The Tenth Muse

As a well-bred daughter of Issa's aristocracy, Sappho spent her life as her father's political instrument, and she wants none of it. When a coup shatters Issa's political order, she can only escape an arranged marriage meant to cement her family's alliance by fleeing to the temple of Erato, the muse of love poetry. If only she wins enough glory as Issa's most renowned poet, no one can use her as a bargaining chip.

But to write poetry that lasts, Sappho must channel eros — raw and all-consuming. And there is only one person who makes her feel it: Leandra, her childhood friend, now the dutiful wife of Myrsilus, the very tyrant who seized the throne by betraying Sappho's family. Her fame requires Leandra, yet every attempt to be near her pulls Sappho deeper into the political conflict she tried to escape.