In the acknowledgments to Fallen Kings: Unholy Secrets, author June Gillam first acknowledges God. Every day she was writing the novel, she says, God told her that she was on the right track. If that is the case, her editors must have felt inhibited in their suggestions, and reviews from humans like me won't compare.
I struggled with the novel early on. I felt that the author was in a hurry, conveying too much information for me to make a lot of sense out of it. There are some good scenes in Rome, lots of history and characters who are colorful if not realistic. Granted, there are those who oppose women's rights and LGBT rights, but I haven't noticed the clergy kidnapping anyone to bring them to their moral senses.
So while the book is not bad, it could have been a lot better. But if someone is convinced that God is like an editor, it probably won't happen.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.