I read the NetGalley proof in two days, unable to put it down.

This is the second book in the Wolf Den series and it certainly makes for a fascinating sequel, branching out in new directions as Amara's life alters with her circumstances. Against the beautiful backdrop of Pompeii and chapters tipped with relevant quotes from the city's graffiti, from the moment I began reading I was submerged back into the story of Amara and wholly invested in how her life was playing out. The Found Family theme of the first book is echoed in this one as Amara gathers people around her that she trusts and cares for, building a little sanctuary for herself that as a reader you are constantly in a state of concern about given her patron's tempestuous nature.

Of all the returning characters that stood out for me, Drusilla and Victoria were my favourite, with Fabia tugging at my heartstrings. I enjoyed the character of Philos, he is well-written as a strong lead and more likeable than I first thought; Rufus is soundly characterised so that while he is not likeable he is certainly a strong antagonist, someone provided layers which a lesser writer would not have bothered adding, but as usual Elodie Harper has masterfully created a well-rounded cast that would be perfectly at home on the big screen with clear motivations and humane, understandable flaws.

If you want to lose yourself in a Roman drama, this is the book for you. You will be sucked in and doused in lavender bath-water, decorated in garlands for festivals, and surrounded by frescoes of goddesses. You can imagine the streets, the city, the port, every artfully picked-out detail enhances your sensory perception of Amara's world.

This is one of my favourite books in the Greek Mythofiction subgenre, I encourage fans of Ariadne and The Song of Achilles (who enjoyed the heartache!) to pick this up today.

The House with the Golden Door is Part two of the Pompeii trilogy & Elodie Harper takes us straight back to Ancient Rome and the love & lives of the ancient prostitutes of Pompeii. Amara has her freedom but is still trapped by her benefactor and the pull of her past and although Elodie Harper right beautifully I can not gel with Amara.. I just find her annoying. I found her annoying in the first novel but I persevered but I’m halfway though the second novel. I don’t find that I care about the. People with in the pages and have given up.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review, this was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint.

Carrying on three months after the first book finished, this was equally as gripping and as engrossing as the previous. I love Amara, and all the characters are so well written that they feel 100% real. The way the author manages to make Pompeii and the ancient Roman culture come back to life is so well researched.

I can’t wait for the next book and I just want Amara to have a comfortable, happy life!

Thanks to @headofzeus and @netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Some people will remember my light criticism regarding The Wolf's Den. I am an Italian art historian, I have studied much archaeology throughout my life, but I hadn't found some of the details I had wanted in the first book. Of course it had been an engrossing read and the story intriguing enough to keep me going. Plus Amara’s arc had been beautifully depicted. But I had found it lacking in some aspects and my 3 star rating had reflected that.
However, I wanted to further explore the story. And this time around, The House with the Golden Door gave me so much more than its predecessor.
It was an absolute gem. I loved reading about Amara’s new journey, her days, her ascent, her sparring moments with Felix whilst still managing a selfish patron and his insulting requests.
I loved reading about her political plans, all the different endeavours to ensure her future through a complex web of friendships and borderline relationships. Plinius was back and with him, many other beloved characters, such as Britannica. Oh Britannica. I loved her so much and I deeply felt for her losses.
The only things I found somewhat unnecessary were the romance and the drama revolving about Victoria. But the ending was utterly perfect. Bitter, realistic and like a punch in the face.
4 stars for this second instalment and Amalia's brave heart.
Now that she is headed to Rome, when’s book 3 coming out? *grins*

If you loved The Wolf Den, you'll love The House With The Golden Door. Elodie Harper brings back the fantastic character of Amara to follow her life after she leaves the brotherl.

Beautiful and moving…. The House with the Golden Door is the second part of the Wolf Den Trilogy. I really enjoy reading stories about Ancient history and culture and this book was a pleasant read. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lovely way to start the new week!

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. After devouring The Wolf Den, I was super excited to delve into the sequel early and it was every bit as brilliant as the first one!

You can expect an exciting plotline containing strong women pulling together in the face of adversity; secrets and betrayals; a juicy forbidden love affair; and some impossible choices as Amara realises her life as a freedwoman isn’t as free as she first thought. The characters are fantastically developed - I was rooting for all the girls and completely immersed in their complex relationships and different reactions to the trauma they have been through. There are twists and turns that make it absolutely gripping in places as well as taking you on a turbulent emotional journey.

As a piece of historical fiction, I found the dialogue and the writing style to be a bit contemporary and I couldn’t quite see them as real people who could have lived in the ancient Roman Empire. However, this didn’t detract from the brilliant storyline and I thought the excerpts of Pompeii graffiti were fun ways to start some of the chapters. This, along with the snippets of information you pick up along the way as the characters’ backstories are revealed, was a great insight into a time I haven’t read much about before.

This is out on 12th May and I strongly recommend a pre-order!

Thank you Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the e-ARC of The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Having devoured The Wolf Den I was torn between hesitancy and desperation to read The House with the Golden Door; There is always that fear about the second book. However. I am so pleased to say that the fear was totally misplaced. Elodie Harper picks up the baton from the end of The Wolf Den with Amara settling into her new life as a freedwoman. As free as she can be, dependent on her patron, Rufus and subject to his timetable, whims and desires.

Amara continues to plough her course, not always making the best moves logically, often driven by her emotions, fears and experiences from the brothel. Amara’s character continues to be as complex and contrary as we saw in The Wolf Den, but her intentions remain well meant, if not the most advantageous at times.

Harper doesn’t deny us development of other characters, including Britannica, who really is a force. It was wonderful to read and see her development as she comes to the fore of the story. And other characters are illuminated to shape Amara’s circle and relationships.

The use of quotes from classical Roman texts at the beginning of each chapter are totally en pointe, not only in their relationship to the content of each chapter, but also their relevance to life now. There are so many that apply to current life, situations and relationships- I will definitely be keeping notes of them.

The House with the Golden Door may not have the punch in the guts that was The Wolf Den, but what it does have is the greater insight into the politics and complexities of Amara’s life as she transitions from slave to freedwoman, and all the new and not so new challenges it brings. This second book in the trilogy doesn’t fail to hit home and is certainly a series that will retain its strength and place in my bookish heart…even if I am now left waiting for Book 3!

Amara has escaped from her life in a notorious Pompeii brothel but will things be any easier as a free woman?

Well it wouldn’t be much of a story if life was suddenly plain sailing for Amara and her friends and it definitely isn’t! The world of Pompeii is brilliantly recreated by the author and I was pulled right in back in. The detail around life in the city at the time with its festivals, customs, limitations and opportunities is just brilliant.

Amara is a great central character. Smart and tough but also fallible and human. I also enjoyed Britannica's development in this book as she becomes a bigger part of the story.

The quotes at the start of each chapter were a great touch. Always reminding us that although we’re separated by a couple of millennia we’re not that different from the citizens of Pompeii.

The ending was perhaps not as dramatic as the first book but I feel it has set it up nicely for the final part of the trilogy

Hugely enjoyed The Wolf Den and was so looking forward to this. It really did not disappoint. Now impatiently waiting for book three!

I loved the first book in this trilogy and was so excited to receive the second but I didn't enjoy it as much.
I loved the historical descriptions of the festvials and Pompeii but I found Amars and her decisions irritating whereas previously I wanted more for her now I didn't care. I found her self centred and too like Felix and her choices were surprising at times
The book dragged in places although the part I enjoyed most was when she visited Pliny again. All soad a reasonable sequel but not as good as book 1.

3.75 stars

"The House with the Golden Door" isn't quite as good as the first part of the series, but still offers a great variety of female characters and intriguing relationship dynamics.

Amara's position is precarious and dependent on how well she manages to please her patron, and I liked seeing that she kept on hustling to make sure she and hers were safe.

The romance plot was my least favorite part of the novel because the romantic interest just didn't suit Amara all that well, at least in my opinion. The ending felt a little rushed, but I liked to see Amara set herself up in a position of greater influence in order to save her family. I'm intrigued to see how the story continues.

The house with the golden door
Sometimes sequels can be a bit of a disappointment, and as I loved the first book in this trilogy, The Wolf Den, so much, I was a little anxious about dipping into this one. I needn’t have worried though, because Elodie Harper has done an excellent job of developing Amara’s story as she moves from slave to courtesan in ancient Rome.
It very quickly becomes clear that although she has left behind her life in the brothel, Amara has merely swapped a sordid cage for a gilded one. She may have a fine house and the trappings of wealth, but they are all dependent on the whims of her petulant and fickle patron. Amara’s safety remains worryingly precarious and as the book progresses we see how the threats both to her happiness and the lives of herself and those she loves, multiply at an alarming rate.
Yet again Harper has brilliantly created a world in which we can really believe and she shines a light on the people who rarely receive much attention, on a world where most women are overlooked, slaves even more so, and then there are the prostitutes at the very bottom of the hierarchy.
I’m not sure there were any surprises in the book, it seems clear from quite early on that all will not be well, and Amara’s behaviour is sometimes a little hard to understand. However, the way we are shown new friendships forming, and the development of the characters both old and new are all really well handled.
I’m so glad that there’s going to be another episode in Amara’s story, and I’m excited about the action moving to Rome. I suspect it’s too much to hope for a completely happy ending, but I do hope that Amara finally gets her revenge on Felix.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Amara has escaped her life as a slave in the town's most notorious brothel but it's out of the frying pan and in to the fire as her life now depends on her holding the affections of her patron. He's not quite the man she thought he was and her dreams are still plagued with memories of The Wolf Den and, more specifically, the women she left behind and the brutal man who owned and abused her.

🌙

In The House With The Golden Door, we return to Pompeii for the second installment of this brilliant trilogy, reimagining the lives of the women who history would have us forget.

I absolutely adored Amara in The Wolf Den but it was a really interesting turn to see how she handles life outside of the brothel and how she now needs to be ruthlessly cold and calculating, the very things she despised about her previous owner, Felix, in order to survive.

She has to make some great sacrifices and decisions and, while I didn't understand some of the decisions she made at the end, I'm really excited to get my hands on the last book to see how everything weaves together in the end!

(We also get to see a lot more of Brittanica in this book which I loved, she's such a fantastic character and has an amazing development!)

If you haven't already read The Wolf Den then please make sure to check it out! There's still plenty of time before the follow up is released in May 😍👌🏼

A massive thank you to @netgalley and @elodielharper for the chance to read this one early 💕

At the beginning of the year I read and loved The Wolf Den, and I'm so grateful to the publisher for giving me the chance to read its sequel. I had high hopes for it, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book.

Even though Amara has been freed at the end of the first book, she is far from being completely free. She has left the brothel and has now a wealthy patron, but she has to depend on him for everything, and she has to face different challenges and dangers. The tension was always high and I kept turning the pages, wanting to see what would happen. The second half was especially gripping and I just couldn't put it down. The ending was very sad but it also made sense, and it made me even more excited for the conclusion.

Apart from the gripping storyline, what I most appreciated about the book was, once again, the main character Amara. Her incredible will to survive and to improve her circumstances is what drives the whole story, and, like in the first book, she becomes more ruthless and manipulative in order to do so. Sometimes I ddin't agree with her decisions, but I always understood her and sympathized with her.

I was also glad to see Britannica and Victoria again, although I wasn't happy with some things which happened between them and Amara.

I can't wait to finish Amara's story in the next book!

I kindly received an Arc of this book via netgalley.

The Wolf Den was in my top 5 books for 2021 so I was really looking forward to the sequel.

The House with the Golden Door picks up from the Wolf Den and follows our main character Amara. It was very different from book one as it was more about her struggle for independence. She has replaced the cage of the Wolf Den for a golden one.

I enjoyed the links to the old characters but I found certain things that happened predictable - I was eye rolling at one character in particular just knowing it wasn't going to end well.

I recommend reading this if you loved the first book but didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first. I will definitely be reading the next one though!

I enjoyed The Wolf Den so much that I was almost scared to read this in case it didn't live up to it. I needn't have feared. This is just as brilliant. The House with the Golden Door starts with Amara now a freedwoman. Of course she is not completely free. She is being kept by Rufus her sponsor to whom she is at first grateful and then as circumstances change, resentful though she has always to be careful to keep this hidden. Amara is a wonderfully complex character who has to make difficult choices not all of which work out for her. Other characters are well developed too, especially Britannica who really comes into her own in this sequel. Pompeii itself is almost a character here so well is it depicted. The sights, sounds and smells of ancient Rome are all there. The book is further enhanced by quotes from classical Roman texts at the beginning of each chapter which are extraordinarily well suited to what follows. I usually skim over such quotes but it's impossible to ignore these. I loved this book and can't wait for the next in the trilogy. I love books about ancient Rome and Greece and have read many set in this time. I think this series is my favourite (though Pat Barker has to come a very close second). Thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you so much Union Square & Co for sending me a copy of The House With The Golden Door by Elodie Harper.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

This book had me in a chokehold, I simply could not put it down. (The only reason why this book was not read in one sitting was because I had to go to work)

We pick up almost immediately after the ending of The Wolf Den and Amara is struggling to contain control on Rufus. Freedom certainly isn't as easy she once hoped it would be. And while this book certainly isn't an uplifting novel, it is so gripping.

I was sending screaming messages to my book club as I was so nervous and anxious as this book went on! There were some moments of levity and Amara seemed so happy. I really wanted her to succeed but do we think that's going to happen?

I. Can. Not. Wait. For book three!

Amazing sequel to The Wolf Den. I love learning about this period of history through these wonderful novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This series is SO GOOD

I adore the backdrop
The women
The badassery

I am PumpED FOR THE NEXT INSTALMENT

Review pending due to issues with download. This is a follow-up and second in the series of The Wolf Den which I have recently reviewed.