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SYNOPSIS: TAG is a medical slave, doomed to spend his life healing his master’s injured gladiators. But his warrior’s heart yearns to fight in the gladiator ring himself and earn enough money to win his freedom. LUCIA is the daughter of Tag’s owner, doomed by her father’s greed to marry a much older Roman man. But she loves studying the natural world around her home in Pompeii, and lately she’s been noticing some odd occurrences in the landscape: small lakes disappearing; a sulfurous smell in the air. . . . When the two childhood friends reconnect, each with their own longings, they fall passionately in love. But as they plot their escape from the city, a patrician fighter reveals his own plans for them — to Lucia’s father, who imprisons Tag as punishment. Then an earthquake shakes Pompeii, in the first sign of the chaos to come. Will they be able to find each other again before the volcano destroys their whole world? WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT? If you have ever obsessed over the historical natural disaster of Pompeii—a city that was wiped off the face of the planet in a day, its people and homes buried under ash and preserved for future generations to uncover—then Lucia and Tag’s story piqued your interest right away. For those without a historical bent to their nature, the promise of possibly-tragic star-crossed love will do the enticing! Lucia is in the foreground on the cover, looking like a maiden on her wedding day as she observes the wrath of nature in the landscape beyond her. There’s no questioning what this book is going to be about here. Vicky Alvear Shecter is known for her historical YA and middle grade novels. So if you haven’t, check out her first teen historical romance about the teen daughter of the famous Queen, CLEOPATRA’S MOON! EARLY REVIEWS SAY… Including detailed descriptions of ancient medicine, religious practices, and gladiatorial combat, Shecter explores Roman society from the perspective of the oppressed. … Shecter makes clever use of the historical eruption to give her tragic climax a bitterly ironic twist. (Publishers Weekly) [T]he book’s focus on daily life in ancient Pompeii rings true. Their firm belief in various gods and goddesses and other superstitions comes across strongly, as does the author’s examination of slavery in ancient times. … Romance with benefits. (Kirkus Reviews) NECESSARY DETAILS YA Historical Romance Hardcover & ebook, 336 pages Published on May 27th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books (ISBN 0545509939)
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