Shadows in the Ashes is the new dual-timeline romance novel by Viking specialist Christina Courtenay. Alternating between the present day and AD79 Pompeii, it tells the story of gladiator Raedwald and Aemilia, a wealthy Roman woman trapped in a loveless marriage; and Caterina, an English-Italian woman who flees to Italy leaving behind an abusive husband, and Connor a red-hair volcanologist she meets in Sorrento. The story opens in AD73 with Raedwald, a young man in Frisia (today’s Netherlands) who, after being betrayed and sold into slavery, finds himself training as a gladiator in Pompeii. In 2022 in North London, Cat works from home as a translator, shielding young daughter Bella from her manipulative husband Derek. Both Raedwald and Cat fall in love when it is most inconvenient; Cat because she is on the rebound and not looking for a boyfriend, Raedwald because he is planning to escape from Pompeii and return home to Frisia to seek revenge for his betrayal. To earn extra money, Cat takes a live-in position at a hotel in Sorrento where Connor is a guest; Raedwald and his fellow gladiator Duro take on extra work as bodyguards, their client is Lucius Licinia, husband of the beautiful Aemilia.
The two stories switch effortlessly between the centuries as Courtenay creates a mirroring effect as the people in each timeline face similar, but not identical, situations. The story becomes more mystical when Cat visits the ruins at Pompeii and starts to have visions. The actual date of the real Vesuvius eruption isn’t known so this adds tension to the Pompeii timeline as days pass and the warning signs increase. Minor earthquakes become bigger, smoke rises from the ground.
I had a few quibbles – there are a few easy coincidences, some difficult actions are achieved too simply or without mention, and the Pompeii research sometimes lies heavily on the page – but this is an easy read to sink into after a difficult day. The author treads a careful path through her narrative, including the tragic volcanic explosion and an abusive marriage, counter-balancing these threats by emphasizing the security of true love, of family, of friends, of partners. Even if the romance and flirting at times edges into over-the-top ‘teenage crush’ territory, the characters quickly return to the hard reality of daily life. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Cat’s Italian family, particularly her two uncles who are just the men to have on your side in a tough situation.
Included as ‘Bonus Material’ is an intriguing short story called Alaric’s Dilemma which hints at a sequel to Shadows in the Ashes.
Welcome escapism.

Here’s my review of TEMPTED BY THE RUNES by the same author.

If you like this, try:-
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon 
‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper #1WolfDen
‘The House with the Golden Door’ Elodie Harper #2WolfDen

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview SHADOWS IN THE ASHES by @PiaCCourtenay https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7RW via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-