Lady of the Eternal City (Empress of Rome) Paperback – March 3, 2015

I've been waiting a long time for this novel (three years!) and I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading "The Three Fates"; a short story that serves as a refresher if it's been a little while since you read "Empress of the Seven Hills". It really helped me to bridge the gap between the two novels.The best thing about Kate Quinn's Empress of Rome novels are how she brings Ancient Rome to life for the reader. Moreover, I don't just mean Rome the city. I mean Rome the Empire. Her stories span the entirety of Roman-conquered civilization, all of it's sights, smells and underlying hostilities all rolled into one giant being: the Roman Empire. She portrays the majesty of this vast power and all that it entails, whilst at the same time portraying the leaders of this power as completely human, with very human weaknesses, not God-like at all. All of Kate Quinn's Caesar figures have been well-written, complex characters...but none so far have quite matched Hadrian.Hadrian is an incredibly complicated character. In fact I imagine he must have been a very difficult character to write. He is highly intelligent and well educated, courtly at times and yet able to communicate with people from any part of society. Yet on the other hand he is volatile with a fierce temper and a need to punish, a need to subdue and an unfortunate need to inflict hurt for the sake of it. Such a dark man and yet this is the person that is rewarded with love.Here enters a new character to the series, Antinous. As the adopted son of our well-beloved character Vix, he enters into a love affair with Hadrian that had me reeling when I first read it. It caught me off-guard as it seemed so unlikely considering what I knew of the two characters....and yet, it seemed to work. Hadrian began to calm his temper for Antinous, be nicer to his wife (our other well-beloved character Vibia Sabina) and generally be a much better-natured person so that "his star" would not view him in a negative light. As much as I was initially taken aback by the direction of the storyline, it worked. The contrast between the darkness of Hadrian's character and the light that Antinous brought to the story was incredibly well-written.Sabina and Vix are apart for a large chunk of this novel, even though my will for them to be together was surely palpable at times! They absolutely need each other, and not in the same light/dark way in which Hadrian and Antinous' relationship seemed to work, but just because they are fated to be together. Both fiery characters that have always struggled to find their niche in life. Turns out, their niche was be together after all (they just had a lot of things to figure out first of course). And finally, if you remember what occurred between Vix and Sabina at the end of the last novel...My favorite character of the story. A new face that we are introduced to as a young girl and follow through her adolescence. Annia is another fiery figure, a girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind nor act out against something she views as wrong, even if she is a female who should normally be silent. I really warmed to her character very quickly, especially as features of her parents continued to bleed through as she aged. I feel as though I've known these characters for so long and Annia is the next one that I'll grow to love just as much. (Please, let there be another one!)Thank-you Kate Quinn for another great novel, I loved every minute of it.

Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn not only boasts a stunning cover but also a deeply engrossing saga of Roman life. Lady of the Eternal City is the fourth book in the Empress of Rome Series and I can’t say enough times what an amazing storyteller Kate is. Her novels are rich in historical detail but she weaves fact and fiction so seamlessly that you find yourself completely drawn into her books and living and breathing with her characters. While you can read this book on its own I think a reader’s experience is enriched by reading all of the books in the series. For myself, I have come to know and love these characters while hating others. I have seen Rome, numerous battles, and love through their eyes. I have laughed and cried with them and as this is the final volume in the series I will miss them.I’m going to go over a bit of the plot but because it’s the fourth book and because I don’t want to give anything away it will be very brief. Instead I’ll talk about the characters and how I’ve felt about this series in general. Hadrian is finally Emperor of Rome and Sabina Empress. Unfortunately for everyone Hadrian is not always a kind and patient ruler and while he is a good ruler in terms of what is good for Rome his behavior in other areas can be erratic. Sabina just tries to keep the peace especially between Hadrian and her true love Vix. Vix is still a warrior but now a family man as well. Being the man that he is he is horrified to find that that Antinous, his adopted son, has begun a love affair with the emperor. This sets off a chain of events that nobody could have predicted that leads not only to tragedy but eventually to the spiraling madness of the emperor.That’s all I can say. So much happens in this final novel and I was glued to each and every one of its 528 pages, flipping them ever faster and faster at certain parts and especially towards the end. When I finished I tried to decide if I have a favorite character but I couldn’t decide on one because I have a few – Vix, Antinous, Sabina, Titus, and now Annia who we meet in this installment. Vix who is as soft as he is hard and Sabina who I think I may have liked and hated in equal measure at times. This series has been a true pleasure to read and each book is just as good as the one that came before it and I can’t count the number of times I’ve recommended it.Highly recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and for those who just enjoy a really good story. Lady of the Eternal City is awesome but I highly recommend the whole series. I loved each and every book which include: Mistress of Rome, Daughters of Rome, Empress of the Seven Hills, and now the fabulous Lady of the Eternal City. This is one fan who always finds herself anxiously awaiting Kate Quinn’s next book!

I love historical fiction and this was a great book of that genre. I’m thankful for the historical notes which help to clarify the story.

Drama, intrigue, and love make all four books brilliant reads. I wish Kate would have carried on to Marcus Auralius. Could keep reading her historical Roman stories for ever.

niff..Sniff... I cannot believe that the Mistress of Rome series is over.Kate Quinn writes Ancient Rome in such a way that I am utterly convinced that she, in another life, once walked its streets. In her series finale, Quinn sweeps readers back to the time of Emperor Hadrian in a way that only a masterful storyteller can do. I started this book and I purposely took my time with it because I was sad to leave Vix, Sabina, Titus, Faustina, and so many others. I loved that we were able to catch up with Thea and Arius(Mistress of Rome), but I was sad that Vix/Mariah went through the troubles they did and how their story played out.I really hope that Kate Quinn returns with another Roman story someday if the opportunity arises because I felt like I learned more than I ever did in school about the Roman Emperors.Originally published on Goodreads 14/10/18

El final de una saga estupenda. Un trozo de historia narrada genialmente. Kate te acerca perfectamente a los personajes. Y cre un gran vínculo con cada uno de ellos.Genial.

I love it. The only flow is that i could not understand every word but loved the plot. Very good

Suite et fin des aventures de Vix et Sabine. Le roman couvre cette fois une bonne partie du règne d'Hadrien (personnage qui s'est un peu racheté à mes yeux) et que l'on connaisse ou non plusieurs éléments historiques on ne peut s'empêcher d'être happé par le récit. Titus est moins présent dans ce tome mais son absence est compensée par l'arrivée de nouveaux personnages, j'ai d'ailleurs beaucoup aimé la dynamique entre Annia et Marcus.Un final à la hauteur du précédent.