Every high school student reads about the famous betrayal of Caesar in the Shakespeare play but few learn much more about the period.  Especially lacking are in-depth portrayals of the females who played important but often under-reported roles.  The selection of books this month seeks to address that imbalance by offering striking fictional depictions of some dynamic and fascinating Roman women. Before Rome became the major power of the ancient world, there was the rival Etruscan city of Veii.  In THE WEDDING SHROUD: A TALE OF ANCIENT ROME BOOK ONE, author Elizabeth Storrs illuminates the rivalry between the two by means of an arranged marriage between a high-born Roman maiden and Veientane leader Mastarna.  Caecillia is an unwilling bride, dispatched to marry a man she’s never seen to cement a truce between the two cities.  To her surprise, she discover Veii in 365 BCE to be a much larger, more sophisticated city than Rome, a place where she can own land and make her own decisions, something impossible in Rome’s patriarchal society in which women are mere chattels of their fathers, brothers or husbands. Over time, she and her chance-given husband come to share a deep and sincere love, but…

1–What is the title of your latest release? The Virgin Hunt Games Volume 3 2–What is it about? We have a whole new lot of contestants in the Virgin Hunt Games Volume 3, where terrible perils are faced by 10 women (hunted) and 10 men (hunters) on every level of the six floors of the Games. Violet has signed a contract for the deadly contest so that her biological parents might recognize her face that will be on every screener around the universe if she wins (she is hard to miss with her rare violet coloring and gold eyes.) Prince Zel is her mate in these Games, which means he has to have sex with Violet as often as possible while gifting her with orgasms to win. But they also have to survive the deadly obstacles and each other, not to mention the other hunters and hunted who are out for blood so they can be the victor. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book? I just love that for each book the tower and the amphitheatre are the same, but inside the six levels of the tower, every Games (held every four years in place of…

Hi! I’m Zoe Forward, and I’m so excited to introduce you to NIGHTSHADE’S BITE. Here’s a sneak peek at what this book’s about: Kiera Rossard’s secret life just got complicated. She’s leader of the Nightshade League, a rebel vampire society that rescues werewolves during the interspecies war. Everyone wants her dead—vampires and the werewolves who don’t know her secret. Most especially, the wolf she just saved—Michael Durand. Something about this particular werewolf sets her blood on fire. She’s not good at resisting temptation. So what if vampires always bite when they’re turned on? And so what if one drop of his blood will kill her? What’s life without a little risk? N is for Nightshade’s League, the name of the secret group Kiera leads to rescue werewolves during the vampire-werewolf war. I  is for irresistible. The smell of Michael’s werewolf blood is irresistible and intoxicating to Kiera, a vampire. But one bite…one drop of his blood will kill her. G is for grudgingly. Michael grudgingly accepts help from Kiera, first in escaping almost imprisonment from vampires and second to free a baby werewolf who was stolen. H is for hot. The chemistry between Michael and Kiera is hot from the…

As both a reader and writer of romance, I have one major pet peeve: overbearing heroes. Sure, some “Alpha” males can’t seem to help themselves, but no means no, even if it’s something small like walking a lady home. I try not to write the kinds of heroes who don’t take no for an answer, especially when it’s something major. However, my gargoyles were created not only as full-grown men, but as protectors of an entire kingdom and all of the citizens within. So, it comes as no surprise to me when they have a hard time not protecting the person they’ve set their hearts on. In BORN OF THE FORBIDDEN, Adalstan has the misfortune of falling for a Kevan woman. Keva is a kingdom of female warriors akin to the Amazons. They certainly don’t need protection. In the following excerpt, both Adalstan and Brónach come to realize they have something to learn about each other. Excerpt: Adalstan landed well shy of the first houses marking the large border city of Angor. He set Brónach on her feet but didn’t move from her space. She gave him a wary glance before stepping back two paces away from him. They’d been…