"The Wedding Shroud" by Elisabeth Storrs Review

There are historical romances and then there are ancient-historical romances.  The Wedding Shroud: A Tale of Ancient Rome by Elisabeth Storrs is in the later category.  It follows the story of a Roman girl and an Etruscan nobleman in BC times. 

Now, I like historical romances as well as the next romance-lover, but I have never read a book that took place in ancient times.  That being said, I don't regret it one bit.  Elisabeth Storrs obviously did her research and delved into the details of daily life in ancient Rome.
Caecilia, a young Roman woman is wed to Mastarna, an Etruscan who lives in Veii, as part of a treaty.  The Roman woman struggles to adjust to leaving her pious city of Rome to live in a city where debauchery is the norm and she is an outcast.  Caecilia is a young woman with insecurities, she has issues adjusting to the city of Veii, but I think she shows character in slowly adjusting to the culture. 
Storrs obviously did her research into the lives of ancient Romans.  The descriptions are vivid, making you feel like you are in an Etruscan city.  There were some disturbing parts for me such as the barbaric sacrifices, but it wasn't anything I haven't heard in history classes, and it truly helps the story.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to historical romance lovers.  There is one thing that could be somewhat distracting to the enjoyment of this book: the use of ancient terms.  There is a glossary at the end of the book and for the most part you can figure out the meaning of the words within the sentence, but to some it could be a distracting.  However, if you can get past that, love a story rich in details, heartbreak and love, this is a great book for you.  I will definitely not be shying away from ancient romances anymore!