Above painting: Louis Jean Francois - Mars and Venus an Allegory of Peace

Pages

***All photos accompanying posts are either owned by the author of said post or are in the public domain -- NOT the property of History Undressed. If you'd like to obtain permission to use a picture from a post, please contact the author of the post.***

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Perfiditas Review and Giveaway!

Leave a comment with your email address to be entered for a chance to win a signed paperback copy! Open internationally!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Publication Date: October 17, 2013
SilverWood Books
Paperback; 288p
ISBN-10: 1781321248
eBook; ASIN: B00FXY4GEE

Captain Carina Mitela of the Praetorian Guard Special Forces is in trouble – one colleague has tried to kill her and another has set a trap to incriminate her in a conspiracy to topple the government of Roma Nova.

Founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman dissidents and ruled by women, Roma Nova barely survived a devastating coup d’état thirty years ago. Carina swears to prevent a repeat and not merely for love of country.

Seeking help from a not quite legal old friend could wreck her marriage to the enigmatic Conrad. Once proscribed and operating illegally, she risks being terminated by both security services and conspirators. As she struggles to overcome the desperate odds and save her beloved Roma Nova and her own life, she faces the ultimate betrayal…


Praise for Perfiditas


“Alison Morton has built a fascinating, exotic world! Carina’s a bright, sassy detective with a winning dry sense of humour. I warmed to her quickly and wanted to find out how she dealt with the problems thrown in her path. The plot is pretty snappy too and gets off to a quick start which made it easy to keep turning the pages. There are a fair number of alternative historical fictions where Rome never disappeared, but for my money this is one of the better ones.” – Simon Scarrow, author of the Eagle (Macro and Cato) series

“I can’t resist an alternative history and Alison Morton writes one of the best. Powerful storytelling, vivid characters and a page-turning plot makes Alison Morton’s PERFIDITAS a must read.”– Jean Fullerton, author of the historical East London novels

“Pure enjoyment! A clever, complex plot set in the beguilingly convincing fictional country of Roma Nova. Scenes and characters are sometimes so vividly described that I felt I was watching a movie. This compelling tale rendered me inseparable from my copy right up to the last turn of the page.”– Sue Cook, writer and broadcaster



MY REVIEW

An intriguing view of an alternate world, where the Roman empire didn't exactly fall and women rule politics, Morton has created a mysterious thriller in Perfiditas. I love alternate histories, and the author has done a wonderful job of creating a new, rich and powerful country, Roma Nova. Perfiditas takes us into a world that seems much like our own, but it is drastically different. Since I read Roman historicals, I liked the subtle undertones of history and smiled at the authors blending of it with a modern technological world.

(Check out the pics the author has on her site if you want to "see" Roma Nova.)

The heroine, Captain Carina Mitela, is tough as nails--hard core training, a superb detective, and all around superwoman--but we also see her softer side, the love of her husband, children, family. She was a character I easily connected with. I love strong heroines with unique personalities, and Carina definitely fits the profile.

What starts out as a simple plea for help from the woman who helps to train Carina, turns into something more mysterious and life-threatening. What seems at first to have nothing to do with herself, actually turns out to be quite a conspiracy and with Carina and her family stuck right dead center. A coup to overthrow the government ends up driving a wedge between Carina and everything she holds dear, and the only way to save the country/family she holds dear is to risk it all.

Fast-paced, well-written and full of angst, Perfiditas was a very entertaining read!

I would recommend reading the first book, Inceptio, because the majority of the world-building and character development takes place within it (though it is delved deeper in Perfiditas). We still see it all vividly in Perfiditas, but as with any series where a new world is created, and a history altered, it helps to start from the very beginning.

Buy the Books

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alison Morton writes Roman-themed alternate history thrillers with strong heroines. She holds a bachelor’s degree in French, German and Economics, a masters’ in history and lives in France with her husband.

A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11, she has visited sites throughout Europe including the alma mater, Rome. But it was the mosaics at Ampurias (Spain) that started her wondering what a modern Roman society would be like if run by women…

INCEPTIO, the first in the Roma Nova series, was shortlisted for the 2013 International Rubery Book Award and awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion® in September 2013. The next in series, PERFIDITAS, published October 2013, has also just been honoured with the B.R.A.G. Medallion®. Alison is working on the third book SUCCESSIO which will be out in June 2014.

Connect with Alison Morton



7 comments:

Celeste said...

Thanks for the review and the giveaway :) the book look amazing!
e-mail: celeste_257@hotmail.com

Alison Morton said...

Thank you for a lovely review, Eliza. I'm so pleased you enjoyed my alternate Roman society.

Kimberly Sue said...

This looks great!
kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com

Alison Morton said...

I loved developing Carina from the character that emerged when I was writing INCEPTIO.

She really does have to juggle her love, duty and personal insecurity in PERFIDITAS!

bn100 said...

Nice review

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Jasmine1485 said...

What a unique idea for a book universe :) Fingers crossed!

kate1485 at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

This looks so good. Getting some other books, & look forward to this one.
flecklosh@aol.com