I first read this series when I was about 14, and totally fell in love - I have re-read it so many times since then. I'm a big fan of all things Ancient Rome, and while I think that helps - as it makes details throughout the story more interesting, it's certainly not a requirement for enjoying this book; Claudia is enough!Claudia is a sassy, fierce and seductive young woman who has picked herself up from her rough roots to marry a rich older wine merchant - and though she's landed on her feet, she can't help but get herself into mischief. Claudia is a shameless thrill-seeker, and starts to work as a high-class escort, until someone starts killing off her clients...Enter Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, a gorgeous, aristocratic investigator. Claudia decides she's going to have to solve these crimes before her husband finds out. The mystery is interesting, and keeps you guessing, but the dynamic between Claudia and Marcus is what keeps you reading. Here is one man Claudia can't wrap around her little finger. They are sarcastic, and sparky, and reading their interactions is so much fun. I love all the Roman touches, and Marilyn Todd manages to inform you of important attitudes and details without patronising. In fact, I might have to go re-read this again now...
I really liked this book; our hero, the Claudia of the title, was a really great character, and very, very human. I loved the relationship with her husband, and I thought the author managed to get across a lot of the Roman sensibility of the time in a way that didn't stand out as strange or weird, but none the less read very true to me. (I've had *a lot* of background in Roman history, including a lot of Latin translation, and this can and has been a thing to throw me out of historical novels before.)So, very much recommended on that account. Some nitpicks, however, were that the way the author used British slang to get across class differences started standing out A LOT about mid-way through the book. You might not find it as distracting as I, a very American reader, did. It was an effective method, but idk, I felt like it got a little over the top at points. Another is that the love interest's POV on Claudia gets weirdly rapey at points? Like, in a fantasy, never even hinted at acting upon, but that combined with the "if I can't have her no-one will" angle to the murders, it was a little jarring. That all said, I'm definitely planning on picking up the next book.
