Fountains and Secrets

In bustling, affluent ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius, status matters-yetsome dare to ignore it. And some dare to defy social conventions.Inspired by Jesus's radical views, unconventional Livia Aemilia cares little about stuffy Romandignity. She'd rather help others and solve crimes. But when her new husband forbids herfrom sleuthing, she continues in secret and soon learns that dishonesty doesn't work well in amarriage.His face and reputation scarred from an old betrayal, Memmius Avitus cares about justice.Although from a respected senatorial family, he takes pride in helping underprivileged clientswin legal battles over more privileged opponents, to the annoyance of his peers.When Avitus's mentor is murdered, Avitus investigates undercover because he doesn't wanthis inquisitive wife to get involved. His attempts to conceal the truth only cause more problemsfor his reputation-and his marriage. Eventually the couple forms a tenuous alliance, but whenAvitus learns the mastermind behind the crimes is a ruthless longtime enemy, he fears for Livia'ssafety and orders her to stop. His reluctance to explain why only infuriates her into reckless action.Fountains and Secrets, book 2 in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries, is quirky, fast paced, and clever, showing readers that trust and honesty are more important than winning the battle of the wills.