title: Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman
author:  Joyce E. Salisbury 
description: In her study of the life and death of Perpetua, a third-century Christian martyr, Salisbury (history and humanities, Univ. of Wisconsin, Green Bay) examines the cultlike mentality that drove a 22-year-old woman with an infant son to turn away from her family and accept with enthusiasm a horrific death for her faith. Salisbury describes the social, political, and religious climate in Carthage that made Christianity so appealing to its disillusioned youth. In addition, pagan Rome's emphasis on magic and omens combined with the North African tradition of noble suicide to create a social dynamic in which public death in the arena would be viewed as not only acceptable but also desirable. Utilizing Perpetua's prison diary as well as an eyewitness account of her final hours, Salisbury analyzes the martyr's "passion," her recorded dreams and visions, in relation to these existing forces. The impact of her death on those who witnessed the event as well as those who heard about it became apparent in the veneration bestowed on Perpetua by her contemporaries and in the efforts of patriarchal church leaders like Augustine, who tried to minimize her strength and leadership qualities. This remarkably objective, insightful piece of scholarship is highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.?Rose Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre Pa.<br />Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: Betrayed
  Christina Phillips
   
  In 51 A.D., Druid priestess Nimue is injured and enslaved by the hated Roman Legions. Even
  though she is drawn to her captor, she’s determined to escape and complete her mission for the Briton
  king and her duty to Arianrhod, the goddess she is bound to.
  The tough Roman warrior who captures her is far from the brutal barbarian she expects. His touch
  inflames her desires and passion burns between them. Though Nimue does not accept her
  enslavement, her heart surrenders to her enemy. When Arianrhod appears to her in the form of an owl,
  Nimue knows the union is blessed.
  Roman warrior Tacitus is enchanted by the fiery beauty who shows no fear and challenges him at
  every turn. Though enslaving her goes against his heart, he’s determined to make her his. No woman
  has ever heated his blood as she does. But when he discovers her true nature as one who actually
  communes with the gods, his loyalties are torn between his heritage and a woman who could destroy
  everythin