Publication Date: February 14th, 2021
Publisher: Whispering Legends Press
Pages: 306
Genre: Historical Fiction
2022
Chaucer Finalist for Early Historical Fiction
B.R.A.G.
MEDALLION HONOREE
Gold
Medal Winner 2021 Book of the Year Ancient World Coffee Pot Book Club
Silver
Medal Winner Historical Fiction Reviewer’s Choice Awards 2021-2022 Reader Views
Rome.
The jewel of the civilized world is no longer what it was. Strength has failed
the Senate. Her legions are in disarray, and the Empire has fallen into Lucius
Domitius Ahenobarbus Nero’s hands. His reign begins under a cloud of scrutiny,
for he is the depraved Emperor Caligula’s nephew. Nero is determined to
overcome that stigma and carve a name of his own. One worthy of Rome’s
illustrious history.
Politics
and treachery threaten to end Nero’s reign before it begins, forcing him to
turn to unexpected sources for friendship and help. Many of the Praetorian
Guard have watched over Nero since he was a small child, and it is in Traian
that the young Emperor places his trust, despite the inherent threat of
reducing his mother’s influence. Traian is the father he never had and the one
man who does not judge him.
When
Traian secretly marries the hostage Vena, it sets in motion a collision of
values as Traian comes to odds with his former charge. The whirlwind that
follows will shake the very foundations of the greatest Empire the world has
ever known, and survival is far from guaranteed.
The sound of rumbling thunder caused Nero to rush to his
bedchamber, where he shut the door behind him. He fell onto the bed, holding
pillows over his ears and muffling the sounds that caused the hairs on his arms
to stand. He closed his eyes tightly, not wishing to see the lightning striking
across the blackened sky. His body stiffened when his garments moved. Nero
screamed, believing a snake had slithered across his torso, as the bed hangings
flapped in the wind.
Agrippina’s apparition appeared before him, close enough to touch.
Nero stepped back, his fearful eyes gazing upon Octavia’s bloodied head with
scorpions crawling out of her eye sockets.
“Leave me be, begone; I command you!” Nero said.
The specters followed him, getting closer and closer. He felt his
mother’s fingernails scratching the side of his face, her mouth close to his,
spitting venom onto his tongue. Serpents slipped up his bare legs and wrapped
themselves around his chest, constricting his breathing.
“Let go of me!”
Nero pulled the cloth away from his chest, his breathing quick and
erratic. His heart beat rapidly, his skin wet and clammy. He fell to the floor,
kicking his feet, his hands flying about. The Emperor hit his head against a
nearby table, causing loss of consciousness as roaring thunder forcefully shook
the earth.
Mary Ann Bernal
Multi-genre award-winning author, Mary Ann Bernal, is a
family-oriented community activist participating in programs supporting the
United States military. A guest on The Morning Blend television show hosted by
KMTV, the CBS affiliate in Omaha, Mary Ann was also interviewed by the Omaha
World-Herald for her achievements.
All of Mary Ann’s novels and short story collections are dedicated
to fallen military heroes who gave their lives defending our freedom. A
prolific writer originally hailing from New York, Mary Ann now resides in
Elkhorn, Nebraska, and has traveled for pleasure and research to the United
Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, and Greece.
Connect with Mary Ann:
No comments:
Post a Comment