The Wolf Den (Wolf Den Trilogy, 1)

I haven’t read many, if any, historical fiction set in ancient times. So I was excited when I was invited to participate in a book tour for the second book in this series. I was fortunate enough to receive The Wolf Den as well. Thank you to Turn The Page Tours , Elodie Harper, and Union Square & Co. for inviting me along and for the gifted books. This book feels much bigger than the words on these pages. I guess that’s as it should be since the story is one about an ancient city, in an ancient time. that is destined for total destruction in the very near future from when it begins. While the subject matter is hard to read about, the way Elodie writes gives it a tenderness. I love Amara’s story. It is a tragic one, to be sure, but it is also one of strength and resilience. She never lets her life as a slave in a brothel break her spirit. I’m not sure I would’ve lasted as long as she does nor would I have been strong enough to make the plans she does. Her will to survive and to win back her freedom is amazingly strong considering her circumstances. Dido is my favorite character. She becomes Amara’s closest friend and also the one that keeps her from giving in to her rage. If not for Dido’s reining-in, Amara would have likely met a tortuous end. Dido is a sweet and tender person and Amara loves her deeply. They became more than friends, they became as sisters. She was the one person, other than Amara, that I hoped for her dreams of a life outside the brothel to come true. There are many villains in this story. Some are plain to see…Felix and his men, for sure. If there was ever a character that I hate more, I don’t remember who. This guy, even though he’s a product of his upbringing, is a vile and cruel man. I hope he gets what he deserves in the end. But there are other villains that aren’t so obvious and that will surprise you. It is still jarring to read how badly men treated women. It wasn’t just the men who sold women into slavery, the men who ran the brothels, or the men who frequented them. The higher class men treated women just as badly, like they’re invisible unless they were using them in some way or just property to do with as they saw fit. To see these women paraded around, passed around, exploited, abused, and treated with total disregard brought me to tears…angry tears. By the luck of the Universe I was brought into a world where things were changing for women. Slavery was no longer allowed (in my country anyway). Brothels were no more (except in one state). Even so, women are treated like second class citizens at times. And, the mindset of generations of men hasn’t changed completely. But reading this book made me realize that it takes strength and steadfastness to overcome. And when you make your own situation better, you indirectly do so for others you may never know. Amara’s story does this, even though she is a fictional character. I thoroughly enjoyed The Wolf Den, even if the final chapters are heart-wrenching. I sobbed out loud during one particular scene. I can’t wait to read the entire series. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, ancient historical fiction, stories about women trying to overcome against unthinkable odds, found family, and forbidden love.

A story about an enslaved woman in ancient Pompeii striving to escape her circumstances that delves into the many facets of female friendships, this book evokes emotion and weaves in real archaeological discoveries into the central plot of the story. I loved spotting "small" details of the characters' surroundings or jewelry that are well-knowne artifacts from the ruins in Pompeii. The dialogue comes off as a bit too modern at times, and I wish there were more immersive historical details (what people wore, what they ate, etc.) but overall I think the atmosphere makes you feel immersed in the story and feel that some of these details were omitted due to pacing reasons. Obviously, this book deals with SA since the main characters are enslaved women in a brothel, but the author does a good job of detailing the realities of these women's' lives while not being too graphic or triggering. After reading this I immediately went online and purchased the two other books in the trilogy.

The story is good. Portraying a level of ancient Roman society most authors only use as secondary, or support characters. Owning 250+ Ancient Rome/Pompeii books on nearly every aspect of the time & having visited Rome & Pompeii several times the historical mistakes (example prostitutes and slaves DO NOT wear togas) & having read an article containing the author's interview of an archaeologist who had worked in Pompeii I was extremely disappointed and surprised at the mistakes made. Simple google searches, a trip to the library and even utilizing google maps could have easily eliminated these (ex. the toga, which made me cringe each time it was referenced). I understand author liberty but that stretched it beyond acceptable in my opinion. Within the first five pages there were several inadequacies that yanked me right out of the time period and had me shaking my head and made me regret purchasing this book, but I continued reading the story as the story line itself was interesting and set in Pompeii. I do believe the plot could've been condensed and brought a lot more to the story. The hardest thing for me to get past in this book is 'she-wolves' wearing togas and the continual reference to the toga dictating their status among the people of Pompeii. This is SO wrong and really takes away from the story. Devoting some time to researching Ancient Rome and Pompeii would've greatly benefited the book, and having become aware of this book because of the interview with the archaeologist I may or may not read the second book.

Very enjoyable from start to finish. Unexpected ending. I can’t wait for the next chapter in Amara’s life to unfold.

Great story. The beginning is a little slow and tedious but it gets better

I've entered five-stars, which this book more than deserved. That being said, I'll add that it wasn't EASY to read about enslaved women forced into cruelty and prostitution. However, Harper's strength is character and she proved herself capable of developing an intensely intriguing tale that features a plot about ancient Pompeii WITHOUT a volcanic eruption. Her characters are both enthralling and their tales plausible and forthright. Like any reputable historical fiction, she blends the imaginary with real-life characters from the historical record, making the tale seamless and acceptable to anyone well-versed in Roman history and culture. This book WORKED for me, despite its sordid subject matter. Young Amara is sold into slavery due to family misfortune and must enter the dark underworld of prostitution at Pompeii's "Wolf-Den". Now known as a "she-wolf" she learns her way through the dismal life of an everyday whore, using her scholarly knowledge to survive when many around her don't. She faces a daily evil in Felix--her wicked and cold-hearted pimp, but as the plot develops, Amara finds some of that evil tainting her own motives and staining her character with its flaws. Her friends are incredibly well-drawn: tragic Cressa, the amoral, lusty Victoria, Berenice--a prostitute who finds an unlikely love in her harrowing world, and the sad, volatile Dido, who becomes Amara's dearest friend. Harper's ability to endear each of these women to the reader is admirable and powerfully drawn, proving that the most common people through history can also be some of the warmest and dearest. One could argue the premise of this book, but for me, it was the fact that it's often easier to live a lie and be safe than it is to be honorable and accept true love at face-value. That, in a nutshell, is Amara, who above all, learns to survive her world, becoming tainted herself in doing so. This is one of the finest books I've read all year. I look forward to the sequel!

What an incredible story. So heartbreaking but heartwarming at the same time. Amara does what she needs to do to have her freedom but the cost may be too much.

Some folks hate slice of life stories and you can see that when you look at the one and two star reviews of this book. I happen to love slice of life stories where the characters are simply being themselves and living their lives not having unrealistic adventures that reach a climax before wrapping up. Some people want to claim this makes no historical sense, yet as an ancient historian who has studied a fair amount about Pompeii as well as sexuality and gender across history, I really felt this was a complex and fictionally honest view of how someone who was Amara might have lived. In fact, her life would have probably been much worse in some ways, but most modern readers want a happy ending. I haven't read the other two books, but given the date and location of the story, folks needing a happy ending may be in for a shocker. There is no attempt to teach the readers much Latin or Greek nor are the descriptions and dialogue written in an odd fashion in an attempt to get you to think that Romans and those enslaved by them somehow spoke differently than we might had we lived in their world. The tone and language are raw and made so that today's readers can understand it without cringing at the faux antiquity of the language.

Loved it. There’s some sort of magic which keeps reader to go on and on. Moving to next book in series

Very captivating book, I loved it, read it in 1 day

”Either we choose to stay alive, or we give up. And if it's living we choose, then we do whatever it takes.” One woman’s life whose future depends on her ability to perform, act, and use her mind and resourcefulness to ultimately free herself from slavery. A life she is forced to live, after the death of her esteemed father, where women are dehumanised and seen as objects of pleasure until their usefulness ceases, but more importantly a life with no way out for the ‘she wolves’. The Wolf Den is the ultimate story of survival in an unforgiving and rigid world for those in service, oppressed and enslaved. Powerful, evocative and sometimes graphic but ultimately rewarding in some ways. Tethered to the Lupanar in Pompeii, a brothel or in translation the ‘wolf-den’, Amara is a prostitute and one of the ‘she wolves’ owned by a harsh master, Felix. A man sculpted by his violent past, but underneath the brutality there is something almost human about him as he struggles to suppress his emotions because the wolf den is no place for romanticism or sentiment. Amara’s life is shaped by misfortune. Her father, a doctor, dies prematurely and so she is sold by her widowed mother who can no longer afford to keep her. Amara’s value rests with how many customers she can satisfy and how much money she can generate but her real worth sits within her head. A great mind, a woman different from the others who understands finance, who can read and is intelligent and resourceful. Ultimately, she needs to develop a plan and strategy to free herself from a life of slavery but at a cost. Things I liked about this book. First of all, Wolf Den is a perfect combination of tragedy, hope and intrigue as Amara must learn to balance her desire to gain her freedom with the need to keep her pimp and her band of friends on side. I found the story thrilling as Amara navigated her way through the intricacies and complexities of her position in the Wolf Den to secure her independence. The tension held through the book because you felt at any moment any progress could be undone in a minute and for most of the story freedom never felt achievable. The setting was also excellent. The vivid descriptions of Pompeii conjured up the images of an era with so much mystery, mystic, and history, with its ancient walls and cobbled streets creating the perfect ambiance for a book of this nature. The unapologetic language of the brutality and abuse that the women were subjected to made for uncomfortable reading at times but credible and authentic. The author also did well to highlight the vast differences in this society between the ‘have’s and the have-nots’ and the distribution of wealth between the lives of the rich and those in a life of servitude tending to their every needs. Whilst the setting was excellent, I felt the author could have added more layers to the story and woven the historical context into the narrative a lot more. Instead, it was used to create the backdrop rather than historical events being integral to the story. If you want a story of courage, determination, friendship, and a book that is evenly paced and intriguing then this might be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this novel. Some reviews might say the story line is light and focused too much on the women’s relationship to each other but I really love this perspective set in Roman times. It kept my attention and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I loved this book from a few paragraphs in. Then I sat in my car, in the heat, to finish it. Highly recommend.