his quest cost Theudas his new-found faith and the life of the woman he loves?

With Suzanna’s life hanging in the balance, can she and Theudas defy the odds and reunite? And if so, can they hope to survive?

Excerpt
Suzanna wept with shame. She wept for the hope of escape that she knew to be false even as she clung to it. The paltry few coins she managed to save would never be enough to convince a merchant to risk the wrath of the king by smuggling her out of this city and across the wasteland surrounding it. The course of her life stretched out before her, as clear and brutal as the sandy, sun-baked road that led west toward the life she would never see again. She would go from the harem to the scullery as her beauty continued to fade, and finally, long after all color had been bleached from her life, to the grave.

She tried to reach for her faith, fumbled for it with groping fingers. She could brush it, could feel the residual warmth of the fire that once burned in her, but she couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t stir it to life again. Jehovah had forsaken her and so she knelt in a pile of rotting garbage against a filthy stone wall and wept.

Her pain seemed inexhaustible but her tears were not and finally her shuddering shoulders slowed and her sobs subsided. She was leaning against the wall now, her cheek against cold stone. In that moment, Suzanna felt a strange sense of clarity. She had two choices. She could lay here and die, or get up and go on. It was the hardest decision she had ever faced.

In the end, a dying man made the decision for her.

Tonight is the night Binyamin will pass from this world and I must be there to ease that passing. I must be there. I must get up. I must make at least this one last effort.

The heat of the day was fully gone now and she was stiff with cold. She struggled to her feet and stared up at the crooked slice of starry sky above. What time was it? Time had had no meaning while she wept. It could have been minutes or hours. But it was still darkest night. She still had time. She brushed at her the skirt of her tunic in a futile effort to wipe away the muck, then swept a sleeve across her eyes and beneath her nose. Stepping free of the alley she looked around, took her bearings, and started off at a pained shuffle.

Movement worked the cold stiffness from her limbs and she began walking faster as if trying to shake off and leave behind the depression and hopelessness that had threatened to crush her. She had a purpose this night, reason enough to live.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. The proverb came, unbidden, to her mind. And along with it came a thought, a feeling, a whisper on the wind. Theudas yet lives. She couldn’t tell where the assurance came from, had no way to prove it as true, and yet she suddenly knew it. Knew it like her own name. She quickened her steps still more.

Where there is life, there is hope.


Purchase A War Within: The Healer via Amazon

Learn more about Suzanna ben Ya’ir:

Birthdate and Birthplace
Suzanna was born a slave in Rome in AD 161. She was descended from Jewish slaves captured in the Judeo-Roman war a hundred years before.

Level of schooling
As a child, she learned healing from her master, a Greek physician, and after being sold upon his death she further developed her natural talent through hands-on experience, nursing her master’s wife and other slaves in the household.

Significant other
She married a fellow Jewish slave, Luke, and they had a son, Theudas. After Theudas fought their master’s son and Luke defended him, both father and son were sold to be gladiators.

Currently residing in...
Luke died in the Coliseum, and Suzanna was transported to Parthia and sold into the harem of the king of Hatra, the Parthian desert fortress.

Job and most important goal
There, with the help of a sympathetic guard, she slips away at night to nurse the poor, hording the few coins she receives in payment in hopes of one day buying passage back to Rome with a caravan.

Secret desire or fantasy, and worst fear or nightmare
Her secret dream is to be reunited with her son, while her greatest fear is that she will die alone and forgotten.

Author Bio
As a kid, Nathan D. Maki delighted in leaping through the door of historical fiction and into the adventure of the ancient world. In his teens, his love for reading birthed a desire to write and bring history alive for others. Nathan has always been fascinated with the monumental power and enduring achievements of the Roman Empire and its asymmetrical clash with Early Christianity. As a Christian, he is inspired by stories of triumphant faith in the face of persecution, and he hopes these stories will inspire others as well.

Follow Nathan via: 

Website | Twitter |

***
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Rediscovered review of LIBERTY by Gladiatrix author Russell Whitfield -- yes, it's that good. #MFRWOrg

You could file this post under the heading of "throwback," since it's a reblog of a review that was written almost ten years ago. I had forgotten just how fantastic this review was—and subsequent events have put an even more poignant spin on it for me.

The review's author, I found out recently, had been working on his own female-gladiator novel when he decided to read and review the HQN Books edition of Liberty in 2006. The content of his web site gladiatrix.info had led me to believe at the time that he held no more than an academic interest in the subject of women arena fighters in ancient Rome, and for good reason. The publication of his novel Gladiatrix was yet two years off; I rather suspect that he hadn't even received a contract offer for it yet, or else I'm sure that announcement would have been posted on the day I read his review.

Fast-forward an octet of years to the fall of 2014.

While preparing to publish the revised edition of Liberty, one of the first things I did was research covers for similar novels set in ancient Rome. My favorite cover of the lot is that of Gladiatrix by Russell Whitfield. (And, yes, it's on my TBR pile!)

It had been so long since I had read Whitfield's Liberty review, and it hadn't been cross-posted to sites like Amazon and Goodreads, that I didn't connect the two at first. I just loved the cover of Gladiatrix, and shared it with my cover designer as inspiration for the Liberty reboot.

In the course of creating Liberty advertising materials this week for distribution at upcoming appearances, my publicist pulled a quote from Whitfield's review, which sent me back to gladiatrix.info to read the full text.

There, for the first time, I saw the connection with his novel Gladiatrix.

The fact that Whitfield had written such a terrific review of a work that could be perceived as competition with his as-yet unpublished novel makes me all the more appreciative of his words about Liberty today.

I present them here, in their British-idiom entirety, for your consideration:

"Liberty" by Kimberly Iverson is published by HQN—"we are romance." I'll admit to being slightly sceptical about this, expecting nothing more than a Mills and Boon exercise with standard romance characters dressed in Roman cloth—more costume drama than historical adventure. Not that there's anything wrong with Romance Historicals, they're just not my cup of tea.

Or at least, they weren't until I read "Liberty." Iverson, I think, has transcended HQN's genre, producing a pacey, action-packed work of epic proportions (it weighs in at hefty 485 pages, and is worth every penny of the price tag). I love the premise—Iverson, inspired by the Dover Street Woman findings, decided that the gladiatrix deserved a back story, and provides it here in satisfying spades.

Anyone who knows their history will realise that "Liberty" is painstakingly researched; and anyone who doesn't won't need to—a testament of Iverson's skill as a writer. There's more than enough in there to keep visitors to this website happy—the action scenes don't hold back—they're bloody, brutal and realistic as they should be, but never gratuitous. Conversely, the love story between Rhyddes and Aquila is never cloying or overdone; it's a realistic take on love across the social divide.

One of "Liberty's" greatest strengths is the array of rich and fully-realised supporting characters; in many books it's easy to focus on the main protagonists and forget about the rest, but Iverson does not allow that. Indeed, the villain of her piece is a sympathetic character in the end. Certainly, his actions and his goals are totally understandable; you or I would do the same thing in his place, and this raises him far above the level of moustache-twirling bad-guy. 

Additionally, I think that the cover-blurb does one of the characters (Messiena) a bit of disservice. She is far from a simpering Roman noble woman, and indeed, she was one of my favourite characters. The same can be said of Aquila's mother —understanding, yes—simpering, not in the least.

If I had one criticism of "Liberty," it would be the employment of archaic dialogue when the scenes are from Rhyddes' point of view. Certainly, I can see the literary device employed here, and this style does differentiate Celt from Roman. It's a personal choice, I guess—"mayhap" and "'twas" and other such expressions aren't necessary in what is such a great book—at least in my view. However, that said, its really minor point didn't detract from the enjoyment of the work.

Iverson's biographical notes say that "Liberty" is the first of what she hopes to be many offerings to the romance community. I suspect this tag has more to do with HQN than Iverson herself. "Liberty" is far more than a romance novel, and to brand it as one limits its appeal. It is a fine piece of fiction that manages to successfully cross over two genres in a satisfactory manner. A well-researched novel that deserves a place on any fan of the historical genre's shelf, I would advise anyone that visits this website to purchase a copy—you will not be disappointed!

*** End of review ***

For the record, I wasn't best pleased with the adjective "simpering" either, so for the new synopsis I substituted "adoring," which describes Messiena's feelings for Aquila a lot more accurately. For the full text of the new synopsis and other information about the second edition of Liberty, please click its tab at the top of my blog!

Whitfield's web site does not accommodate the posting of comments; I didn't have the opportunity back then to thank him publicly for such an in-depth and wonderful review, so I shall remedy this forthwith:

Thank you very much, Russell Whitfield, 

and I wish you every success for all of your works!

All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow me on Twitter
— Add me to Google+
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— Leave a comment on my blog, especially if you have done the Twitter and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Liberty. Please enter often, and good luck!

Liberty by @KimHeadlee #Mustread #Review & Character Bio #MFRWOrg #beezeebooks

I am pleased to report that Liberty is garnering several great reviews! Here is one of them, originally shared on the Arthurian Romances and To Be Honest blogs maintained by Jill Roberts:

"Liberty is a captivating novel with so many variables that make it a true masterpiece. Our main character Rhyddes, which translates to mean Freedom daughter of Red (thus Liberty), is sold off to the Romans due to a tax debt. Here she must fight in the Gladiator arena. Fortunately Rhyddes fights well, it’s that ancient Celtic warrior blood that runs through her veins that makes her fierce. Although Rhyddes is plagued with captivation and yearning for the Roman governor’s son, Aquila. He too is irresistibly drawn to Rhyddes and vows to renounce his wealth and power for her. The charm of this novel kept me intrigued from the start. The savagery, ferocity coupled with the longing and purity of true love makes Liberty a captivating must read!" ~Jill Roberts, Arthurian Romances

CHARACTER BIO

I am Rhyddes ferch Rudd, which in your tongue means Freedom daughter of Red. The blood of ancient Celtic warriors flows in my veins, though I am a farmer's daughter by the circumstance of my birth. My life spans much of the reign of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of a very few men ever to claim that title who did not abuse his power for personal gain—but I care not who rules and who dies in this gods-cursed empire.

More than anything—even more than my freedom—I yearn to be my lover Aquila’s equal. As a foreign slave in an empire where citizenship stands paramount, where an arena fighter such as I can only be considered the equal of other gladiators, actors, undertakers, and whores, this goal seems impossibly remote. Although Aquila is the son of a powerful Roman, he has declared that he would renounce his aristocratic status, wealth, and power for me, but I cannot in good conscience allow him to destroy himself on my account.

And yet the gods have granted the impossible to other mortals. I pray that I am worthy to receive such a boon from them, for surely divine assistance is the only way for Aquila and I to bridge the vast social chasm that separates us from enjoying a future together.



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BUY LINKS

Amazon Kindle US – UK  – CA – AU – BR – DE – ES – FR – IN – IT – JP – MX – NL –
Other E-readers NOOK – INKTERA – ITUNES – KOBO – SCRIBD – SMASHWORDS

For the rest of the month, you are invited to... — Add me as a Favorite Author on Amazon.com — Follow me on Twitter
— Add me to Google+
— Subscribe to my YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Amazon, Twitter, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Liberty. Please enter often, and good luck! 

LIBERTY Launch and #BookReviews ancient Rome historical romance #MFRWAuthor

Welcome to the launch of LIBERTY by your friendly Mazemaster (a.k.a. Kim Headlee)! :D

This is the revised edition of the 2006 HQN Books work of the same title, written under the pseudonym "Kimberly Iverson." It tells the heart-wrenching story of a young woman who is sold into slavery to pay a Roman tax debt, whose master puts her into the arena to make her fight for her life, for the entertainment of the masses. There she attracts the attention of a wealthy Roman nobleman... and the sparks begin to fly!

Book Trailer

 

Synopsis

They hailed her "Liberty," but she was free only to obey—or die.

Betrayed by her father and sold as payment of a Roman tax debt to fight in Londinium's arena, gladiatrix-slave Rhyddes feels like a wild beast in a gilded cage. Celtic warrior blood flows in her veins, but Roman masters own her body. She clings to her vow that no man shall claim her soul, though Marcus Calpurnius Aquila, son of the Roman governor, makes her yearn for a love she believes impossible.

Groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps and trapped in a politically advantageous betrothal, Aquila prefers the purity of combat on the amphitheater sands to the sinister intrigues of imperial politics, and the raw power and athletic grace of the flame-haired Libertas to the adoring deference of Rome's noblewomen.

When a plot to overthrow Caesar ensnares them as pawns in the dark design, Aquila must choose between the Celtic slave who has won his heart and the empire to which they both owe allegiance. Knowing the opposite of obedience is death, the only liberty offered to any slave, Rhyddes must embrace her arena name—and the love of a man willing to sacrifice everything to forge a future with her.

Review

This book completely took me by surprise. I had read the synopsis, and was intrigued to check it out. I am very glad that I went ahead and read this book. It is epic. That is the only word for the journey that the main character goes on. The scope of her struggle is nothing short of amazing. I was so engrossed in the book, I read it in one sitting. It is an incredible story of one woman’s struggle under Roman rule. She is an incredible character. 

Rhyddes ferch Rudd is a young woman about 18 years old. She is Celtic, part of the Votadini tribe. They had been conquered by the Romans. She has always felt like a slave, her father beats her, never showing an ounce of love for her. Her name means freedom, and this reason becomes clear in the story. When the Picts attack her village, she fights with her brothers—and finds herself fighting a female warrior. This became the beginning to her life as a warrior.

Marcus Calpurnius Aquila is the son of the Governor of Britannia province, Sextus Calpurnius Agricola. Marcus’ relationship with his father is strained at best. He likes to fight as a gladiator, whereas his father wants him to work toward politics, not associating with the lower class. He has his life decided for him when his father decides he is to marry Senator Falco’s daughter, Lady Messiena.
 
The story is set about 160 A.D. The Romans' rule is far reaching, having conquered most everywhere in what is now Europe and Great Britain. Rhyddes has no love for the Romans. They take and tax everyone to support Rome. Her father decides to sell her into slavery to get rid of her and pay his tax debt. Although her virginity had to be maintained, that did not keep the Roman guards from brutally assaulting her. This was the pattern her life would seem to be taking, everyone hurting her. She was sold to a lanista, Jamil of Tanis, who outbid Marcus. Marcus fell in love at the sight of her, but let Jamil buy her. They were friends, so he was not completely out of luck. Rhyddes's struggle with becoming a gladiatrix and her feelings for Marcus are the focus of the story. There is also a very sinister plot brewing against the Emperors, and she will become a huge part of it. This book has so many things happening, and I do not want to spoil it. She must come to terms with her growing feelings for a Roman when all the empire has done for her is cause her pain. And Marcus has his own journey while figuring out what is important to him and what he will do to achieve his goals. At every turn, their lives go in unexpected directions, pulling them apart because of chance or duty.

The way the author uses facts and fiction, woven together so seamlessly, makes you feel as though this story is truth, and it makes for an incredible experience. The pain and suffering of the heroine is so tangible, you can almost feel the heat and dust of the streets. I cannot say enough good things about this book. The peril and the intrigue will keep you turning the pages, hoping against hope that things will get better for Rhyddes. One can hope that the fates might smile upon the feisty Celt who has done nothing to deserve her station in life. And from his own gilded cage, I was rooting for Marcus for the same reason. It is a fabulous read, and if you liked Spartacus, you may find this is a perfect next Roman tale to sink your teeth into.

Heidi of Drue's Random Chatter gives Liberty

Buy Links

AMAZON KINDLE: US – UK – CA – AU
NOOK – INKTERA – ITUNES – KOBO – SCRIBD – SMASHWORDS

What other reviewers are saying about Liberty

• Mousiey Books: "A Must Read; get your copy today!!!!!"
• My Life Loves and Passion: 4* Liberty is "a very good book."
• Steamy book momma: 4* Review: Liberty is "wonderfully written with fantastic characters."
• Love Bites and Silk: 5* "This is easily one of my favourite historical romances of the year. If you love historical romance, then this is a must read."
• Arthurian Romances: 5* "The savagery, ferocity coupled with the longing and purity of true love makes Liberty a captivating must read!"
• To Be Honest: "I absolutely LOVE this book!"

For the rest of the month, you are invited to...
— Add me as a Favorite Author on Amazon.com
— Follow me on Twitter
— Add me to Google+
— Subscribe to my YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Amazon, Twitter, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Liberty. Please enter often, and good luck!

BOOK REVIEW: Last Seen in Massilia by Steven Saylor

Hemmed inside the walls of ancient, Greek-controlled Marseilles, Pompey's sympathizers besieging your loyalties even as Julius Caesar's legions blockade all access by land or sea, what would you expect to find? Starvation and hysteria, certainly, as well as suspicion and political intrigue in abundance. But if you happen to be Gordianus the Finder, renowned sleuth of the Roman Empire, murder finds you.
 
In 49 B.C., civil war embroiled Rome's vast empire. Caesar crossed the Rubicon to assert his regal claim upon Rome only to find himself bitterly opposed by his former ally, Magnus Pompey. No one in the Mediterranean world could remain neutral in the face of the ensuing conflict. The merchant Greeks of the fiercely independent city-state of Massillia unwisely chose to side with Pompey, prompting Caesar to lay siege to this strategic port.

Gordianus, upon receiving anonymous word of his son Meto's ignominious death as a spy and traitor to Caesar, travels to Meto's last-known location, Massillia, to seek the truth. As a father and a Finder, Gordianus refuses to believe the charges. One of Caesar's closest officers, Meto would seem the last person to double-cross the great warlord. Gordianus braves capture by both sides, a flooded siege tunnel, insane city residents and other perils in his quest. But his investigation soon takes a sinister turn when from afar he witnesses a woman plunge to her death from atop Massillia's Sacrifice Rock.

I found several engaging features in Last Seen in Massillia, beginning with the vividly accurate historical and military details. Some of the military descriptions wax technical, particularly those cropping up before the plot hits full stride. But if you're into that aspect of ancient history, you'll find those sections as fascinating as I did.

I seldom read a murder mystery wherein the investigator witnesses the crime. An even more refreshing twist occurs at the development of a dispute about whether the woman jumped or was pushed by a man. This dispute flourishes chiefly between Gordianus's companion and their colorful Massillian host, and quickly turns into a macabre running gag providing welcome comic relief.

Then there's Gordianus himself, a 61-year-old hero who possesses intelligence, pragmatism and fatherly devotion in generous measures. I enjoyed riding his emotional ups and downs in his pursuit of the truth behind what happened to the woman and his son. Near the end, however, Gordianus makes a decision that, as a parent, I could neither relate to nor agree with. And as a reader, I felt deliberately strung along by this plot element's stark lack of closure. Hence, I knocked a point off the score.

But, considering everything Gordianus endured up to that point in this otherwise superbly detailed novel, I do look forward to seeing how the consequences play out in Saylor's next installment of the Roma Sub Rosa series.