Bozeman Magazine

Book Signing - Historical Novel - Meet and Greet Event. Author Jess Steven Hughes will be signing copies of his latest historical novel, The Peacekeeper.

45-69 AD

Marcellus, a Spanish Centurion in the Roman Army, is unsafely ensconced in tumultuous and murderous Rome, a city that can claim its victims in an instant and give its chosen ones glory at a moment’s notice. After confronting his nemesis and former commander, Anicius Pedius Gallus, in the boisterous Roman forum, Marcellus escapes yet another close call with a “Roman ally,” and races home to the object of his desire—Eleyne, a feisty, British-Celtic princess. And one that is none too happy about being a royal hostage. But love counters betrayal in this harsh city, and the two are married against a backdrop of mysterious treacheries and secrecies. Even as the two start a family and Marcellus advances through the ranks, the evil Gallus seems to lurk in the shadows around every corner.

As a resident of Rome, Marcellus is no stranger to chaos, but when he's thrust into the role of commander of the Watch's Seventh Cohort, and must lead a ragtag group of men to quell a bloody riot numbering in the hundreds of thousands, can he do the job? And when a new emperor takes hold of the reins, siding with scoundrels and slaughterers, can Marcellus save everyone he holds dear or will he be left alone with blood on his hands?

From the birth of Christianity, to the back stabbings in the Senate, to lives of the slaves and commoners, to the behind-the-scenes of the worlds of the Roman emperors, The Peacekeeper will bring the duplicitous, colorful, and raw streets of Rome to brilliant life, and will leave you breathless until the final page.