I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith

eBook Novel ~ Historical Fiction

Do you enjoy reading historical fiction? Then reading I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith may just be the novel for you! It's a full length novel and is approximately 391 pages.

I downloaded the ebook edition of I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith last year to my Kindle for free from Amazon. Below is my unbiased review of I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith.

First off, I love the cover design/artwork for I Am Livia!! The cover of I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith definitely made me want to learn more about this novel. When I learned that it fell into the historical fiction genre, I decided to give it a try as I've enjoyed reading historical fiction in the past.

I enjoyed that I Am Livia is it is set in ancient Roman times. I also enjoyed that this novel's leading character is female and told through her perspective throughout the entire novel. Livia is a strong female character and is very intelligent. I like how she is portrayed by the author... Livia becomes a true partner to each of her husbands. She helped to shape Rome positively in a way that no woman was normally able to do during her time. 

I was amazed at how easy it was to read I Am Livia... I was actually expecting it to possibly be a dry read. Or that it would be difficult to get into it. But I Am Livia wasn't what I expected at all. I loved how readable I Am Livia was. 

I was also a tad nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep the names of all the characters straight and remember who was who, especially when the author provides a cast of characters list at the start of her novel. But, I never had to refer to the cast of characters list once during reading I Am Livia as keeping track of the characters was easy.

Below is the book summary for I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith from Amazon's website:

Her life would be marked by scandal and suspicion, worship and adoration…

At the tender age of fourteen, Livia Drusilla overhears her father and fellow aristocrats plotting the assassination of Julius Caesar. Proving herself an astute confidante, she becomes her father’s chief political asset—and reluctantly enters into an advantageous marriage to a prominent military officer. Her mother tells her, “It is possible for a woman to influence public affairs,” reminding Livia that—while she possesses a keen sense for the machinations of the Roman senate—she must also remain patient and practical.

But patience and practicality disappear from Livia’s mind when she meets Caesar’s heir, Octavianus. At only eighteen, he displays both power and modesty. A young wife by that point, Livia finds herself drawn to the golden-haired boy. In time, his fortunes will rise as Livia’s family faces terrible danger. But her sharp intellect—and her heart—will lead Livia to make an unbelievable choice: one that will give her greater sway over Rome than she could have ever foreseen. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith and am giving this novel a rating 8 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!