I had such high expectations for this second instalment in the “Wolf Den” trilogy, and I was not disappointed! We meet Amara shortly after the events of the first book have concluded… she is now living away from Felix and the brothel, as a freedwoman with Rufus as her patron. She still feels guilt over the tragic events of the end of the last book, so determines to find a way to free some of the women who were enslaved alongside her, despite this meaning renewed contact with the brutal, and now even angrier, Felix.

The relationships between these characters is as charged and riveting as before, and I loved revisiting them and their evolving stories. We also meet other characters from the previous book, such as Drusilla, Philos, and Pliny, and their interactions with Amara again feel incredibly real, giving real depth to Amara’s story. The historical details are as vibrant as before, and the story is beautifully written. I cannot wait for the third part of this trilogy, and would heartily recommend the first two parts to any reader interested in ancient history or historical fiction.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc ebook. I started this as a buddy read but ended up not being able to put it down, whoops!
Amara, now a freedwoman under patronage, is finding her way in her new world but my goodness did she annoy me! She came across so selfish and ungrateful in the beginning, then made stupid decisions one after the other, all the while I’m screaming at her ‘why?!?!?!’ But I think it was all off this that made it a compelling read, I just needed to know the consequences of her actions! The author set the scene beautifully and made me feel like I was right there with Amara, the characters felt deep and well developed and the storyline kept me hooked! I cannot wait to read the next book, I need to know the conclusion!!!

🏛Book Review 🏛
The House With the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

Amara is a free woman, or is she?

In this haunting, mesmerising, beauty of a book, Harper explores the precarious world of Roman freedwomen and their patrons in a fascinating tale of power, exploitation, love, loyalty and betrayal set in ancient Roman times.

We first met Amara in The Wolf Den, a feisty young slave girl her mother had Sold after a family tragedy. Subsequently sold to Felix, she was put to work in Pompeii's infamous brothel - the Lupanar. Determined to survive, Amara has learned that everything in this city has its price, Including her freedom.

In The House With the Golden Door, Amara has escaped her life as a brothel slave. She now has a house, fine clothes, servants – but these are gifts from her patron, hers for only as long as she keeps her place in his affections.

As she adjusts to this new life, Amara is still haunted by her past. At night she dreams of the Wolf Den and the women she left behind. By day, she is pursued by her former slavemaster. In order to be truly free, she will need to be as ruthless as he is.

Amara knows she can draw strength from Venus, the goddess of love. Yet falling in love may be the downfall of this fierce and strong but vulnerable and empathetic young woman.

Harper brings Pompeii alive on the pages; I love that the chapters are headed with an excerpt from a letter or graffiti from Ancient Pompeii or Rome. The characters are flawlessly and authentically multifaceted, helping to root you in the period.

I am so excited for part 3 of Elodie Harper's celebrated Wolf Den Trilogy, which reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked in this historical period. If you have an interest in historical fiction, read these books, like right now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley and House of Zeus.

Reading this book was like catching up with old friends. The story picks up pretty much where The Wolf Den left off and is more of the same beautiful, engrossing writing ( I was nearly late for work on a couple of occasions as I could not put it down). Utterly brilliant.

I loved this sequel and was pleased to find the characters I loved from the first outing. Twists and turns and we’ll written.

Amara is a free woman…… or is she, really? In the second book of her trilogy, Harper explores the precarious world of Roman freed women and their patrons in an engrossing tale of power, exploitation and some sisterly solidarity set in Pompeii. The central character is a survivor - a Greek doctor’s daughter sold as a slave to a ruthless small town thug and pimp, schooled by his own brutal and abused childhood. The book begins with her having been freed by a famous Admiral of the Fleet to ‘help’ a young male relative. But life as a mistress is a short career and no bed of roses, even if she is prone to a quixotic mixture of impetuous generosity and studious attention to money making. There is a wealth of well researched detail in the households, streets, bars, festivals and ceremonies along the way in this gripping saga. The poetry and graffiti quoted to illustrate the start of each chapter are a great touch. A well written historical fiction to engage readers with the ancient world is very welcome too.

I am hooked enough to want to know what happens in the next book. Do I want a break before then, though? Yes. The constant attention to sex and sexual exploitation is perhaps inevitable, given the characters in focus, and it may of course be that ancient people viewed the world of individual personal relations the way we do in the west now, but I am not so sure. I am not too convinced either by the fictitious involvement of well known historical characters in a modern story about an ancient place.

That said, this book is definitely worth reading after Wolf Den, which I also recommend.

I've had such a miserable few days being ill but then this morning I got an email from @netgalley saying I'd been approved for an eARC of The House with the Golden Door. It was like a gift from Asclepius.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I'm really wary of giving any spoilers but everyone needs to read this book. It would be so easy for a book about Roman courtesans to be gratuitous and sensationalist but it is so far from that. The House with the Golden Door is visceral and brutal but it's also so beautiful and human.

Every character in this book is so multifaceted, even the ones that I hate (and I really, really hate them) still have layers and I find myself grudgingly understanding some of their behaviour. Amara herself is wonderful, she is so fierce and strong but vulnerable and empathetic, I think she might be my favourite heroine of the year so far. She has to adapt to her change in position but I feel she still stays true to herself.

Elodie Harper really brings Pompeii alive, I love that the chapters are headed with an excerpt from a letter or graffiti from Ancient Pompeii or Rome, it really grounds you in the time period. I don't know if I'm being very coherent which I'll blame on the cold but this book made me feel all of the emotions and had me at the edge of my seat. I would recommend it to anyone who likes strong, believable female characters and historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and House of Zeus.

#TheHousewiththeGoldenDoor #TheWolfDen #Lupanar #Pompeii #Roman #NetGalley #bookstagramuk

I could not wait to dive back into the life of Amara in Pompeii once I was given the opportunity to read the second part of the trilogy following the wonderful Wolf Den.

Amara has now gained her freedom- but is it all she believed it to be. She is still dependant on the favour of her patron and could lose everything if she displeases him. She also is still to escape from the vengeance of Felix , the owner of the Wolf Den.

The world that the author creates in Pompeii pulls you into the glittering lives of those who have so much to the precarious nature of life for those who have so little and the choices they must make to survive.

A book of love, loneliness, friendship, fear and betrayal.I raced through it and can only hope that I don’t have to wait too long for the next book.

The House with the golden door

The sequel to my favourite book of 2021, can you imagine my excitement?!

I loved being back in the world of ancient Pompeii and to get to spend some more time with Amara and her friends (and enemies).

I loved that we got to see more of some characters that we had only started to get to know in the first book, and that we got to meet even more interesting characters. This world that Eloise Harper has created is so alive and feels so modern( but at the same time accurate to the time). It shows that some themes are timeless and that we have a lot in common with the people of the ancient world.

I did feel that this sequel didn’t pack quite the same emotional punch as the first book, at least for me. I did find that I would have liked the story to play out a bit differently. There was a lot of focus on a specific aspect of this story that I unfortunately didn’t really care for. I’m trying to avoid spoilers but it involved a new character that I just didn’t find that interesting. I had also hoped to see a bit more of a change in Amaras *situation*.

This was still a very good read for me though and I’m so curious and excited about the third book in the series!

This book was amazing! I loved it so much and I cannot wait for the third instalment in the series! I will 100% be buying this in paperback as well once it is released.

I actually loved this book more than The Wolf’s Den which is unusual for a sequel book. This book was so well paced and the character developments were amazing, I loved see Amara’s transition from prostitute to concubine and I adored the relationships that were built upon in this book. The characters were beautiful and I loved how Briticanna was developed into a fully dimensional character and her fierce loyalty towards Amara was so pure and I loved their friendship.

This book was amazing. I loved the authenticity of the setting however I do feel that sometimes the excessive sweating took you out of the book as I wonder how accurate it is that they use such language and I did sometimes get a bit confused regarding how old some of the characters are in particular Philos. Aside from this I loved the book and the narrative and everything about it!

The kind of historical fiction publishing today often feels quite one-note – there's a mystery, it's a bit gothic, a bit witchy – and when I read The Wolf Den last year, it felt so refreshing to return to my fave kind of historical fiction, the kind that showcases a slice of life from a bygone period. This book continues with Amara's story and although I don't think I enjoyed it *quite* as much as The Wolf Den, I still really liked it! It's less atmospheric than the first book, with less scene-setting and fewer insights into Pompeii life, but what this book lacks in scenery, it more than makes up for in readability: I could not put The House with the Golden Door down. Ok, it's a bit melodramatic at points and there's a few subplots that – as much as I liked them – felt like they came out of nowhere (I ❤️ Philos but where was the set-up from the first book?). None of that matters, though, because I was immersed and invested, and I can't recommend this trilogy enough if you're interested in slice-of-life historical fiction/the ancient Roman empire/anything old. I'm absolutely dying to visit Pompeii now and I can't wait for the last book in the trilogy. Elodie Harper does a fantastic job of describing slaves' and ex-slaves' lives, and the precarity and brutality of existence in the ancient world. I strongly hope it's all going to work out for Amara and Philos and Britannica, but judging by the year the book ends, I am not too confident about that point lol. In summary: I recommend, and get me to Italy asap.

What a treat to get a preview copy of the 2nd book in the Elodie Harper’s Wolf Den series. Amara has been freed from the Wolf Den and is technically no longer a slave. Though as a courtesan to a wealthy sponsor, she still isn’t totally free, being subject to his whims and continued patronage. There’s no denying life is better though. We meet some new characters and Amara continues to fight for a freer life. This book is driven by her standing by old friends from the brothel, learning her new place in society, and finding love in unexpected places. Felix, the evil owner of the Wolf Den, continues to put Amara’s world in jeopardy. I hope that volume 3 holds a shred of a happy ending for some of the characters before Vesuvius destroys their world.

Harper’s writing and her detailed research bring Pompeii to life. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this preview copy.

After finishing The Wolf Den, I couldn't wait to find out what life has in store next for Amara. Having become a freed woman, she has left the brothel and Felix's ownership to finally lead her own life.

I found this slightly slower than The Wolf Den, but the last 70% or so had me completely captivated.

Amara's struggle to find herself in her new life made me feel so incredibly sad for her, with things going not quite as expected or hoped.

This was a truly beautiful tale of love, friendship, betrayal, uncertainty, heartbreak. The way men underestimate women and feel entitled to own them. Women having to sacrifice a lot simply to survive.

The ending is much more sad than the first book, but also hopeful - I am excited to read about Amara's next adventures as she only grows stronger.

I absolutely LOVED The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. The Pompeii setting, the friendships and hardship these wolves endured kept me on the edge of my seat and made that I read the first book in one day! I think especially our main character Amara's stubborness and friendship with Dido made me love it so much.

In the second book the setting is different as our main character is now a free women. But it turns out she is not as free as we think. And her man is horrible. I hated her living situation. I hated that Dido wasnt there anymore and most of all I hated every single decision Amara made.
How she got tangled up in debt with her old owner Felix. How she gets into a secret relationship that can ruin her freedom. And in the end how she gives up that one relationship to be someone else's again bugged me a lot.

I still love the author's writing style and very much enjoy the setting. I really hope the final book will be a five star again!

This was my most anticipated read of this year and Elodie Harper hasn't disappointed. While it was a slower start than The Wolf Den, I was thoroughly gripped by Amara's story and fully invested in her turmoil. Everything in her life seems to be so precariously balanced and, while I'm not sure she always makes the right decisions (but when do any of us ever?), I'm continually surprised and impressed with her ability to navigate the life that's been forced upon her.

I loved that we got to know some of the other characters in more detail this time, and Britannica is a particular favourite for me. I have no doubt she will get her vengeance eventually.

As things got harder and harder for Amara I found I couldn't put the book down, and I'll absolutely be buying a copy for my shelves. I've recommended The Wolf Den to absolutely everyone I know, and I think I'll be recommending the sequel just as much! (Is it too soon to say I can't wait for book three?!)

The House With The Golden Door - Elodie Harper

AD 75

We return to Pompeii and the life of Amara. She is now a freedwoman, free of the brothel and the danger that life brings. She has to adjust to her new life, all paid for by her patron. Yet, she cannot forget her old friends at the brothel and contrives to buy them their freedom. Putting herself back in the debt and path of her old master, she craves revenge and has to become as ruthless as he to keep her freedom. Can she keep her place in her patron’s affections even as she falls in love, risking everything to be free?

I am so thrilled to be back in living breathing Pompeii! Elodie Harper has recreated a world we only see in pictures and stone, scenes so vivid, you could climb into the pages and walk alongside Amara.

Initially it felt slower moving than The Wolf Den, but I felt we got to know these characters more deeply for it and I was pleased that Dear Old Pliny made an appearance too!

It is a captivating, moving story and tells a tale of female survival, bravery and friendship. It is unflinching in the depiction of these women’s lives, at times making my heart beat faster, I could feel these women’s fear lift from the page, having to live on their wits. I was left wondering if Amara would survive. Although I am always rooting for Amara, I found a new affection for Britannica, the feisty Iceni warrior, she is a brilliant character and I loved watching these two women’s relationship deepen and develop.

I constantly felt like I was learning from this book, at the same time as being entertained. The research that has gone into this is clear to the reader and I am desparate to make a trip to Pompeii to see this place for myself the inscriptions that head each chapter and to walk in Amara’s footsteps.

This is a beautifully woven tale of strong, vibrant women. A tale of love and survival, brutal at times with betrayal and dark secrets but their courage and bravery shine through.

Inevitably my mind turned towards that dreaded date of AD79 and how will this series end for Amara? Having to wait will not be easy!

✩✩✩✩✰

I read the NetGalley proof in two days, unable to put it down.

This is the second book in the Wolf Den series and it certainly makes for a fascinating sequel, branching out in new directions as Amara's life alters with her circumstances. Against the beautiful backdrop of Pompeii and chapters tipped with relevant quotes from the city's graffiti, from the moment I began reading I was submerged back into the story of Amara and wholly invested in how her life was playing out. The Found Family theme of the first book is echoed in this one as Amara gathers people around her that she trusts and cares for, building a little sanctuary for herself that as a reader you are constantly in a state of concern about given her patron's tempestuous nature.

Of all the returning characters that stood out for me, Drusilla and Victoria were my favourite, with Fabia tugging at my heartstrings. I enjoyed the character of Philos, he is well-written as a strong lead and more likeable than I first thought; Rufus is soundly characterised so that while he is not likeable he is certainly a strong antagonist, someone provided layers which a lesser writer would not have bothered adding, but as usual Elodie Harper has masterfully created a well-rounded cast that would be perfectly at home on the big screen with clear motivations and humane, understandable flaws.

If you want to lose yourself in a Roman drama, this is the book for you. You will be sucked in and doused in lavender bath-water, decorated in garlands for festivals, and surrounded by frescoes of goddesses. You can imagine the streets, the city, the port, every artfully picked-out detail enhances your sensory perception of Amara's world.

This is one of my favourite books in the Greek Mythofiction subgenre, I encourage fans of Ariadne and The Song of Achilles (who enjoyed the heartache!) to pick this up today.

The House with the Golden Door is Part two of the Pompeii trilogy & Elodie Harper takes us straight back to Ancient Rome and the love & lives of the ancient prostitutes of Pompeii. Amara has her freedom but is still trapped by her benefactor and the pull of her past and although Elodie Harper right beautifully I can not gel with Amara.. I just find her annoying. I found her annoying in the first novel but I persevered but I’m halfway though the second novel. I don’t find that I care about the. People with in the pages and have given up.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review, this was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint.

Carrying on three months after the first book finished, this was equally as gripping and as engrossing as the previous. I love Amara, and all the characters are so well written that they feel 100% real. The way the author manages to make Pompeii and the ancient Roman culture come back to life is so well researched.

I can’t wait for the next book and I just want Amara to have a comfortable, happy life!

Thanks to @headofzeus and @netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Some people will remember my light criticism regarding The Wolf's Den. I am an Italian art historian, I have studied much archaeology throughout my life, but I hadn't found some of the details I had wanted in the first book. Of course it had been an engrossing read and the story intriguing enough to keep me going. Plus Amara’s arc had been beautifully depicted. But I had found it lacking in some aspects and my 3 star rating had reflected that.
However, I wanted to further explore the story. And this time around, The House with the Golden Door gave me so much more than its predecessor.
It was an absolute gem. I loved reading about Amara’s new journey, her days, her ascent, her sparring moments with Felix whilst still managing a selfish patron and his insulting requests.
I loved reading about her political plans, all the different endeavours to ensure her future through a complex web of friendships and borderline relationships. Plinius was back and with him, many other beloved characters, such as Britannica. Oh Britannica. I loved her so much and I deeply felt for her losses.
The only things I found somewhat unnecessary were the romance and the drama revolving about Victoria. But the ending was utterly perfect. Bitter, realistic and like a punch in the face.
4 stars for this second instalment and Amalia's brave heart.
Now that she is headed to Rome, when’s book 3 coming out? *grins*