Thursday, July 25, 2013
Available for Review: Marching with Caesar: Antony & Cleopatra Part II – Cleopatra
Posted By amy @ 6:46 am | No Comments
Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours is looking for bloggers to host author R.W. Peake on his virtual tour for Marching with Caesar: Antony & Cleopatra Part II – Cleopatra. The tour will run from August 26 – September 20. US and International blogs are welcome.
Fans of Roman and military historical fiction or readers of Ben Kane will enjoy this series. Though this is the fourth book in the series, each can be read as a stand-alone.
If you are interested in reviewing Marching with Caesar: Antony & Cleopatra Part II – Cleopatra, please email Amy Bruno at hfvirtualbooktours@gmail.com.
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Self-Published
Paperback; 598p
ISBN-10: 0985703083
In the fourth book of the critically acclaimed Marching With Caesar series, Titus Pullus and his 10th Legion are still in the thick of the maelstrom that follows after the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar. With the disastrous campaign in Parthia behind them, Mark Antony continues his struggle with Octavian, both men vying for ultimate control of Rome. Enter Cleopatra VII, the Pharaoh of Egypt and mother of Julius Caesar’s son, who harbors ambitions and dreams of her own. Through her son Caesarion, Cleopatra is a powerful player in her own right in the continuing drama being played out for control of the most powerful society on Earth. With Cleopatra combining forces with Mark Antony, Octavian, the legitimate heir to Caesar’s fortune is facing the most formidable barrier to his ascendancy yet. Through it all, Titus Pullus and his men must tread a very careful path as the two forces head for an inevitable showdown at a place called Actium.
Praise for Marching with Caesar: Civil War
Peake also charges his narrative with huge amounts of historical detail (page-long paragraphs are not uncommon) and yet makes it all work so smoothly that the reader turns the pages eagerly. There’s history here, and character, and action enough for three novels, and all of it can be enjoyed even if readers haven’t seen the first volume yet. Very highly recommended. – Historical Novel Society Review
Praise for Marching with Caesar: Conquest of Gaul
“Peake’s exhaustive research shows on every page, but always fascinating, never tedious. The pacing is deliberately leisurely, the dialogue crackles with realism, and of course Pullus is right there to watch history unfold. Fans of Roman historical fiction—or military fiction just in general—shouldn’t miss what looks to be one heck of a series.” – Historical Novel Society Review
About the Author
I am a retired Marine, with a primary MOS of 0311, although over the years I picked up a few other designators, but I guess I will always think of myself as a grunt. I was born and raised in Houston, and have only recently relocated to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. After my medical retirement from the Marines and realizing that my experience at locating, closing with and destroying the enemy by fire and maneuver was not exactly going to have employers knocking down my door, I decided to earn a Bachelor’s degree, majoring in History, with a goal of teaching. Then my daughter came to live with me full-time, and while thrilled, I learned very quickly that a teacher’s salary would not support her in the style in which she was accustomed.
So I went into the software business, starting at a small startup that I stayed at for 10 years, clawing my way to middle management, to echo a commercial of that era. My company went public, and I had these things called stock options, so for a brief period of time I was one of those tech paper millionaires. Then the great NASDAQ crash of 2000 happened, and I was a working stiff again. When my company got bought in 2006 by one of the largest software companies in the world, I very quickly learned that working for a big company was not for me, so I took the lure of the (relatively) big bucks as a VP of a much smaller company. It was the worst professional mistake of my life, but the one good thing that did come out of it is that my dissatisfaction drove me to consider taking a risk on something that those who know me had pushed me to do as long as I can remember, and that was to write.
I must admit that I have always enjoyed writing; in fact; I wrote my first novel at 10ish, featuring myself and all of my friends from the street where I lived who almost singlehandedly fought off a Soviet invasion. I was heavily influenced by WWII history at that time, it being my second historical passion after the Civil War, so our stockpile of weapons consisted almost exclusively of Tommy guns, M1’s, etc. Why the Russians chose my particular street to focus their invasion I didn’t really go into, but after a series of savage, bloody battles, my friends and I were forced to make a strategic withdrawal to the only other part of the world I was familiar with at that time, the Silverton area of Colorado. I recently re-read this magnus opus, and it is interesting to track the course of my friendships with the core group that were the main characters of my novel. Some sort of argument or disagreement would result in the inevitable serious wounding of the friend with whom I quarreled, and depending on how serious it was, they might linger for days, clinging to life before they recovered, but not after suffering excruciating pain.
From that beginning, through my adult life, I was always told that I showed talent as a writer, but it wasn’t until I hit the age of 50 that I decided it was time to find out if that were true. And the result is Marching With Caesar-Conquest of Gaul, the first in a completed trilogy that is the story of one of the lucky few men who managed to survive and retire, after rising through the ranks of the 10th Legion. I hope that you enjoy following Titus Pullus’ exploits as much as I enjoyed bringing him to life.
For more information on R.W. Peake and the Marching with Caesar series, please visit the official website and blog. You can also follow R.W. on Facebook and Twitter.
