COLORFUL CHARACTERS TUMBLE FROM THE PAGES AS POMPEII LIVES AGAIN. A.D. 59. Nero, a corrupt and narcissistic sadist rules the Roman Empire. Eventually, tired of the Emperors determination to destroy the social and political fabric of Roman life, a group of senators, praetorians and courtiers conspire to assassinate him. Pompeii is a city of secrets with a reputation for wealth, leisure and the good life. Culturally rich and oozing energy, it exudes a zest for living unmatched by Romes cold, corrupt magnificence. Murder and revenge will fuel support for the conspiracy, from those Pompeians with every reason to despise Nero. And Pompeii hides another secret. What is the mystery of the villa with the room of the crimson frescoes? Romes Empress, Poppaea, born in Pompeii, struggles to cope with Neros madness, her political ambitions, and her longing for a glamorous lover hidden in a villa in nearby Oplontis. Through the novels pages walks Praxus, a praetorian guard. His inner struggle between decency and his oath to a murderous Emperor, represents the core of goodness that remains inherent in Roman society.

When Mount Vesuvius erupts in 79 A.D., Tranio and his friend Livia flee from their homes in Pompeii, Italy, and run to the harbor.

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.

In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the vibrant city of Pompeii thrives, blissfully unaware of the fiery slumbering giant beneath. Marcus, a stoic Roman soldier, and Anya, a dreamer attuned to the whispers of the mountain, find their lives intertwined as tremors and unsettling omens begin to plague the city. Anya's warnings of an impending eruption fall on deaf ears, dismissed by Roman officials blinded by arrogance. As the tremors intensify and the whispers of the mountain grow louder, Marcus grapples with his loyalty to Rome and his growing love for Anya. Torn between duty and a burgeoning belief in Anya's visions, he embarks on a desperate mission to convince the authorities of the looming disaster. Their fight for survival takes them on a thrilling journey as they race against time to warn the city and prepare for the inevitable. But will their voices be heard before the fury of Vesuvius unleashes its wrath? Will they be able to escape the fiery river of molten rock and the rain of ash that threatens to engulf Pompeii? Pompeii's whispers is a captivating tale of love, survival, and the enduring power of nature. It explores themes of loyalty, the fight against bureaucracy, and the importance of heeding warnings, even when they are deemed fantastical. Set against the backdrop of a historical disaster, this novel offers a heart-wrenching story of resilience and the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable destruction. Experience the tremors, feel the ash rain down, and witness the love story that blossoms amidst the impending doom. Will Marcus and Anya escape the wrath of Vesuvius? Dive into Pompeii's Whispers and discover the fight for survival in the shadow of a volcano.

WINNER GOLD AWARD Literary Titan ONE EMPEROR’S DREAM. ONE GLADIATOR’S JUSTICE Discover the secret of Nero’s spectacular Domus Aurea golden palace, only now being revealed. What is its connection to the Colosseum? And what is its link with the vibrant city of Pompeii, its gladiators and its total destruction caused by the eruption of Vesuvius? The amphitheatre has its own secrets even more spectacular. 79 AD. In the reign of Vespasian in the very heart of Rome, a huge amphitheatre rose that would awe the empire. It became known as the Colosseum. Born from the extravagance of the Domus Aurea in Nero’s reign and the Great Fire of Rome, its construction was paid for by spoils won in the Judaean war. Over the years, the blood of thousands seeped into the arena’s sand. And the people loved it! This was the time of the gladiators as seen through the eyes of Famullus, Rome’s most famous fresco painter. Quintus, a young man born free in Rome sharpens his skills as a Retiarius by fighting in arenas such as Pompeii, becoming caught up in the eruption of Vesuvius. Haunted by his mother’s murder years before, he is determined to find the killer and take a life for a life. He finds himself in the inaugural Games of Rome’s deadly Colosseum where he must fight for survival and the woman who loves him. Executions, classical re-enactments, beast attacks, gladiatrices and staged naval battles are held within the arena and the crowd is ecstatic. The Colosseum has it all. Beautifully crafted and soundly historically detailed, this is a gripping novel about retribution, love and bravery.

AWARD WINNER: Literary Titan 'A riveting fictional story.' THE LIFE AND DEATH OF POPPAEA (POPPY) EMPRESS OF ROME 30 A.D. The Roman Empire approaches the peak of its power and human life is of so little value, it can be snuffed out like a candle’s flame. A girl known as Poppy is born to a minor patrician family in the relatively insignificant city of Pompeii. She becomes a stunningly beautiful and intelligent young woman, but one day her life is changed forever. The victim of an act of indescribable evil, Poppy is filled with a white, hot anger that demands revenge. Intent on destroying those who have caused her such pain, she rises higher and higher in influence, until she is the most powerful and wealthy woman in the whole of the Roman Empire. She becomes Empress of Rome. Fiercely loyal to those few she trusts and to the city where she was born, Poppy’s friendship with her childhood friend, Farzana, anchors and supports her. This is the story of the real Empress barely touched on by the ancient Roman historians. In an age of murder, greed and obsessive ambition, she clings to her love for Pompeii and is loved in return by its people. As Pompeii’s destruction by Vesuvius grows ever closer, she risks losing everything. But there is one secret that can never be destroyed.

‘I promise,’ Selene whispered, ‘that one day, I will be someone. One day, everyone will know my name.’ Pompeii. 78 AD. A distinctive, oddly-shaped building looms menacingly out of the night, squatting on the narrow laneway’s paving stones. The Lupanar Grande, is the largest Pompeii brothel and a place reeking of body odour, stale perfume, urine and sex. The prostitutes are the dregs of society, infames, but all hope has not been extinguished. Selene, a free-born street prostitute from Naples, is new to Pompeii. She lusts after wealth and fame. Ambitious and enticingly pretty, she is determined to replace the famous courtesan, Prima. She will be drawn into a Lupanar blackmail ring. Velina, a slave, is bought by the brothel’s leno and taken to the Lupanar with her best friend, Alexa. As slaves, they are limited to its interior and the outside footpath where they solicit for business. They sleep in their cells and are forbidden to stray from the brothel. Their leno, Servius, takes all they earn. Flora, independent and shrewd, lives in her own tiny, two-room house adjacent to the Lupanar. Behind her cerulean blue front door, she sees everything through her large, front window. She will save girls from prostitution. Hester, a shy, gentle girl, belongs to a small group known as Christianos. Its meeting place is located opposite the Lupanar, with unfortunate consequences. Lucius Attilius is addicted to gambling and women. It leads him into the Pompeii arena, where few gladiators die but many suffer severe injuries. He will find a love so strong that it overcomes even the sordid Lupanar. Their lives intertwine as Vesuvius erupts. What will happen to the survivors?

TWO ROYAL SISTERS ONE THRONE A CURSE DOWN THE AGES Murder on the temple steps. A scarlet stain on the pristine white marble with an imprint that seeps blood down the centuries. A curse that will not die and a forgotten myth whispered through the dusty veil of history. Lovers Antony and Cleopatra should have had the world at their feet. Instead, they were harassed to their deaths by a series of major disasters. Their tomb was never found. Where is it? This is their story. From the sculpted sand dunes of exotic Alexandria, its royal palace, temples and conspiracies to the glories of mighty Rome and the dangerous secrets of Ephesus. Could so many major disasters have been just bad luck or was there a malevolent hand at work, pulling them forever closer to death and the end of their dreams of empire?

Deadly secrets and fatal decisions, Marie Antoinette thought she took her secrets to the grave. She was wrong. Was Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, executed during the French Revolution for her worst crime or was there another that would have shaken the very foundations of the monarchy if it had become known? What was it? Colourful characters that filled Marie’s life spill from the novel’s pages. The royal perfumer, candle-maker, hairdresser, fashion stylist, painter, jeweller and even her pastry maker were all part of an extravagant, indulgent lifestyle. Go with her from Austria to the stunning royal estate of Versailles with the fairy-tale Trianon. Continue on to the filthy degradation of the prisons of revolutionary Paris and the faded glory of the Tuileries Palace, and share the lives, hopes and fears of real prisoners awaiting death in the feared Conciergerie. In the shadow of the guillotine stand other actors in this drama, Madame Tussaud maker of death masks, Charlotte Corday the Angel of Death, Marat, Robespierre and more. The gruesome tricoteuses knit as the heads drop and Sanson operates his Lady Guillotine. Discover the disgust of the stinking, overflowing graveyards and burial quarry which have now become part of the catacombs of Paris.

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.