Coelia Concordia: The Last Vestal Virgin of Rome

COELIA CONCORDIA: THE LAST VESTAL VIRGIN OF ROME

The epic novel you must read by candlelight: immerse yourself in the world of ancient Rome, Vesta, and her privileged yet imperiled priestesses.

For over a thousand years, the esteemed priestesses of Vesta were tasked with keeping the goddess's Eternal Flame burning in her temple. As the guardians of Rome, the Vestal Virgins were revered, for as long as the fire was alive, the Eternal City would endure.

This is the violent, emotional story of Rome's last Vestal Virgin—Coelia Concordia—and her battle to save the sacred flame from an encroaching darkness.

It is also a story about an ancient prophecy, a curse fulfilled, and the relentless suppression of Rome's great gods and goddesses as seen through the eyes of those people who were losing everything—not just their gods and ancestral customs, but their freedoms—yet fought on and never lost hope. And all set against the backdrop of the biggest cultural shift in the history of Western civilization. Because the end of the Vestal Order heralded the fall of the Roman Empire.

Based on real events.

COELIA CONCORDIA is the seventh novel by Debra May Macleod, the author of six previous novels on the Vestal Virgins, books that chronicle the Vestal Order in Rome from its rise in the 8th century BCE to its banishment in the 4th century CE. While part of the larger world of the author's previous novels, COELIA CONCORDIA can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel, or as an entry point into the captivating world of the Vestals.

A prominent voice in thrilling historical fiction, Debra May Macleod brings the high-stakes world of ancient Rome to life with intelligent, immersive world-building and unforgettable characters. She is the author of seven novels that feature the Vestal Virgins, guardians of Rome's Eternal Flame. Blending history and mythology with suspenseful, emotional storytelling, her novels chronicle the Vestal Order over a thousand year period. Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Debra holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Classics, and a Juris Doctor. With a commitment to creating vivid storyscapes, she has participated in research excursions in (and under) various historical sites, and informs her writing with this invaluable perspective.