Tag Archives: historical fiction

#BookReview ‘Tyrant’ by Conn Iggulden #historicalfiction #RomanEmpire

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Wow. Tyrant, book two of the Nero trilogy by Conn Iggulden, doesn’t disappoint. An ageing emperor who appeases his younger wife. A fatherless son, wild and untameable. His ruthless mother, single-minded, unscrupulous, determined her son should rule. This is the story of Nero’s ascent to the most powerful seat of all. Conn IgguldenIn his portrayal of Roman history, Iggulden’s writing bears his research lightly. Never once did I sense a fact included superfluously, everything was there for a reason. Where historical accounts are thin, Iggulden adds his own fictional interpretation. The result is a gripping story of political machinations not unfamiliar to today’s global governments, where ambition and dominion drive everything; loyalty is fragile, words have double meanings, while at the heart of it all are money and power.
Where Nero was the story of Agrippina, Tyrant is the story of her son Lucius, now re-named Nero. A headstrong teenager, Nero is out of control. His mother persuades her husband Emperor Claudius, and now Nero’s adoptive father, to name Nero as his heir in place of his natural son Britannicus who is the butt of Nero’s ridicule. An education is arranged at the hands of statesman and dramatist Seneca and praetorian Burrus.
A combination of political power struggles, subterfuge, a spot of teenage shoplifting and reckless charioteering, Tyrant shows Rome at its bloodiest and most dangerous. Plenty of plot twists, betrayals and plotting set against excessive wealth. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the naumachia, a naval battle in a flooded amphitheatre between ships crewed by prisoners of war. I was willing on Caractacus; first seen in Nero, as king of the Catuvellauni in Britain he fought the Romans many times but was captured and taken to Rome as a prisoner. He provides an interesting comparison on the nature of leadership, responsibility and power.
Conn Iggulden’s portrayal of Nero is compelling, despite the darkness, brutality and often insanity of the story. It’s a tribute to his storytelling that the writing does not descend into hyperbole. Tyrant is the story of Nero from boy to man, as he breaks free of the influence of his mother. A really entertaining read.
The final book of the trilogy is Inferno.

Read my review of NERO, first instalment of Conn Iggulden’s ‘Nero’ trilogy

If you like this, try:-
‘The Beasts of Paris’ by Stef Penney
‘The Last Hours’ by Minette Walters #1BlackDeath
‘The Lost Lights of St Kilda’ by Elisabeth Gifford

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

#BookReview ‘The Angel in the Glass’ by Alys Clare #historical #mystery

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Stained glass. Shameful secrets. Rumours of wolves and shadows. Dissolution. The Angel in the Glass is second in the Gabriel Tavernier historical mystery series by Alys Clare. I really enjoyed the first, A Rustle of Silk, and was looking forward to reading more about Gabe, rural doctor and amateur investigator. I wasn’t disappointed. Alys Clare
Three disconnected events occur early in the story. Two young brothers go exploring and find jewels hidden in a tangled copse on a farmer’s land; the resulting fight between the farmer and the boy’s father causes uproar. The body of a vagrant is found on the edge of the moors. And Jonathan Carew, vicar of St Luke’s church, has a strange episode in the middle of his Sunday sermon; he goes pale and stares at something that isn’t there.
Coroner Theophilius Davey calls on local doctor Gabriel Taverner to examine the corpse. Slender, fair-haired, skeletal, diseased, Gabe says the man likely died of natural causes. The body is locked in the cellar of an empty house near Theo’s house while he and his assistant Jarman Hodge investigate his identity. They make little progress apart from accumulating a collection of strange stories; a black shadow seen here, a wolf there, and servants gossip about a loiterer seen at Wrenbeare, once a fine large house but now dirty and unkempt. When Theo and Gabe ride out to Wrenbeare to interview the widow, Lady Clemence Fairlight denies there was an intruder. But her youngest daughter Denyse screams and says she saw a dead body. And she continues screaming. Who is telling the truth? What secrets lurk at Wrenbeare?
The story starts in 1604. After decades of religious change, persecution and crisis, England has settled into a fragile calm under King James I. In The Angel in the Glass, Clare explores the continuing impact of Henry VII’s Act of Legacy, foundation of the Church of England and the dissolution of the monasteries, via a return to Protestantism under Edward VI and Catholicism with Queen Mary Tudor, returning to Protestantism again with Queen Elizabeth I. The turmoil of the preceding years lies shallow beneath the soil of the village Tavy St Luke’s and at Rosewyke, the warm country house which is home to Gabe and his widowed sister Celia.
I enjoy historical mysteries but some are long and wide-ranging. In future when I need a shorter read, I will turn to Alys Clare whose books are concise but still detailed and intriguing. At 240 pages, The Angel in the Glass is a puzzling, quick read. The plot moves forward on every page, there are no wasted words, with rounded characters, twisty plot and a returning cast of villagers.
Quickly becoming a favourite series of mine. The next Gabriel Taverner book is The Indigo Ghosts.

Here are my reviews of other novels in this series:-
A RUSTLE OF SILK #1GABRIELTAVERNER
THE INDIGO GHOSTS #3GABRIELTAVERNER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Fair Fight’ by Anna Freeman
‘Three Sisters, Three Queens’ by Philippa Gregory
‘Broken Faith’ by Toby Clements #2Kingmaker

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

#BookReview ‘The Armour of Light’ by @KMFollett #historical #Kingsbridge

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It is 1792 and a weaving revolution is taking place in Kingsbridge while across the Channel, the deadly French Revolution is well underway. The Armour of Light by Ken Follett, fifth in the Kingsbridge historical series (starting with prequel The Evening and The Morning), begins with a horrific accident. When Sal Clitheroe’s husband dies, she and her small son Kit move to Kingsbridge and so set in motion a chain of events leading to the Battle of Waterloo. Ken Follett
As the 18th century turns into the 19th, this is a story of great change as Britain industrialises and hovers on the brink of war, and both workers and ruling classes of Kingsbridge are affected. Kingsbridge, now a city so much more than simply a cathedral, is still recognisable from the earlier novels. Sal and her fellow workers at the spinning and weaving mills become embroiled in a power struggle with the mill owners, as first the spinning jenny and then other machines are introduced. Jobs are lost, hours are reduced, dissenters are flogged and strike-busting labourers are hired from Ireland.
The Armour of Light is a compelling story of the political times in England from 1792 to 1824 told through the eyes of Sal and Kit; yarn supplier’s son Amos Barrowfield; weaver David Shoveller or ‘Spade’; and alderman and mill owner Joseph Hornbeam. Adding to the tensions between the powerful and the downtrodden, war taxes raised to fund the battle against Napolean mean shortages and rocketing prices. What’s more, young men are being grabbed off the street by press gangs. Kit is a key figure, growing from a child to an inventive engineer whose talents lead him on to the battlefield, bringing a youthful vigour and freshness to the age-old battles between the city cabal of powerful men and the new friendly society which stands up for the workers.
What an epic story this is, 745 pages long but I read it in five days. Not one to over-write, Follett’s prose is never flowery but always clear and dramatic. I always wanted to read just another chapter. A great continuation of the un-matched Kingsbridge series.

Click the titles to read my reviews of other Follett novels:-
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING #prequel Kingsbridge
THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH #1Kingsbridge
WORLD WITHOUT END #2Kingsbridge
A COLUMN OF FIRE #3Kingsbridge
NEVER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Lady of the Ravens’ by Joanna Hickson #1QueensoftheTower
‘The Drowned City’ by KJ Maitland #1 Daniel Pursglove
‘The Warlow Experiment’ by Alix Nathan

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

#BookReview ‘The King’s Mother’ by @anniegarthwaite #historical

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I couldn’t put down The King’s Mother. It’s the partner to Cecily by Annie Garthwaite, her re-telling of Cecily Neville, matriarch of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. In the sequel she is now a widow, mother of King Edward IV and the dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, and still a powerhouse in a world of men. Annie GarthwaiteCecily Neville’s husband and eldest son are dead in battle, a battle won by her second son Edward who becomes king. This is the story of the mother of two kings, a woman unafraid to use her power, at the heart she is driven by family. She will do anything to protect her children, even when they are weak and wrong, even if it means waging war. The King’s Mother takes place as the War of the Roses transitions to the age of the Tudors. Edward becomes king at the age of 18, golden, feted, lusty and arrogant. No matter his mother’s plans for a geo-political marriage to benefit the country, the king falls for Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful blonde from a lesser family. The relationship between the young queen and her mother-in-law is the spine of the novel.
The moral at the end is to never underestimate the power of maternal love and family loyalty. Garthwaite brings a new perspective to the telling of Richard III’s story, which is to be welcomed, and a bitter, grudgingly respectful, hateful battle between four mothers; Cecily, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Marguerite of Anjou. It is a time of war, civil and European, and Garthwaite shows the role of the women behind the thrones and most powerful men in the lands. Never ignore the soft power of the wife’s voice and the strategic knowledge learned by playing chess.
So good. It’s a timeless story, totally gripping despite the fact we all know the ending.
And another beautiful cover design.

Here’s my review of CECILY, also by Annie Garthwaite

If you like this, try:-
‘The Other Gwyn Girl’ by Nicola Cornick 
‘Winter Pilgrims’ by Toby Clements #1Kingmaker
‘A Rustle of Silk’ by Alys Clare #1GabrielTaverner

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#BookReview THE KING’S MOTHER by @anniegarthwaite https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-89I via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘The Book of Secrets’ by Anna Mazzola #historical #mystery

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The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola is a dark tale of abuse, poison and the moral rights and wrongs of self-defensive murder in a male-dominated society. Anna MazzolaIt is Rome 1659 and there are rumours of funerals for men whose corpses have not decayed as expected. Young prosecutor Stefano Bracchi is commissioned by the Papal authorities to head an investigation. He has been recommended for the job by his father, who thinks Stefano is a weakling, and is egged on by his brothers who are bullies. Only his sister Lucia is a cautious, supportive voice. The journey made by Stefano in the course of his investigation is fascinating.
The story is told in two alternating strands; Stefano’s investigation, and the community of women headed by apothecary and midwife Girolama Spana whose band of women tell fortunes, sell face treatments, deliver babies, offer medical advice. And when occasionally confronted with a woman being abused, they sell bottles of ‘Aqua.’ Made from an ancient recipe passed through Girolama’s female relations, Aqua offers an escape for women trapped in a violent marriage, where they and their children are at risk, but for whom there is no protection under Roman law. Perhaps, though, Girolama has been selling rather more bottles than she used to.
It is a compelling cat-and-mouse story where I found myself rooting for one side and then the other, as Stefano edges closer to the truth I was willing Girolama on as she tied him in knots. The violence against women is shocking, especially in the extraction of confessions at the notorious Tor di Nona prison. But the law of murder in 17th century Rome makes no allowances in support of possible justification of the abused; it is a legal and philosophical argument that powers the story. Can murder every be right? Isn’t murder always murder? And of course because the suspected villains are women, the corpses look unnatural, and poison is suspected, they are also rumoured to be witches.
I would like to have read more from Marcello, the doctor attached to the inquisition who clearly is uncomfortable with the torture of witnesses, and also from some of the other women involved.
It’s a thought-provoking, dark and powerful novel. I was still thinking about it days after finishing it. A fictional telling of the true poisoning inquisition in Rome in 1656.

If you like this, try:-
‘Disobedient’ by Elizabeth Fremantle
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon
‘Shadows in the Ashes’ by Christina Courtenay

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

#BookReview ‘Nero’ by Conn Iggulden #historicalfiction #RomanEmpire

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Nero, first in the eponymous trilogy, is the first Conn Iggulden novel I have read. Why did I wait so long? I thoroughly enjoyed it and am now awaiting Tyrant to continue the story. Conn IgguldenNero is the title of the book but Nero the person is not named until the end. It turns out that Nero is a Roman nickname. As this is the first of the trilogy there is a lot of background – family, historical, political, emotional – to establish. Nero features three Roman emperors; Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius. The emperor we know as Nero is a child, Julius, throughout this book until he is re-named. The spine of the story belongs to Agrippina, great-granddaughter of Emperor Augustus I, sister of three brothers including Emperor Caligula, and niece of Emperor Claudius. Their line goes back to Julius Caesar. Step by step, through two husbands, threat, fear, poverty and extreme wealth, Agrippina protects Julius, son of her first husband, guarding his right to become emperor.
I am no expert on Roman history, my knowledge of Claudius is limited to the 1970s television series I, Claudius, which I enjoyed when young and am now tempted to re-visit.
AD 37, Nero begins as Agrippina’s husband Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Barbo the celebrity charioteer and grandson of Mark Anthony, rides into Rome to face punishment possibly death. He is accused of adultery with a senator’s wife. It is the first glimpse of Agrippina’s influence, courage and ambition; if Barbo runs for the hills she and her son will be killed in revenge, if he rides to Rome to face judgement then likely he will die but she and her son may survive. Tension is on every page. Women are key characters; the wives, sisters, daughters and mothers of the Roman male elite, are victims, seducers, allies, murderers and heroes.
Agrippina is formidable, admirable in her protection of her child and of their rights, intimidating in the methods she will use to achieve security, Machiavellian in her tactical flexibility. This is a wonderful character-driven drama with a woman at the core, set within the unpredictable, lethal, cut-throat male world of Roman politics. Being unaccustomed to Roman names, I found some confusing and complicated; a family tree would be helpful. It would also be good to see the viewpoints of other female characters – particularly Agrippina’s aunt Domitia Lepida, and Messalina the wife of Claudius – to deepen the plot and add tension.
Rome at the time of Nero can be summed up in three words: treachery, ambition, danger. And it all happens at the speed of light. I loved it.
Bring on Tyrant.

If you like this, try:-
‘Sparrow’ by James Hynes
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon
‘The Wolf Den’ by Elodie Harper #1WolfDen

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

#BookReview ‘James’ by Percival Everett #historical #slavery #HuckleberryFinn

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James by Percival Everett is a road trip, a meandering journey of a slave, Jim, as he flees persecution, afraid of being separated from his wife and daughter. As he travels, Jim sees a different world, a world where slaves are not always treated as chattels belonging to white men. Percival EverettA re-telling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, James is Jim’s own story. It is wry, sometimes funny, sometimes violent, sometimes poignant. In 1861, when Jim hears he is about to be sold far away from his family, he runs from the town of Hannibal, Missouri and hides on nearby Jackson Island while he decides what to do next. He doesn’t expect to be found so quickly but found he is, by white teenager Huckleberry Finn who has run away from his violent father. And so, familiar from Twain’s novel, they begin a trip down the dangerous Mississippi River, hoping to find the Free States. They encounter friends, foes, tricksters, drunks, runaway slaves, and slaves who are happy to be enslaved. And then they are told there is a war between the North and the South, a war about the end of slavery.
Everett turns on its head the perception of the slave as uneducated, oppressed, a victim. When together, the slaves speak as their true selves, about emotions, love, politics, the natural world, everything that is life. But when with white people the slaves speak a dialect expected by the massas, speech that demonstrates their lack of education, ignorance, subservience, simple-mindedness. Everything the whites assume and expect. But Jim can read and write, he is well-read. In a fever-dream he is visited by the authors of books he has read; Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke. There are some twists; a slave who is so pale-skinned he can pass unnoticed amongst the white folk; a band of minstrels who don blackface to sing badly-composed slave songs; slaves who will betray a runaway to their white masters.
The winding circular structure to the story mirrors their geographical journey, putting Jim in the path of danger many times. Along the way, Everett examines the nature of morality, the hypocrisy of white masters who beat their slaves in the week and go to church on Sunday, the kindness of some strangers, the hatred of others.
James is a fascinating re-telling of a classic novel, at times uncomfortable, lacerating in its irony and punishment of the white owners. A novel I am glad to have read though I can’t honestly say it was enjoyable.

If you like this, try:-
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe
‘A Thousand Moons’ by Sebastian Barry
‘The Last Runaway’ by Tracy Chevalier

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

#BookReview ‘The Other Gwyn Girl’ by @NicolaCornick #historical

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I loved The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick. More specifically, I loved the character of Rose, sister of the more famous Nell Gwyn. Cornick has written a wonderful timeslip novel piecing together the story of the real Rose Gwyn from scarce historical documents and combining it with a modern story mirroring the major themes. Love, celebrity, betrayal, royalty, loyalty and jewellery. Nicola CornickIn 1671, famed royal mistress Nell Gwyn has come a long way from selling oranges. Her older sister however is not so lucky in love. Rose Cassells, nee Gwyn, is in prison for the third time in her life; the first time for stealing a loaf of bread, the second as a debtor. Her third imprisonment is for treason; entangled by her highwayman husband into joining a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The plot fails. Rose is caught and imprisoned in the infamous Marshalsea prison.
The present day story is about another pair of sisters. Jess Yates, sister of TV reality star Tavy, is newly single again after separating from her boyfriend who is now in prison for fraud. Jess needs a clean break while she works out what to do with her life. She accepts Tavy’s offer of moving to Fortune Hall as housekeeper. Tavy bought this rundown mansion as the setting for her new reality television series. Longing for peace and quiet, Jess steps into a whirlwind of celebrity life. Tavy is filming a new episode and is surrounded by cameramen and hangers-on. Her team includes loyal assistant Ed and physic Francesca, Jess and Tavy’s mother Una, and Tavy’s model boyfriend Hunter. Whilst Tavy broadcasts on social media the smallest intimate details of her life at Fortune Hall where she pretends to live – she dislikes the house, regrets buying it and is away from home as often as possible – librarian and archivist Jess retreats to the house’s dusty old library. Like Nell and Rose, Jess and Tavy are personality opposites.
Connections between the two storylines seem miles apart at the beginning, though some parallels become clear quite quickly, which presents even more possibilities and increases the tension. There are satisfying flirtations and hints of romance, handsome heroes, dastardly villains and at the centre of it all, two impressive mansions.
The spine of the 17th century strand is historical truth. The two Gwyn sisters, unalike in character but bonded by blood and shared childhood, raised by a drunken widowed mother in poverty. The theft of the Crown Jewels in a plot organised by Sir Thomas Blood with the help of thief John Cassells. Blood is later mysteriously pardoned by King Charles II, lover of Nell Gwyn. John Cassells disappears. Little is known of Rose Gwyn and Cornick has used this vacuum to create a page-turning mystery with satisfying tension, betrayals, rescues, love, sacrifices and murder. The historical setting is fascinating and Cornick writes sensitively about grief, loss and regret, but also about the things women had to do at that time to survive.
The ending is surprising, satisfying, with the correct element of mystery and the receiving of just desserts. This is a wonderful read about, for me, an unfamiliar period of history.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Nicola Cornick:-
THE FORGOTTEN SISTER
THE LAST DAUGHTER
THE WINTER GARDEN

If you like this, try:-
‘The Wicked Cometh’ by Laura Carlin
‘Disobedient’ by Elizabeth Fremantle
‘The Photographer’s Wife’ by Suzanne Joinson

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

#BookReview ‘A Column of Fire’ by @KMFollett #historical #Kingsbridge

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A Column of Fire by Ken Follett is fourth in the Kingsbridge historical series (starting with prequel The Evening and The Morning) and from page one I sank immediately into this world again. Not only Kingsbridge but London, Paris, Spain, Holland and the Caribbean. Ken FollettIt is 1558 and Elizabeth Tudor is a queen in waiting. The religious differences of the earlier Kingsbridge novels have descended into violence, hatred, murder and war. In Kingsbridge, teenage protestant Ned Willard is in love with Margery Fitzgerald, a Catholic. They are prevented from marrying not because of their religious beliefs, but because the Fitzgerald family are ambitious and want a husband for Margery who will elevate them into the aristocracy. Heartbroken, Ned seeks employment with Sir William Cecil, advisor to Princess Elizabeth. Ned’s intelligence, quick wittedness and language skills see him become a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster. When princess becomes queen, her sovereignty is threatened by ‘Spanish Mary,’ Mary Queen of Scots, who is sheltering in Paris. There, Ned runs into a man who will become an enemy throughout his life, Pierre Aumande. Religious intolerance destroys trust, splits families and wrecks countries.
I really enjoyed the sub-plot of Ned’s brother Barney, who gets into trouble and runs away to sea. He becomes a master of naval artillery and when the English fleet faces the Spanish Armada he has a crucial role to play. The timespan of A Column of Fire runs from 1558-1620, that’s a lot of history. Follet does a wonderful job of seamlessly placing his fictional characters into real events, including the Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots, and the Gunpowder Plot to kill Elizabeth’s heir King James I.
I’ve read comments saying the Kingsbridge books have a master plot repeated from book to book and this becomes predictable. Yes, there are similar themes, big themes about religion and politics that run across the books and the centuries. Teenage sweethearts are prevented from marrying, there are despotic local politicians, corrupt clergy, young men leave home to find a better life while feisty women survive despite the odds. These are themes of life, and of the times, and each book is individual. Discussions about the role of faith in a civil society, the danger of religious conflict fuelled by difference, and the freedom of religious belief, are pertinent today.
Thought-provoking. Thrilling. Romantic. There’s love, loyalty, betrayal, codebreaking and some cracking battles. I love these books and look forward to re-reading them many times.

Click the titles to read my reviews of other Follett novels:-
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING #prequel Kingsbridge
THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH #1Kingsbridge
WORLD WITHOUT END #2Kingsbridge
NEVER

If you like this, try:-
‘Execution’ by SJ Parris #6GiordanoBruno
‘The City of Tears’ by Kate Mosse #2Joubert
‘Dissolution’ by CJ Sansom #1Shardlake

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#BookReview A COLUMN OF FIRE by @KMFollett https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7WB via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘The Temple of Fortuna’ by @Elodie_Harper #historical #Pompeii

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The final instalment of the Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper doesn’t disappoint. The Temple of Fortuna follows the return journey of former brothel worker Amara from Rome via Misenum to Pompeii. She returns a very different woman from the last time she stood on the city’s streets beneath Vesuvius, having clawed her way up from slave to freedwoman and high-class courtesan. Elodie HarperIt’s been a while since I read the second book of the trilogy, The House with the Golden Door, but I slipped quickly back into Amara’s world. Moving in the highest of political circles on the arm of her patron Demetrius, and sometimes spying for him, Amara still fears the shadows and sees glimpses of poor people who remind her of her past and the dangers she faced. Every day she thinks of her daughter Rufina, left in Pompeii in the charge of slave Philos, her former lover and Rufina’s biological father, and fears for their safety. Rome is Amara’s best chance to better herself so she can raise Rufina in wealth and security. When Demetrius asks her to be his wife, Amara sales to Misenum to the house of her benefactor Pliny and then on to Pompeii. It is September AD79.
The fatal eruption of Vesuvius is a shadow throughout the trilogy but especially so in this book. As Amara’s ship approaches Pompeii, small earthquakes make the land of Campania shake. The tremors are so frequent that to the locals they become normal. Amara is reunited with her spiky daughter and we meet again friends familiar from previous books. My favourite is the female gladiator Britannicus, who has been watching over Rufina’s safety in a city where Felix, pimp and owner of the Wolf Den brothel, and Rufus, Rufina’s nominal father, are always a threat.
I admit to being impatient for the eruption to begin, this happens just past halfway but could have been much earlier. The earth trembles, dusk falls prematurely. ‘Above the mount, a black column has risen, is still rising, piercing the sky like a spear thrown from the kingdom of Vulcan, god of fire.’ From this point on, all political, business and relationship worries – will Demetrius accept Rufina as his adopted daughter, how can Amara leave Philos who she realises she still loves, how can she stop Felix extorting money from the bars she owns near the gladiator arena – disappear and the running starts. What follows is an almost eyewitness detailed report of fleeing Pompeii for Stabiae and Surrentum.
It’s impossible to review the second half of the book without spoilers. There are a number of epilogues which tie up loose ends, a little too neatly for my liking. But this is an excellent trilogy, immersive, with characters you root for. Definitely one to re-read.

Here are my reviews of the first two novels in the ‘Wolf Den’ series by Elodie Harper:-
THE WOLF DEN #1WOLFDEN
THE HOUSE WITH THE GOLDEN DOOR #2WOLFDEN

If you like this, try:-
‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ by John Boyne
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon 
‘Shadows in the Ashes’ by Christina Courtenay 

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE TEMPLE OF FORTUNA by @Elodie_Harper https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7U6 via @SandraDanby

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