Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0446527408, Hardcover)

Even as a young child, Kleopatra is demonstrating the charisma and intelligence that will ensure her destiny-and make her the target of her jealous siblings' betrayal. During an Egyptian coup, she and the King are banished to the worldly capital of Rome, where at just 12 years old, she casts off her childhood and accepts the terms of her rightful ascent to power. But the return to Egypt proves less than glorious when her beloved father falls ill and dies, leaving her vulnerable to banishment once again. This time, however, Kleopatra, who has blossomed into not only a shrewd politician but a great beauty, is undaunted. With a warrior's heart, she charges handsome kinsman and lover Archimedes to gather an army, while she readies herself for her most royal challenge yet: to reclaim her throne by forming an alliance with the renowned Julius Caesar-using her most seductive gifts at hand.