Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a perfectly executed enemies-to-lovers romance with a fascinating touch of historical fiction, set during the final days of the Roman Empire. The story combines the thrilling emotional tension of a blossoming romance with the rich, turbulent backdrop of a crumbling empire, making for an unforgettable reading experience.

The novel centers on two central characters who begin as adversaries, each with their own strong convictions and personal stakes in the conflict around them. The chemistry between them is palpable from the start, and Williamson masterfully builds the tension, allowing the slow burn of their relationship to unfold beautifully as they navigate their differences. What makes this enemies-to-lovers trope so compelling is the depth of the characters’ evolving feelings, which feel earned and incredibly satisfying by the end of the book.

The historical setting of the final days of the Roman Empire adds an intriguing layer to the romance. Williamson brings this tumultuous period to life with vivid detail, immersing the reader in a world of political intrigue, power struggles, and cultural shifts. The historical aspects of the story are seamlessly woven into the narrative, grounding the romance in a fascinating time of history without overshadowing the central love story.

The pacing of the book is well-balanced, with enough action and tension to keep the plot moving forward while still allowing for the romantic development between the two protagonists. Williamson’s ability to capture the emotional depth of their relationship, set against such a significant historical backdrop, is what truly elevates this novel.

Overall, Enemy of My Dreams is a captivating and beautifully executed romance that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and those who love a good enemies-to-lovers storyline. The characters are rich, the romance is believable and heartwarming, and the historical setting adds an extra layer of intrigue. Jenny Williamson has crafted a remarkable novel that skillfully blends history and passion, and it’s a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories of love in the face of adversity.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I am a huge fan of mythology but this is my first true Roman Empire mythology story and though I really didn't know anything about any of the characters going into it I absolutely loved it, and will be seeking out more in this world. These characters went though so much heartbreak and tragedy and had the most unlikely of a love story and though my heart broke for them multiple times, I loved every minute of it. I love how the author showed the internal turmoil that Alaric has been carrying with him for so long but how he still was able to keep a soft part of himself.

audio-ARC from NetGalley.

Not sure what I thought the title meant, but it's got nothing to do with sleep & everything to do with the phrase "man of my dreams." Julia, Princess of Rome, is watching her life be determined by men less intelligent than she is and hating every second of it. When Rome's enemy, Alaric of the Goths, appears in front of her, she decides that the enemy of her enemy is her friend, and the best way to escape the nauseating arranged marriage awaiting her is to be "kidnapped" by the brutal barbarian.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I loved the found family elements and the humor. I appreciated the female friendships. I couldn't even find it in me to be mad at Julia for all her shows of obstinance, no matter how ill-advised.

The one thing I didn't like was the romance. And, since this was a romance novel, it was very much the focus of the story. While the miscommunication was perfectly understandable, the constant lusting after one another from the moment they met felt excessive. Insta-anything - be it love or lust - is not for me, so watching these two declare themselves mortal enemies and then drool over one anothers' exposed shoulders made me cringe. Because of this, I found Julia's relationships with the rest of the men far more interesting.

I also struggled with the pacing. Things in Rome moved at a rapid clip, then the few weeks they spent traveling stretched over 60% of the book, only for the story to rush to its conclusion, condensing epic battles into singular sentences and massive political upheaval into nary a mention.

Overall, this story served as further evidence that I really do need to stop trying to enjoy historical fiction.

This was so good. It felt like I was reading a fantasy novel with the story and the pacing and the stakes, but it was just historical fiction done so perfectly. The secondary characters are done so well I could read a whole other book on each of them.

Against all odds these two seemed to be destined to be together.
They go from emeries to lovers in the most delicious way.
They are both attracted to each other from the very start although there is still lots of miscommunications from both.
I highly recommended if you want to travel back time and fall in love with these two characters

I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrators did an excellent job bringing the story to life. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author did an excellent job with both the characters and the story line. This was an interesting and fun read that hooked me from the beginning, and I couldn't put it down. I loved how it kept me on my toes with the tension between the FMC and MMC. It was well written. I can't wait to read more from this author. I definitely recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you Net Galley, Harlequin, and Jenny Williamson

Set in the final days of the Roman Empire, Enemy of My Dreams follows Julia, a princess whose world of excess comes crashing down when her father dies, leaving her cruel teenage brother in power. When she refuses an arranged marriage, he makes a brutal example of her lover. Desperate to escape, she takes a risk and turns to Alaric, the Visigoth warlord who has a history of fighting Rome, and orchestrates her own kidnapping. This novel is a tense game of strategy, political intrigue, and survival between our FMC who has nothing to lose and a Visigoth king who holds her fate in his hands (because he is a man, of course).

I appreciated how we got Julia’s backstory right away, how she’s intelligent and independent but has been beaten down by the men in her life. No one takes her seriously, so she turns to drinking and partying, numbing herself in a world where death feels inevitable. Even with everything she goes through, she never stops fighting, always looking for a way to take control of her own fate, even when she's at rock bottom.

That said, by the last quarter of the book, I was just ready for it to wrap up. The writing is excellent, but my interest started to fade. Their romance was a rollercoaster of extremes, hot and cold, driven by pride, stubbornness, and attraction that constantly swung back and forth. Overall, a solid read with strong writing and an engaging premise.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC!

I received an ARC copy to read and listen to. I was super excited for the book as I felt it started off with a good plot and had so much potential.

Where it succeeded: the storyline was unique and the plot moved along fast. Some twists and turns I definitely wasn’t expecting along the way. I love an enemies to lovers trope and bantering between the MC’s. A few steamy moments that make you blush which is great. Nothing over the top 🌶️ here.

Where it failed for me: the enemies to lovers trope was more of an insta lust so it lacked in relationship development and he enemies part for my taste. Also, like others have said, the POV changed randomly throughout the book which made parts hard to follow along to and caused a little bit of whiplash.

Overall, I thought it was a decent book that did have room for improvement. I love books set in a historical setting but with a modern twist or modern speech. This fit that bill.

My reviews floats between 3-3.5 stars.

I did not like this book. The romance was all over the place. I did not once, during the entire book, believe that they liked each other, let alone loved each other. He was still calling her "woman" at like 75%. Even if this was to maintain his barbaric exterior, the man is supposed to be in love, he can have some respect.

Aside from the hot/cold romance, the plot felt extremely thin. There just wasn't anything in the story to hold it up. The characters were not deep enough to have connection, they had no chemistry and the spice was too chaotic.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

If you like Bridgerton but also had an obsession with the Roman Empire and anything Roman-adjacent growing up, this book is for you. It’s a good balance of action and spice. It’s enemies to lovers but they’re enamored with each other. There is quite a bit of miscommunication throughout which can be frustrating to read but overall I really enjoyed the book. The audiobook narration was beautiful and had great pacing.

Enemy of My Dreams is a pretty solid debut novel. While it’s called a historical romance, it’s definitely more similar to The Great in the sense that it’s *sometimes accurate, and that’s honestly fine with me! I didn’t go into it expecting 100% historical accuracy, and I did ultimately enjoy my time with this book!

I did really like the romance for the most part. The unclear age gap did throw off my view of their dynamic just a bit though. Overall, Julia and Alaric worked pretty well together. The miscommunication could be a bit much at times, but they worked through it, and I thought their love ended up being quite cute.

I really enjoyed Julia’s dynamic with some of the side characters as well. The twins in particular were my unexpected favorites. I didn’t expect to like them as much as I did. There’s a solid bit of the found family trope in this book, and I’m pretty much always into that.

On top of the eARC, I also received an ALC and enjoyed that as well. The narration kept me engaged with the story. I thought Lisa Flanagan did a great job with the character voices as well.

Overall, Enemy of My Dreams was an enjoyable read that I would recommend!

Thank you to The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for the eARC and ALC of Enemy of My Dreams. All opinions are my own!

Thank you to HTP Hive for the audiobook to review. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and setting in Ancient Rome, it’s very unique compared to most historical romance. I appreciated some historical facts and built in political machinations. Overall, I have a mixed review for this book but I still enjoyed it.

Much like one of the tropes here, we started out enemies and became somewhat cordial lovers haha. I kinda struggled with the first half, the main complaint being the constant change in POV, mid chapter and sometimes back and forth. However, once I got used to the flow and got to know the characters, it was easier going and made me invested in the plot.

The second half of this book is where it won me over. The secondary characters added fun dialogue and interactions. Particularly the wholesome moment between Julia, Thorismund, and Riga - it had a funny comeback later on that was a nice touch!

Julia and Alaric are the queen and king of the miscommunication trope, I really wanted to throttle them half the time! Despite their rocky start and some questionable historical misogyny, theirs was a slow burn romance, that in the end made me happy with their whole saga.

The audiobook was performed by Lisa Flanagan and I think she did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. It was lighthearted and added a lot of charisma to each of the characters.

3.5⭐️

This is a Roman/Goth (like visi-Goth, not wearing all black) bodice-ripper, or perhaps tunic ripper... If you do not want a spicy romance, then do not read this book. If you are looking to gain any new historical insight, look elsewhere. However, if you think that the King of the Goths capturing a smart and sassy Roman princess and them falling into lust/love sounds like a rip roaring good time, then you should read this book!

Julia is a spoiled virginal princess who engages in nightly debauchery featuring wine and opium. After being threatened by her brother and engaged against her will to her brother's very old advisor, she plots her escape. When that escape is thwarted, she seizes upon the opportunity presented by Alaric, king of the Goths, at a banquet, to get herself kidnapped. She wants an army of her own so that she can seize the throne. Along the way, she becomes less spoiled and pampered and cannot seem to resist the temptation presented by Alaric. Alaric sees her as a spoiled and pampered princess but begins to see more and has to fight his lust as they travel.

This is a highly enjoyable book but has a specific audience. Right after I finished it I was talking to my brother who was making fun of our other brother for listening to smut and I just laughed at him. Some of us enjoy these sorts of books and no one should yuck anyone else's yum!

The dual narration is excellent! I highly recommend the audiobook for this read!

Thank you Harlequin Audio, Canary Street Press, and Net Galley for the DLC. All opinions are my own.

This novel was an absolute blast! I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I first dove in, but I was hooked from the very first page. The story kept me engaged, curious, and on the edge of my seat through every single chapter. The pacing was spot on, and there was always something fresh to discover around each corner.

What really stood out, though, were the characters. They were all so rich and multi-dimensional—each one with their own motivations, flaws, and growth throughout the story. I loved how complex they felt; it made everything that much more immersive.

This is my first historical romance set during the fall of the Roman Empire, and I have to say, I’m officially hooked on this time period. The world-building was superb, and the author did a fantastic job bringing this pivotal moment in history to life while still delivering a gripping romance. I might just have to prioritize historical fiction for a while because I couldn't get enough of this one.

If you love captivating characters, intricate plots, and a beautifully told story, I highly recommend you grab Enemy of My Dreams when it hits shelves on February 4th, 2025. You won't regret it!

Ancient Rome roots with the story of Julia, the only daughter of a ruthless emperor of Rome. When her father dies, her teenage brother takes over with a reign that forces her into an unwanted marriage. In order to avoid this fate, Julia plots to be "kidnapped" by the Goth King, Alaric, an ancient enemy of Rome.

She becomes a prisoner of the Goth king, and is treated as such. The more that she is around, the more the Goth king wonders what she is all about. He finds himself protecting her from her kingdom, her brother, and his own people. The one that he can never have is the only one that he wants, and she feels the same way.

A lot of corruption, ancient history, seduction, and romance. An instant-lust enemies to lovers made for some good character growth as they try to fight their attraction to each other, but it is just too strong.

Usually the historical romance stuff is bland and light, but I loved the sassiness and banter of those ancient characters! At first, I struggled with what I knew of Roman empire history and trying to match up the characters, but let that go and you'll be fine. I loved the characters, the resistance, and the emotion!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/4/25.

book has:
-FMC who gives Meg from Hercules vibe + MMC with Jamie Frazier vibes
In a
-Roman-era storyline from a group of people that isn’t the Romans.
AND it’s
-Loosely based on historical events

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

((I listened to the audiobook via NetGalley))

The beginning was a little slow— I felt like the modern language didn’t match the time period, so I kept getting confused about the time period. After that, though, I had no issue following.

The pacing of this book is impeccable. I felt like they were always on an epic adventure. The characters felt real- flaws (PTSD) and all. Each new location came with an interesting cast of characters. Lots of badass female leaders throughout !!

I was skeptical throughout but these characters, great writing and insight into a group of people not commonly centered in literature won me over.

—-//
Not public feedback:
The smell of “wide open spaces” gave me the ick.

“Enemy of my Dreams” doesn’t totally capture the vibe of the book in my opinion.

This was such a solid romantasy debut. It started to feel a little long during the third act, specifically with the amount of things Julia goes through. It definitely helps her gain perspective, but this part dragged on so long that I felt myself losing interest a little bit. Overall I really enjoyed the mix of tension between our main characters Julia and Alaric, the found family Julia developed amongst Alaric's men, and the tensions between the Huns, Visigoths, and Romans. It was definitely a page turner for the most part. The audio narration was great too

3.75 stars, would have been 4 if the ending did not feel so rushed.

I really liked the first 80% of this book where we follow Julia as she gets abducted by a warrior and they fall in love. The way this was written really felt like a historical fantasy, but since it did not have any magical elements there really was not any fantasy. The sexual tension and banter between the two characters was fantastic, but once I got to the 80% mark, I felt so confused by how the story played out. I felt that last 20% had way to much going on crammed into it and the plot twists and turns were not able to really feel shocking or effective because we had to move past them to get to the next plot point so quickly. If the last 20% were edited down, I would have rated this story a little bit higher.

⭐️⭐️.25/5

Enemy of My Dreams is a historical romance set in the final days of the Roman Empire with an intriguing plot.

I am very saddened to say that this one was not for me. I’m usually a huge fan of historical fiction and historical romances, but this one was uncomfortable. The romance between Alaric and Julia was concerning and cringy. The characters bounced between intense lust (which made the story uncomfortable) and hatred, which felt unnatural. Their romance seemed to develop in haphazard spurts. I was hoping for more character development, especially in Julia’s character. Her character felt underdeveloped, and I hoped to see her portrayed in a stronger, more positive light. The plot and political intrigue were interesting, and I enjoyed the historical details. However, some of the dialogue felt quite modern and incongruous with the historical setting. The pacing was overall good, although I thought the story could have been shortened.

Lisa Flanagan is a wonderful audiobook narrator, and I enjoyed her performance of EoMD. The accents and emotion she used fit the story well.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC.