Another great instalment in this soon-to-be trilogy. I must admit I did not enjoy it quite as much as the first book, I felt that in places the plot progression was a little too slow, and Pompeii itself felt a little lost, however, it is still good and I would definitely recommend this to others. I do love Amara, her strong will and passion and I look forward to reading the last part of her story.

I don't think you can write a review about these books without including a mention for the stunning book covers - they are beautiful and will sit perfectly on any bookshelf.

My thanks go to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

! i recently read the wolf den and loved it however this one was definitely my favourite out of the two!

the world was extended and the growth in the characters was so interesting! i loved seeing how amara has developed and what she’s like as a freedwoman! the story went from strength to strength and i was so intrigued to see where it was going to go, and even more so intrigued about the next book, i cannot wait!

i sped through this book, i couldn’t get enough of it. i also loved that we learnt about other characters, i loved britannica, she was fierce and strives to be who she wants no matter what!

This is not my usual genre but after loving wolf den I couldnt read to jump back into Amara's life once again. This continues Amara’s story as she embraces her newfound freedom while continuing to mourn the loss of the both her very dear friend and the sisterhood of courtesans she was a part of at the wolf den, however she is not fully free. Highly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of Amara’s story. I love how fast-paced and pleasant this book turned out to be. This book is perfect if you are looking for a light and entertaining read full of suspense and plot twists.

On the negative side: I still think Amara is the queen of bad decisions — to the point of being frustrating. The story is set around 79 AD, and yet female characters sometimes display behaviours and mindsets way too “modern” to be realistic.

I can’t wait for the third and final instalment in the Wolf Den trilogy later in November!

I love Elodie Harper’s writing and was excited to meet these characters again, but this was sadly less of a compelling plot than The Wolf Door and I couldn’t understand some of the different character’s motivations for what they did. However, well worth a read and I will definitely pick up the final edition in the trilogy.

This cover was what initially caught my interest, but it was the story that kept me gripped. This story is filled with innovation, gorgeous prose and an intriguing premise that continues throughout the book.

I absolutely adored The Wolf Den and was so eager to read its sequel. However I just couldn't get into this one.

Maybe I'm not in the right frame of mind for it but I honestly just found myself not wanting to pick it up.

I'm gutted, I really am. This may be one I try again in the future but as of right now I have no interest in picking it back up. Sorry!

Today is my stop on the blogtour for 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑, the second book in The Wolf Den Trilogy by Elodie Harper. Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of the book, and for having me along for the tour.
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𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝. 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐢 ... 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲.
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I loved The Wolf Den when I read it last year, and I didn't think it would be possible, but I loved the sequel even more! It's so rare that the second book in a trilogy can surpass a reader's love for the first book, but Harper has managed it with bells on with The House With the Golden Door.
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"𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭."
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Elodie Harper is a master of conveying emotion and tension. I felt so strongly for Amara and the other women that I truly felt I was there with them, weaving through the streets of Pompeii, sitting in Amara's garden, and feeling everything that she feels so strongly.
Given how The Wolf Den ended, it's no surprise that the book is wrought with anxiety and suspense about what will happen - Will Amara get revenge against Felix? Will she be happy with her new patron Rufus? Will she be able to escape the emotional scars left by her time at The Wolf Den?
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭, 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫. "𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡," 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬. "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? 𝐀 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬?"
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Harper does a fantastic job of depicting the emotional trauma and PTSD that lives on in her characters, even after they are 'free'. The society they live in doesn't allow for true freedom, because even free men and women are slaves to some degree: slaves to money, power, or expectations.
Amara has been stripped of everything, and is solely reliant on Rufus for security and stability, and we can feel the ground constantly shifting beneath her feet.
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝
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One thing I loved about The Wolf Den was the depiction of the friendships between the female characters; they were bound together by their enslavement, and by their desire to support one another despite everything they had to endure.
Now that Amara is free, she has a sense of duty and feels that she owes Victoria and Britannica, endeavouring to help them be freed also. But love, trust, and freedom are complicated, and the twists and turns of the story really kept me engaged throughout.
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"𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞," 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, "𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫."
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Harper also perfectly depicts the myriad of emotions linked to relationships throughout the story; relationships that are often complex, but that truly are different for everyone involved.
Amara's relationships with new partners (those she chooses and those she doesn't) are complex, and as a survivor of abuse, her relationship with her own body is complicated too.
The multiple relationships between the enslaved and the masters throughout the story, or rather between the abused and the abuser, are depicted interestingly too. There is misplaced love, codependency and hatred, which feels very realistic to me, and true to life.
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𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐑𝐮𝐟𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
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Amara herself is a brilliant morally grey character. At times I found myself rooting for her, and at times I felt I hated her. And this was true for The Wolf Den too.
Harper's protagonist is a more genuine character because of the opposing sides of her personality. She truly is a product of all of her experiences combined, and she has been impacted by all of the people who have entered her life, but her desire for self-preservation always wins out even when it negatively impacts those around her.
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"𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧."
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I don't want to give any spoilers, but while I did guess some elements of the story, this in no way spoiled my enjoyment of the book. The writing was so good, and I was so engrossed that there were moments where I audibly gasped while reading.
I can't wait for the next installment of The Wolf Den trilogy, and I would absolutely read more from Elodie Harper in the future.

If you are a fan of dramatic historical fiction, this is the book for you., The author has provided the strong women from Book 1 with a new set of challenges and whilst I don't agree with all the decisions they made, I was turning constantly to see what would happen. I'm a huge fan of the Pompeii setting, I think it brings a certain ambience to the book and whilst it is pre eruption, adds to a sense of urgency and foreboding doom. There's a cliffhanger so keeping an eye out for book 3!

Amara’s story in The House with the Golden Door picks up where The Wolf Den ended. Amara now lives in a house provided by her patron, Rufus, and she must cater to his every whim, even though she’s a freed woman. He provides all that she needs to live - without him, she may as well return to the Wolf Den.

But Amara feels a responsibility to free or buy the friends she has left behind.

I loved the world building in this book. And even though she’s supposedly free, she is still constrained by her sex and status. Being a woman doesn’t seem like much fun at any point in history. Whilst Roman women may have had more rights than many others, I struggled to see any advantages. Whilst I live reading about history, I have NO wish to travel back in time. Only men could do that in relative safety, I think. And I’m happy with my antibiotics and my rights, thanks!

So Amara decides to work with her strengths, and continues to sing for money with Victoria and two slaves that she buys with the help of a friend.

It becomes apparent though, that Rufus is becoming bored with Amara, and she starts playing a dangerous game.

I seriously can’t wait until the third part of this trilogy. You just know that there’s going to be a pretty BIG event coming up (Vesuvius, anyone?!), and I’m desperate to know how this all plays out.
Highly recommended.

The House with the golden door by @elodielharper is the sequel to the stunning Wolf Den and you simply must read these books.

Following on from the first book we are back in Pompeii with Amara as she adjusts to being a freedwoman and yet living under the desires of her patron.

The writing once again captures your attention from the moment you start reading. The prose is beautiful and engaging and I cannot stress how much I love Elodie’s writing! Amara’s character continues to be fleshed out and her interactions with others in this new life she finds herself in is empowering, heart wrenching and at times heartwarming. Throw in the fact this all happens on Pompeii and you are on constant edge.

A rare tale that shines a light on the women and slaves in the ancient world Elodie weaves a tale you can’t look away from. Book one follows Amara’s quest for freedom and here in book two Amara continues to have to make hard choices. You might not always agree with them but you understand where she’s coming from and hope for the best.

A story of sisterhood and standing up for one’s self - this book had me crying, laughing and gasping. The characters are complex and sometimes awful (yes looking at you Felix) but you truly root for Amara and the others like Brittanica.

A historical fiction set in ancient Pompeii with an empowering female lead, this is another 5 star read from @elodielharper and I cannot wait for book three!

Huge thanks again to @headofzeus ✨

I loved this so much more than the Wolf Den! Gorgeous writing, a great driving plot, and the world building was exquisite.

I’ve had this book for a while, thanks to NetGalley - but sadly it took me a while to pick up owing to health issues. Also, though, I’m generally cautious of sequels. When the first book was so amazing, the second book rarely lives up to the first. However, I needn’t have worried; this book was just as action-packed and gripping as the first, with the return of many of the much-loved characters we grew attached to in The Wolf Den.

This novel focuses on Amara acclimatising to life outside of the Wolf Den. She realises that despite being out of the brothel, she is far from free, and is regardless unable to enjoy her new life whilst her friends still suffer. I don’t want to say anymore for fear of spoilers!

Harper’s magnificent writing makes a comeback, rendering the scenes of Pompeii with such clarity that I was truly transported. I am kicking myself for not picking this book up earlier - but on the plus side, there is now less time to wait for the final instalment!

If you enjoyed The Wolf Den, definitely read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC to review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I adored the first book in the series and this did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed the second in this series about Amara, a woman sold into prostitution in pompey. This story sees her making her own way after finding freedom. It is equally as compelling as the first and the author fully brings to life this era.

This was a wild ride and I am still not over how good it was! The atmosphere, the characters, the action, all taking you back to ancient times, all of it was masterfully executed in this book. This is a series I will re-read frequently.

I hadn't read the wolf Den before starting this novel as I didn't realise that it was the second novel in a series (blame book greed); I still enjoyed the novel but would have fared better by waiting and reading this after.

3.5 stars only due to my own fault at being too keen to start the novel

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

The House with the Golden Door is the second book in the Wolf Den trilogy. I loved the Wolf Den so this was a highly anticipated 2022 release for me and it did not disappoint.

Book one told the story of Amara, who was sold as a slave and found herself forced to work in a brothel in ancient Pompeii. In The House with the Golden Door, Amara is finally free from the brothel and living as a courtesan for her wealthy Patron but freedom isn’t quite as exhilarating or free as she thought it would be..

I love the author’s writing style, the realistic descriptions and world building in both books make you feel like you could be there, Harper certainly brings ancient Pompeii to life for the reader!

My only one slight negative for this book was that I kept finding myself getting annoyed & irritated by the decisions Amara was making, I almost wanted to reach inside the book and shake some sense in to her.

I can’t wait for the third and final book to see how Amara’s (and all of the other characters) story ends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After the wonderful prologue that was the first book, this continued in the same light: giving me the right amount of historical feels, but also feeling real. This raw story left me in deep thought long after I finished the last page. Everything I loved in the first book, I also found here.

There are not many historical books that can hold.my attention but this author writes masterfully. The world building is vivid, the relationships are complex and I really enjoy most of the characters, this is a character driven plot.
Can't wait for the final book, this is definitely the best Pompeii novel I've read.