What a really great story! I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the characters and their struggles. The stakes were high, and I found it hard to put the book down.

Well this book blew away my expectations completely. After reading the summary, I was convinced this book would be up my alley, and this was such a wonderful read!

Echoes of Germania features a strong female lead, time traveling, Roman life, what more could you want??? Overall - a great read, and I look forward to reading more of the series.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC of this book.

I know know any other way to express it, but this book was absolutely amazing!

For fans of Game of Thrones and Outlander, this book is about Amalia who is studying to be an engineer and is on track to be an Olympic Judo champion. Her life is flipped upside down when she is caught out in a storm and she is suddenly transported 2000 years in the past to Roman times.

I couldn’t believe how quickly I got hooked on this book. It was a fantastic read with such an interesting storyline. The characters are all so thought out and are extremely expressive in their own unique way. The historical elements are as accurate as possible and are also respectful of some incredibly rich cultures.

This book does feature heavy depictions of war, violence and does use strong language. It is recommended for the older ages within the YA bracket, as well as new adult and adult readers.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review of, Echoes of Germania, by H.B Ashman.

Wow! This book has everything that a 5 star book requires! Amazing characters, well written storyline, fantastic historical information, and a wonderful adventure!

Did I mention, time travel! Sci-fi aspects, omens, and epic battles! This book kept me turning the pages with anticipation and absolute joy!

The cover art is what drew me in, and the way the author added her obvious knowledge on Rome and the plot without boring me; kept me going.

I am definitely going to be looking for more from this author!

Echoes of Germania is a thrilling page turner. This is a historical fiction where a young lady finds herself lost in time. Amalia has mysteriously travelled to Roman occupied Germany where she uses her skills in Judo and engineering to impress the Romans and win their trust and friendship. She longs for answers to why and how she was brought to this ancient time, and utilizes scrolls from the library. The scrolls only bring more questions.
This is a tale of intrigue, secrets, deception, scheming, and omens.

I'm not the biggest fan of the artwork of the book cover. What captured my attention was the title and description.

Five stars without a doubt! The novel is about a young woman thrown back in time to the Roman Age. I found the settings very believable and thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters were well developed. I felt the novel's plot progressed at a good pace. Looking forward to the sequel.

The politics of legions and senators made accessible by a deft hand.

H.B. Ashman clearly has the reins held tight on Roman history. Though the story could have been told just as well without the conceit of "a woman out of time", the addition of a curse to play into the Germanic religions versus the Roman pantheon is an enjoyable addition to what is, completely, an engaging story. I am not quite certain the time travel aspect is even necessary, when a woman from the Tribes could work just as well, but who am I to complain - I love Outlander just like the rest of us do.

Otherwise, Echoes of Germania was a complete surprise. I expected to be rolling my eyes and instead found myself trawling Wikipedia and the writings of Tacitus while falling further into awe with what Ashman has achieved. This is no easy topic to cover, and Ashman deftly weaves together the politics of Rome, the personal relationships between senators, the Emperor and the Legate without once boring the reader into dulled eyed, page flipping oblivion. There is some hefty applause to be given towards the monumental effort of keeping all of the legionnaires, legate, equestri, Cherusci, senators and their cohorts in line, and I am duly impressed. Absolutely looking forward to how all the odds, ends and bits come together in the Teutoborg Forest.

A young woman is sent back thousands of years to ancient Rome and must struggle to survive as Roman forces clash with Germanic tribes.

The writing in this book was poor- too many short sentences and lack of rhythm or flow. The book has an interesting premise, but the story itself was quite underwhelming. It seemed more like a creative writing project by a highschooler than a professional novel. The ability of the protagonist to be able to understand ancient Latin almost immediately was also hard to believe.

Echoes of Germania is the beginning of a possible series by the author and as a start successfully grabs hold of the reader and draws them into an exciting adventure. The concept of time travel is one that has been utilized in Science Fiction for many years and allows the author to present a world that stems from his or her's imagination. Ms. Ashman has taken the premise of a modern young lady traveling back 2000 years to a world dominated by the might of the Roman empire. She has done a lot of research on the period traveled to in order to allow her protagonist to adapt to the circumstances of the time visited and being forced to react to them.
Amalia Weber is the young lady involved in the action. She is German and living in Germany. She is currently an engineering student intending to make that her career. At the same time she is studying the martial art discipline of Judo in order to please her overbearing father. On a day that she is out jogging which is a normal exercise routine for her she gets to a lake and hears screams for help. Obeying her natural inclination she runs to the shore but somehow finds herself immersed in the water with a feeling that she is drowning. Getting out of the lake is the method the author uses to transport Amalia back in time. She is not aware of the shift until a group of soldiers come upon her. They are Roman troops that Amalia thinks are reenactors until they take her prisoner. When Latin is spoken and used to communicate it dawns on Amalia that the impossible has happened and is now in her native Germany but 2000 years before she is born. It is fortunate that her normal school studies included Latin and she is able to communicate in that language.
At the point of her entrance into the world she has been moved to Rome is in the process of consolidating its domination of a Germany comprised of many separate tribes. Amalia becomes aware of events that she studied about in school and is now living them with those alive during that time. The action is constant and the author's writing style makes it an all nighter and the indication of a second book in this series coming out shortly is a welcome one.

Likes:
-Fast paced, fun, and an original time-travel, historical fiction meets fantasy story.
-A strong heroine that is determined to overcome extraordinary challenges and fears to survive an impossible situation while somehow managing to still find joy in life.
-Likeable characters that still seem believable despite existing in a fantasy narrative.
-Intrigue and drama. So much of it! It truly embodies the spirit of Ancient Rome and embraces the seedy political underbelly of their society.

Dislikes:
-I would have liked to have great depth and insight into the characters individual perspective, particularly why they feel a certain way beyond just telling the reader. Show us why Marius feels so empty rather than having us take his word for it. I want to feel the depths of his hollowness so I can understand his actions and motivations, but also experience the peaks of his joy. I want to understand why a possible omen means what it does to Arminius when he does not appear to be as motivated by the Roman or Germanic Gods and fiercely identifies as a Roman. Why is Domitia so obsessed with the Legate beyond once being shown kindness by him?
-While I love a slow a good burn romance, the love aspect of the story was very abrupt and felt more like a small footnote as opposed to the incredibly important life event it should be for someone like Amalia. I strongly feel that this was a critical element of the character development that should not have been rushed.

Time travel? Yes please! I love historic fiction and time travel books, and this one was both well researched and well written. Plus it had a very compelling plot line. I will be looking for more from this author.

This is a great writer, with an exciting adventure that I found hard to put down . Amalia travels back in time to be treated at first as a slave by the Romans, and then becomes close to Armenius, and Marius and Germanicus. I shall not spoil the novel, by revealing the ending, but I look forward to the next book in the series, and this one is highly recommended. I presume there is a sequel? Amalia has judo skills, which impress the Romans, but I will not say any more, for fear of spoilers.