The Wedding Shroud - A Tale of Ancient Rome (Tales of Ancient Rome #1)

In 406 BC, to seal a tenuous truce, the young Roman Caecilia is wedded to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from the city of Veii. The fledgling Republic lies only twelve miles across the Tiber from its neighbor, but the cities are from opposing worlds so different are their customs and beliefs. Leaving behind a righteous Rome, Caecilia is determined to remain true to Roman virtues while living among the sinful Etruscans. Instead she finds herself tempted by a hedonistic culture which offers pleasure and independence to women as well as an ancient religion that gives her a chance to delay her destiny. Yet Mastarna and his people also hold dark secrets and, as war looms, Caecilia discovers that Fate is not so easy to control and that she must finally choose where her allegiance lies.

Exploring themes of sexuality, destiny versus self-determination and tolerance versus prejudice, The Wedding Shroud is historical fiction at its best which vividly brings Ancient Rome and Etruria to life while accenting the lives of women in ancient history.

The Wedding Shroud is the first book in the Tales of Ancient Rome series. It was judged runner-up in the 2012 Sharp Writ Book Awards in general fiction, and was a finalist in the 2013 Kindle Book Review Best Indie Book of the Year in literary fiction. Elisabeth's next book, The Golden Dice, was named as one of the top memorable reads of 2013 by Sarah Johnson, the reviews editor for Historical Novels Review.

Recently, Elisabeth has opened her new collection of short stories in her Short Tales of Ancient Rome series in which she retells the legends and history of Rome from a fresh perspective. Dying For Rome: Lucretia’s Tale is the first story in the series.