Regular readers may remember that last year I loved The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. It was the first in a trilogy set in a brothel in Pompeii. The House with the Golden Door is the second in the trilogy. Amara, our heroine, has escaped the brothel and slavery and is now a free woman but still a courtesan. Page turning stuff, now I’m counting the days until the final instalment appears next year.

As with the first book in the series, the descriptions are so vivid as Elodie Harper brings Pompeii and its inhabitants to life. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where the streets were bustling and I could clearly imagine the colours and the sounds.

I enjoyed Amara’s development in The House with the Golden Door as she became a more complex and nuanced character. She was still reckless and impulsive but she learnt to become cunning and resilient. Some of her decisions were questionable but I always understood her motivation.

The themes from The Wolf Den run throughout this book, including body autonomy and the quest to be truly free. I enjoyed the author’s exploration of the power dynamics in Ancient Pompeii, not just between slave and owner, but also between men and women in the patriarchal society.

The betrayals and looming threat created an almost foreboding atmosphere. However, I did find the storyline wasn’t quite as compelling as The Wolf Den. It felt more like it was setting the scene for the final instalment of the trilogy.

Having said that, I will definitely be reading the third book. I’m keen to know how the story ends (and whether we get to read about the eruption of Vesuvius!)

This was worth more than 5 stars! Having read and loved the Wolf Den, I immediately requested an arc when I saw it was available. I was strangely reluctant to start it though- in my mind, once the main character had been freed, I couldnt imagine there ‘being much of a story’ left. I was completely and utterly wrong. The emotional stress Amara feels throughout her time at the house with the golden door was very real- how to keep her patron interested, realising the conditions for her freedom are not as good as they first seemed, falling in love with someone inappropriate. The ending really shocked me! I need the next book asap.

Following the events of The Wolf Den, still set in AD75 Pompei, Amara is now out of the den and Felix’s control. She lives in a house rented by her patron Rufus, has freedom, money and luxury she never had before, but she is not happy. Still plagued by the death of Dido, the memories of her life in the brothel and Felix’s treatment, and apart from her sisters in the den, Amara still suffers, now just in a house controlled by a man and surrounded by slaves she feels resent her. While very aware that her new life is still under the power of a man and his current interest in her and her body, Amara has been saving money, running a loaning business helping women out with loans (with a lower interest rate and without the violence of Felix’s venture) for her own security - but when she finds out Felix is becoming more violent with Victoria, still stuck at the den, she has to face her fear and try negotiate a price with Felix to save her friend and sister. Putting herself in his debt by agreeing far more than she can afford, and with the fragility of her patronage ever looming, Amara has saved Victoria and Britannica, but has it been at the expense of herself? And does she still have an abusive owner in a man she thought she thought was good?

This is a brilliant book but it’s also not an easy book to read due to the subject nature. Surprisingly this 2nd instalment is more unsettling than The Wolf Den, set in Felix’s brothel, the threat or act of sexual, mental and/or physical violence of multiple male characters on several female characters always present. Rufus, Amara’s patron, likes his girls fragile and comments on her weight, so throughout the book she starves herself, losing weight so she maintains his favour. Rufus is possessive, he calls it love but he treats Amara like an object, a toy no one else can play with and punishes her by reminding her of her place when he feels his ego is threatened. Then there is Felix, this is a strange sentence to type but I’m praying Vesuvius gets him in the final instalment. The power dynamic changes here between Amara and her former owner, or rather she believes it does and that is the problem in itself. Felix desires Amara but he no longer owns her and she is protected by her patron, she has defied him, humiliated him, she has bought Victoria from him and with this confidence and illusion of freedom from her change in circumstances and new business ventures, she confronts and tries to play his own game back at him. This creates an even bigger enemy in Felix you feel that fear of his shadow over all the characters.
Power dynamics have also changed between the friends; Victoria has been bought and freed but she owes this freedom Amara, she works for her singing, with sex coming with it, and the money goes towards what Felix is owed. The privilege and status Amara has over Victoria quickly becomes a problem and both women in this story have the temporary feeling of liberation before they have chains in a new form.
There’s also the added dynamic of Amara as the lady of the house, in effect, a former slave who now has slaves at her command, including Philos, who she falls in love with, and for her music venture with Drusilla, they also buy slaves to perform. In order to avoid returning to her own misery, there are times where Amara has to become the very people she hates, including Felix, and use people as pawns.

Amara is a fascinating character, she’s the daughter of a doctor from before she became a slave, she’s a former slave who still bears the emotional scars of having her body taken from her and seen as barely a person, and she’s a young woman with money and perceived status, with slaves, a house, business ventures and people of status as her peers but ultimately knowing she owns nothing, it can all be taken away with the interest and lust veiled of love of her patron. These different and duelling sides of Amara create conflicting thoughts and fears with the confidence of happiness and love battling with desperation and need for security and protection for her and her loved ones. While Amara longs to be a daughter of a doctor, a mother, a wife and lover, a businesswoman, as the book progresses she sadly realised this world is not kind to women and she can not escape the shadows of the men in her life.
The interactions between Amara and Victoria are particularly interesting as, while Victoria does behave badly (no spoilers), she is also a woman just trying to survive and be loved, a woman who has been hurt and used by people, now this includes Amara. Likewise the interactions between Amara and Felix are electric, you learn more about him and while you won’t feel sorry for him you understand him better. These scenes are menacing and dangerous in a way far stronger than The Wolf Den.
Tender moments can be found between Amara’s love story with Philos, the house steward and slave, they grow to love each other and in these moments hidden away in her room, you can experience the peace (though brief and temporary) of these 2 hurt people.
Brittanica is an absolute delight too, I would have to say she is my favourite character, she’s a good friend, she’s loyal and brave and protective but she has her own demons she wrestles with. I love how this book ended for her.

Like I’ve said above, this book was harder r read than TWD, the sexual violence and threats, the treatment of slaves, the unfairness of this time feels even more magnified so it’s not necessarily a book you can soar through for your own mental health. That said, the characters are wonderful with some beautifully complex and strong women in particular who don’t always do the right thing but are good and you want and need them to survive not just the impending eruption but also each day of this battle they face in a world of men and their power.
Likewise the writing is wonderful, it’s not overwritten, it’s not self indulgent to show off the time spent on research but it’s rich and brings Pompeii to life and it flows well.

I’m both excited and terrified for the final instalment in this trilogy with Mount Vesuvius’ eruption growing ever closer, but this is a fantastic series dealing with both sensitively and respectfully to those who were victims in many forms.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

What a treat this second instalment in the Wolf Den trilogy was! This is the first historical trilogy I read and I'm thoroughly invested, it'll be hard waiting until November to read the final book. As it's the second book, it's hard to say anything about its plot in a review as that would spoil the first one, but just know if you like Amara and are invested in her story, this will grip you even more.

The Roman empire setting, about 3 to 5 years prior to the eruption of Vesuvius in Pompeii is one that I was always interested in but had never read about, especially not from the perspective of a slave prostitute. Although I'm no expert in this time period (does 4 years of Latin in middle/high school even count?), I feel that this series is mostly historically accurate (probably more so in this book rather than the first one as I felt that some of the interactions between slaves and freepeople were a little unbelievable at times), and I am enthralled by Harper's beautiful, easy writing style. I usually don't love books written in the present tense but this one just does it right.

I haven't felt this strongly about a book in a while, if I'm honest. I felt so many things so hard for Amara and her friends, and I was left gasping left right and centre in those last 30% of the book. In fact, I read that last third in less than 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down, and I kept thinking about the characters and what might happen to them whenever I did have to stop reading. These characters are going to stay with me for a long time, and I need to know what will happen to them.

I can't quite give this book 5 stars as I did feel that it lulled a bit around the 50% mark, although not for long. I also finished the book wondering about a specific plot point that was important in the first half but totally forgotten about after the 70% mark after a significant event in Amara's life, which I wonder if we will hear about again but highly doubt after that ending. Overall, this was a highly enjoyable book that transported me to AD 76 Pompeii, and I can't wait to see how it all ends (I have some guesses and they all break my heart).

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed the first in this series, The Wolf Den, I felt it was lacking in substance and unfortunately that's also how I feel about this sequel. Now Amara has gained some sort of freedom (if you can call being owned by one man instead of anyone with the right fee freedom) there's a real lack of threat running through this. Amara knows she has to keep her man happy, enthralled by her to keep her place, but there's less danger involved. It's almost as though Amara knows she can't really do anything and she gives up her sense of self along the way.

I still love Britannica though. She's someone who never compromises herself for anyone, fighting anything and everything to be free. Vicious yet vulnerable she's the character I wanted Amara to be, and all the more complex and interesting for it.

I'll probably not read the final book in this series. It feels really dragged out at this point, as though the author really only had a standalone book in mind that has morphed into an overly long series. However, if they ever decide to write something new I'll definitely check it out.

I loved being back in ancient Pompeii with these characters. This book series is one I can never stop thinking about and i have really enjoyed reading. I already can’t wait for the third!

I really like Amara’s character and her journey throughout the books. The cast of characters are all really intriguing and easy to get attached to as well, so that really enhances the story. I really like Elodie’s style of writing, it’s really easy to follow and sets the world up for these series so well.

I have already recommended to others and wouldn’t hesitate to gift to friends who I know love historical fiction or want a nice easy way into historical fiction.

A very worthy follow up to The Wolf Den, which was one of my favourite books in 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the narrative continued, and Amara got some brilliant moments, but much like the first book, this also broke my heart in so many ways. Cannot wait for the next one!!

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.