Via Malorum by G.G. MacLeod

Blog TourHistorical Fiction
Written By Rachel Elwiss Joyce

The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour

Via Malorum by G.G. MacLeod

Every generation rewrites Agrippina and Messalina in its own image - usually as villains, rarely as women navigating a court where the only currencies were blood, beauty, and nerve. It's a pattern repeated often: history's most infamous women are so often infamous because the men writing about them needed them to be. So I'm delighted to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for G.G. MacLeod's Via Malorum, a novel that drags these two out of the margins of Tacitus and Suetonius and into the smoke-and-blood centre of their own story.

Set in Rome in 37 CE, Via Malorum - "the path of the wicked" - follows Agrippina fleeing Caligula's court with her infant son Domitius (the future Nero) at her side, and Messalina prowling beside her as an equally dangerous ally. It's historical fiction crossed with something closer to giallo: prophecy, violence, and forbidden desire woven through a Rome that feels less like a marble backdrop and more like a living, dangerous thing. If you like your ancient history with real teeth - and a body count - this one's for you.

Trigger Warning: Via Malorum contains scenes of explicit sexual content between women and moderate violence, so please read with that in mind.

Book Description

In the shadows of Rome, power bleeds red.

In the shadowed streets of ancient Rome, 37 CE, power is a blade that cuts both ways. Agrippina, a towering enigma of ambition, slips from Caligula's gilded cage with her newborn son, Domitius, her mind a labyrinth of cold calculation. At her side prowls Messalina, a siren in scarlet, her seductive cunning as deadly as her blade. Together, they navigate a city teeming with decadence and deceit, pursued by whispers of treachery and the emperor's wrath.

Their journey leads to the Temple of Fortuna, where the enigmatic Prophet Cassandra unveils a cryptic fate — one that demands sacrifice and promises blood. As alleys echo with violence and forbidden passions ignite, Agrippina's quest for dominion collides with Messalina's ruthless desires. In a night where every step drips with danger, who will rise, and who will fall?

Via Malorum is a visceral plunge into the heart of Roman darkness, blending historical intrigue with the chilling allure of giallo. Prepare for a tale where power bleeds red, and trust is a luxury none can afford.

‍Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bMkq6a

‍ Author Bio

G.G. MacLeod Author

‍The author is a 59-year-old Canadian male based in Calgary. The author has always had a tendency of combining genres like horror and action along with drama, psychological thrillers, giallo, and sometimes even comedy.

‍It really depends on how the author feels from moment to moment as they write because the author likes to entertain themselves first and then hope that a smattering of other people out there in the world will like it as well.

‍‍‍Author Links:

Twitter / X: https://x.com/GGMacLeod1

‍Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ggmacleod1/

‍TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ggmacleod1

‍Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/G.-G.-MacLeod/author/B098Z2Z35R

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22624912.G_G_MacLeod ‍

Rachel Elwiss Joyce

Rachel Elwiss Joyce, Author of Historical Fiction.

Exploring power, loyalty, and love in turbulent medieval England.

Rachel came to novel writing later in life, but she has always been passionate about history, storytelling, and the forgotten voices of women. She writes meticulously researched, immersive historical fiction that brings overlooked heroines into the light.

She started inventing tales about medieval women living in castles when she was just six years old—and never stopped. But when she discovered the extraordinary story of Nicola de la Haye, the first female sheriff, who defended Lincoln Castle from a French invasion and became known as ‘the woman who saved England’, Rachel knew she had found a heroine worth telling the world about.

Lady of Lincoln is her debut novel, the first book in her Nicola de la Haye Series, with sequels to follow.

https://rachelelwissjoyce.com
Next

The Making of Marigold McGrath by Carrie Hayes