So this is the conclusion of the Wolf Den Trilogy... I have no complaints... Elodie Harper beautifully built a historical story in the time of slavery in Pompeii, Italy.

Wolf Den Trilogy is Amara's story, a free child who then should survives as a young girl as a slave in Pompeii's brothel, this was the first book, my favorite, very naked pictures of every cruelty and hideous thing you probably can't imagine in the den of wolves.

In the sequel, The House with the Golden Door, the life of a courtesan, and at last Amara's fight to gain her freedom, her doubts of her mind and soul in AD 79 Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, we all know the story...

Thank you Union Square & Co. via Netgalley for ARC, I have given my honest review.

This piece of the trilogy is just as well done as the others! The author has a gift at transporting the reader back into the days of Pompeii and reading this will put you right there in the city just before the eruption. The story itself is powerful and at times both sad and happy.

Thank you NetGalley, Union Square & Co., and Elodie Harper for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m a big fan of this author and series and this was a great ending. I enjoyed seeing Amara in Rome and learning more about her life there. And of course the eruption of Vesuvius created a lot of tension and anxiety for the characters. It’s obvious that Harper did a lot of research before writing this book, which I really appreciate. If you liked the rest of the series or are interested in history, especially Pompeii, be sure to pick this one up!

When the final instalment to the Wolf Den trilogy literally erupts half way through, you know that this is going to be a book you can’t put down.

Now a courtesan to one of the most influential men in Rome, Amara has come a long way from the Wolf Den brothel. However, the trauma that has shadowed her throughout her journey shows no sign of releasing its hold on her. Will Amara’s return to Pompeii prove to be her most fatal mistake?

Every book in the Wolf Den trilogy has possessed thrumming undertones of intensity and threat throughout, and The Temple of Fortuna is no different. Amara’s status is permanently on a knife edge, forever at the mercy of the men in her life and lasting only as long as her beauty. Can she find a way to carve out a future for herself before her time in the spotlight runs out?
Harper’s ancient Rome is simply stunning throughout this series, the worldbuilding is incredible and immersive, allowing the reader to truly picture Julia’s bathhouse or the run down inns. Harper’s greatest achievement however is her characters. Whether they capture our heart like Brittanica or make our skin crawl like Felix, both main and background characters alike never fail to ensnare the reader, forcing us to become wholly invested in their story and survival and leaving us hoping for a happy ending, even as ash rains around them.
Elodie Harper’s writing is truly a masterpiece, I have not and will never stop recommending this trilogy. If, like me, you were the kid who loved ancient history but find non-fiction a bit dry, pick up these books. The historical research is magnificent but the characters, the world building and the sheer ability of Harper to mesmerise her audience is awe inspiring. You will laugh, gasp and cry enough tears to fill the Adriatic Sea.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read an advanced copy of this incredible finale.

Truly the perfect ending to this trilogy. I was left at the edge of my seat throughout waiting to find out what happened next. Waiting to see if our characters get their very well-deserved happy ending. If that's even possible with Pompeii's explosion just around the corner...

This final installment starts 3 years after the second book. This book starts when we are on the cusp of the horrific events that happened to Pompeii that we know today. I liked the ending of the trilogy, but I was not a fan of the journey in this installment.

Amara has been living in Rome as Demetrious's courtesan and only visits her daughter in Pompeii once a year. Her daughter Rufina has been taken care of by Philo during this time. While in Rome, she is used to spy/befriend the female members of political families, which could have been very interesting had this been expanded on more. Amara is sent back to Pompeii early for her safety when she learns information that has now put her in danger. This first section of the book was interesting.

During her short time in Pompeii before the explosion, there was a lot of Felix-centered drama that made the book feel like it dragged a bit just because he has now caused drama for two books in which he was not one of the main characters. I know why he is necessary, however I just felt it was a little over the top. In some ways, I feel like he took away from the story, it was too focused on him and not on who should have been centered. I would have rather seen more of the three years she was in Rome.

You can tell the author did her research regarding the eruption. Even though Amara has the best possible luck through the whole experience. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted the ending these characters got, there was just something about the way we got there that didn’t jive with me.

Do I still think people should read the trilogy? Yes!

As with the other books in this trilogy, I absolutely loved it! The characters are interesting, the location near mythical and the drama was intense. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe and relax while reading the last third of the book. Once the volcano erupted I knew it would be a wild ride. It was very interesting to follow the characters after the eruption. I learned more about the aftermath through the narrative. It seems easy to assume that everything was destroyed instantly but the history and timeline is much more complex. This was a history lesson as well as a pleasure.

(4.75/5 stars) Elodie Harper has drawn this series together in a triumph of a third book. Every time I pick up a book in this series, I have simply fallen in and couldn't escape from the prose, the characters, and the plot. Harper writes in such a raw, powerful, and compelling way, and I think she may be my favorite historical fiction author to date. You can tell that she's done the research and formed the story around historical and cultural fact, and I love that about her.

As I said in a previous review, "I knew that The Wolf Den was going to hurt me, and by about 40% of the way through, I predicted how. In The House with the Golden Door, I knew this book was going to hurt me, but I didn't know how until it happened." In The Temple of Fortuna, I knew this book was going to hurt me (it's hard to read a book set in Pompeii in 79AD and not expect to get hurt somehow 🌋) but I hoped it would heal me as well. After all that Amara has endured throughout the series, is it not fair to hope that there would be some resolution and sense of justice for the characters with whom we've fallen in love over the course of the last two books? I have no qualms with how Harper chose to end the series, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

This is the third book in the Wolf Den trilogy (Wolf Den and The House with the Golden Door) and I think you have to have read the previous two to really appreciate this one. Amara is now living in Rome, separated from her lover Phylos and her daughter Rufina, she has been in Rome for a few years returning to Pompeii once a year to visit. Her patron is a wealthy man who is close to the ruling emperor and who enlists her to try to get close to the woman of a man who may become the next emperor, that man has a cruel streak and may have resulted in the death of his woman. Amara returns to Pompeii for an unplanned visit not long after the death of this woman, she is welcomed with open arms by her friends and Phylos, though her daughter is reluctant to get close to her after her long absences. Her previous owner, Felix, has been making trouble for her at businesses she owns and her attempt to talk to him go nowhere. The eruption of the volcano and the subsequent struggle to get out of Pompeii to someplace safe is a riveting read, very heartbreaking, the reappearance of Felix and how Amara deals with him is satisfying. I would highly recommend this trilogy a very fascinating look at the lives of people during this time period. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Union Square & Co for the ARC.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I am so sad this trilogy is over because it was so well done. I study ancient roman archaeology and love Pompeii in particular and so the thing that sticks out to me the most about the series is the attention to detail and accuracy! I am very familiar with the details of the eruption itself, so the portrayal of the eruption (and surrounding events well documented in the literary and archaeological record) are super well done. Perhaps it is my familiarity with the subject that the events in the ending didn't quite take me by surprise since it stayed faithful to surviving records.

For some reason this book felt. a bit rushed, and it felt like we jumped from one space to another rather quickly, and there were some plot points that were not quite tied together in a satisfying way. I do not want to say more without spoiling it, but I would love for this to be more developed. I think if they wanted to, she could have expanded this beyond 3 books, perhaps elaborating on Amara's time spent in Rome. That said I will be recommending this series to all my historical fiction lovers for (finally) an accurate and faithful portrayal of life in Pompeii and the eruption.

4.5⭐️

The final installment in author Elodie Harper’s Wolf Den Trilogy opens in Rome in 79 AD. Amara is now a courtesan under the patronage of an influential man who is close to the ruling Emperor. She leads an affluent life surrounded by powerful men and their politics but misses her daughter Rufina, whom she left behind in Pompeii in the care of Philos. Amara often reflects on her past, the people she has lost and the events that brought her to the present day. When a twist of fate brings Amara back to Pompeii, amid friends and foes, it is up to her to protect her dear ones from those who wish to harm them and destroy the life that Amara had so painstakingly built for herself. Unbeknownst to her, old enemies aren’t the only threats to her life, as a catastrophic event is about to wreak havoc on Pompeii.

Heartbreaking yet hopeful, inspiring and immersive The Temple of Fortuna is a worthy conclusion to the Wolf Den Trilogy. The author combines fact and fiction (referencing real-life characters and epigraphs from written accounts of Roman history from multiple sources at the beginning of each chapter) to weave an engaging narrative that will keep you engaged until the very last page. The mythological references woven into the story, and the descriptions of the traditions and rituals from that era truly enrich the narrative. The pacing of the novel was a tad slow in the first half and I would have enjoyed this book more had Amara’s life after her return to Pompeii from Rome had been given more space in the narrative but this does not detract from the overall reading experience. I loved how the author chose to end the series. I enjoyed following Amara’s journey throughout the series - from an enslaved woman forced to work in a brothel to a freedwoman determined to make a better life for herself in a world where women had no agency. While we may not always agree with her decisions, she is a survivor and her intelligence, courage and resilience render her an admirable protagonist whose story will stay with you long after you have finished reading.

The strength of the Wolf Den series lies in the author’s masterful storytelling, exquisite writing and superb characterizations. Overall, I loved this trilogy and am eager to read more from the author in the future!

(4.5⭐ for the final installment but 5⭐ for the trilogy!)

Many thanks to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Temple of Fortuna: 4.5 stars
When your Roman Empire is actually the Roman Empire! 😂
It feels so bittersweet finishing this trilogy. The Temple of Fortuna was my most anticipated book of the year and I loved the finale for the characters I have come to love.

Pompeii, gladiators, famous Romans, political intrigue, and a strong female lead.
The Wolf Den Trilogy follows Amara who is a slave in Pompeii who is determined to not only survive, but thrive. The first two books take place years before Mount Vesuvius erupts, but in this last book the countdown is quickly approaching. It’s suspenseful and keeps you on your toes. I found Elodie Harper’s writing engaging and beautiful (especially the end), and she makes me want to read more historical fiction.

Why not 5 stars? In the beginning I found it hard to relate to some themes of motherhood and longing, but understand that they are integral to the story. I still loved the book and wouldn’t change it, I’m just the problem 😂

I really do adore this trilogy and can’t wait to read what Elodie has next 🧡
Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for the eARC!

Absolutely! Without a doubt, this historical fiction series stands out as one of the most captivating I've ever delved into. Its strength lies not just in its vivid portrayal of historical events but also in the creation of deeply memorable and heartfelt characters who breathe life into every page. The seamless integration of real historical figures and events into the narrative adds an enriching layer, making the story feel remarkably authentic and immersive.

I was so afraid for Amara all through the books, and I hated Felix so much... I have become one with this trilogy while reading.
From the historical point of view this is such an interesting period and the author does a great job recreating all this lost world for us.
The characters have come a long way, and by the end of the third book, the story is complete and whole - there's no feeling of want.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Union Square / Sterling Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.

The thing about setting a series in Pompeii in the late 1st Century is you kinda can’t help but think about the volcano. But two books into [a:Elodie Harper|15284720]’s Wolf Den trilogy, I found myself just frequently forgetting about that big … something… looming over the tale. Maybe Harper just found ancient Pompeiian society fascinating? For two whole novels – [b:The Wolf Den|56563852] and [b:The House with the Golden Door|58591630], I was entirely wrapped up in the lives of the <i>lupa</i> - the she-wolf-turned-concubine.

Alas, the calm cannot last. The calendar turns to AD 79, and Volcano Day must soon come. But first, we see Amara has risen ever higher, now the concubine to one of the imperial freedmen who advises the Emperor in Rome, having left behind her daughter and the man she loves – the child’s father – when the opportunity arrived for a new patron who would provide wealth and a dowry for the little girl.

It is not, I think, a spoiler that more than a third of [b:The Temple of Fortuna|61185028] takes place amid the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The tension I felt as the increasingly frequent earthquakes and the date drawing ever closer to late October, AD 79, while there were still more than 100 pages to go, was incredible. Surely Amara must survive, at least the immediate eruption? But how for how long, and who among the characters we love, if anyone survives with her?

I visited the Pompeii ruins for the first time last summer, so through the series, I’ve been able to picture what the Lupanar (brothel) and the baths were like and other scenes of ancient Pompeii looked like. Reading House of Fortuna, I found myself looking up the history, reading of the famous accounts of Pliny the Younger (whose more famous uncle has been a recurring and important character in the trilogy), searching maps of ancient Campania.

Ultimately, though, what made this book and this series enjoyable was not its depiction of one of the most famous events of the ancient world, but the vivid, high-stakes depictions of some of the lowest-ranked people of Roman society who were not content with their lot as slaves and prostitutes, but are determined, through cunning, bravery and even violence to rise.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Union Square and Co. for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Atmospheric, thrilling, and intense!

The Temple of Fortuna is a fascinating, enticing tale that picks up where The House with the Golden Door left off, taking us back into the life of Amara, a young slave who, now living a free, somewhat powerful existence under the protection of her new wealthy patron in Rome, faces her most challenging battle of all when after being drawn back to Pompeii by her family, friends and the daughter she left behind has to find a way to survive the devastation and destruction wreaked by Mount Vesuvius when it’s eruption turns this once vibrant city she once called home into nothing more than a graveyard covered by ash.

The prose is expressive and tight. The characters are selfish, determined, and resilient. And the plot is a riveting tale of life, loss, family, duty, secrets, lies, manipulation, survival, perseverance, hope, love, natural disasters, and female friendships.

Overall, The Temple of Fortuna is a unique, passionate, epic, historical fiction novel by Harper that is full of soul-searching dilemmas, dangerous situations, and complex, intriguing characters, all set during a catastrophic time in history. And while it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to this amazing cast of characters I’ve come to be invested in over these last three novels, it is nevertheless a superb ending to a fabulous series that I highly recommend and will undoubtedly miss.

Have you ever read a book where you can’t wait to know how it ends and yet you don’t want it to end? This is what I felt as I flew through the pages of The Temple of Fortuna. This is the final book to The Wolf Den trilogy — a series I would sell my soul to read again for the first time!!

I would always, always commend the author’s writing style which made this book (and this series) such a masterpiece. Reading this book was a magical experience as I was brought to a place where I join Amara as she conquers whatever life throws at her. I’ve never felt this kind of pain and courage from a character, the emotions in this book were immensely captured through words. Even the settings were remarkably vivid, I felt like I was also running away from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius covered with ash and dust. It’s as if I could also feel the tremor, smell the smoke, and see the fire. And the ending!! The ending is just as good as I anticipated it to be.

It was a pleasure to read The Temple of Fortuna—it was a pleasure to experience The Wolf Den trilogy. Please add this series to your TBR list ASAP!!

All you really need to know is that this book, and this series really, restored my faith in trilogies. All the books were strong, but this one blew me away, full stop. I will give you a few reasons why you need to pick this series up immediately, if not sooner:

►My favorite thing about this series is how the author managed to make people who lived over two thousand years ago (and yes, some of them were definitely real people, albeit in fictionalized form) so completely relatable.
Someone will be meandering down the streets of Pompeii, headed to a bathhouse thinking about life and I am like "I feel you, ma'am". The tying together of humanity, past and present, is simply exquisite throughout this series.

►Speaking of history, wow did this send me down a rabbit hole! I find history fascinating, for many reasons. But I think the biggest for me is that I find it so beautiful that we have so many shared experiences over the course of humanity. Some are awful, like what happens in Pompeii, or Amara's slavery in the brothel. But some are so uplifting, and this book shows both angles brilliantly. And while the reader will obviously find many of the tenets of ancient Rome horrific, a quick look around will show us that we're not in such a different society after all.

►The characters were truly remarkable. It helps that this is a series so we get to know them so intimately, but wow. Just wow. I felt like I was reading about friends at this point. Again, a great commentary about how little the human experience really changes, despite other differences.

►My. Emotions. That is all. They are not okay. I knew they would not be- this whole series is about Pompeii in 79 CE, which... well doesn't take a history major to know that some things are going to go down. It was emotive from the start though, when we first encounter Amara and her friends in the brothel. So while the eruption certainly was always going to be a tragedy for some, there is plenty of both joy and heartache to go around.

►While I cannot say much because spoilers, I love the direction the author went with this conclusion. I had assumed that she'd have gone in one direction, but I was so, so thrilled at the way it ends, and how we get there. That's all I'll say, but I promise, if you start this series, you will not be let down by its end, not in any way.

Bottom Line: Read this series. You won't be sorry, and you will fall in love with these characters, find yourself immersed in their lives. Now, I need to go add Pompeii to the places I must, must visit in my life.

Okay so I am a bit disappointed that when I agreed to read I didn’t know it was part of a series. I have no idea what is going on in the story! I think it would have helped for it to be listed somewhere for the tour company I was using! However, I am not super upset because now I am motivated to read the others in the series so I can understand the storyline better! Therefore, 4 stars seems great