Duty and dedication? Or following your heart?
​Which would you choose?
What if that choice cost you everything?

Discover the risks and rewards of the sacred flame that lives within us all.
​

It is the year 216 BC. Livia is a Vestal Virgin, a priestess of the goddess Vesta sworn to keep Rome safe through the obligations of duty, dedication, and chastity. In just a few months she will end her vows and marry her childhood companion. But the High Priestess’s collapse extends Livia’s duties and thrusts her into the unwanted role of leadership.  

As summer heat and the threat of Hannibal descend on Rome, Livia dares to fall for Gaius, a married man and equestrian commander, who has loved her secretly for many years. When his wife Justina refuses to surrender the security of her privileged life, Gaius and Livia are caught in a sticky web of deceit and forbidden love that threatens both their worlds.

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Praise for The Sacred Flame

“I absolutely loved this book! Littlestone’s historical information, ancient yet modern characters, and insightful commentary stirred my imagination. Brava!”
Bonnie Salamon

“The Sacred Flame is beautifully written. Lovely and tragic. I read it in two days on vacation and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much. I could not sleep after finishing it, thinking about the fact life used to be like that (and sometimes still is for some people).”
Sheri Bagwell

“For what can be more real than love and the relentless quest to have it, damn the consequences. Such is the drama of this exquisite tale, told with sensual, transportive language. Such is this story of love that entices and eludes yet calls the soul regardless, leaving us utterly haunted.”
Suzanne Baker Hogan