JULIA PRIMA

"You should have trusted me. You should have given me a choice."

AD 370, Roman frontier province of Noricum. Staying faithful to the Roman gods in a Christian empire can be lethal. Half-divorced Julia Bacausa is condemned to an emotional desert and a forced marriage, Lucius Apulius barely clings onto his posting in a military backwater. Strongly drawn to each other, they are soon separated, but Julia is determined not to lose the only man she will love.

Neither wholly married nor wholly divorced, Julia is trapped in the power struggle between the Christian church and her pagan ruler father.

Tribune Lucius Apulius's life is blighted by his determination not to convert to Christianity even to save his cherished career. Stripped of his command in Britannia, he's demoted to the backwater of Noricum - and encounters Julia.

Unwittingly, he takes her for a whore. When confronted by who she is, he is overcome with remorse and fear. Despite this disaster, Julia and Lucius are drawn to one another by an irresistible attraction.

But their intensifying bond is broken when Lucius is banished to Rome. Distraught, Julia gambles everything to join him. But a vengeful presence from the past overshadows her perilous journey. Following her heart's desire brings danger she could never have envisaged...

Part of the foundation story of Roma Nova and prequel to the award-winning Roma Nova Thriller Series. Selected as Editors' Choice by the Historical Novel Society.