THE PLOT: ‘The Temple of Fortuna’ by Elodie Harper is historical fiction about a courtesan in Ancient Rome. Amara has risen from a prostitute in a Pompeii brothel to a high-powered freedwoman in Rome. Yet her wealth and influence cannot erase her past. She longs for her daughter, who she left in Pompeii due to her patron’s disinterest in raising another man’s child, and her former slave master still longs to see her back in her “rightful place” at the bottom of the social ladder. With the threats to her family increasing, Amara travels back to Pompeii for a brief visit to secure her daughter’s safety. But the year is 79AD and Mount Vesuvius is rumbling…

SUMMARY: You know I love this trilogy, I know I love this trilogy, so I’ll keep this brief. Read this trilogy. It’s got an entertaining plot, loveable characters, and a fantastic setting. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve cursed the Gods that I’ve finished it and pleaded for more books by this author. I cannot recommend it enough.

GOOD BITS:  I loved seeing Amara in Rome and could’ve read a whole spin-off series about courtesans during the reigns of Emperors Titus and Domitian. However, the series naturally had to return to Pompeii and Harper handles Amara’s homecoming deftly. The complex feelings between Amara and her daughter were touching, with a timeless realism many parents will relate to. And I pretty much had a heart attack with the skilful depiction the eruption. Though I never 100% invested in the Philos and Amara relationship, Harper does well to use Vesuvius as the catalyst for Amara to choose love over security.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: This is a reflection to ponder in my own writing, rather than a criticism. Unlike the reader, the characters cannot anticipate the colossal events of 79AD, so the plot is focussed on Amara’s goal of attaining security for her daughter and the antagonists are the obstacle to her achieving this. However, when Vesuvius erupts, it feels slightly anti-climactic that the antagonists are defeated by a natural disaster, rather than getting their comeuppance via the intelligence of our hero. Harper navigates this well but there is still a tiny sense that some of the intricacy of the last few books is wiped away by a “deus ex machina”.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this trilogy to fans of Jennifer Saint, Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller. If you like ancient settings and epic stories that’ll keep you turning the page, order this now.

You can purchase this book with a discount and support @aminasbookshelf via my bookshop.org account.