If you like Bridgerton but also had an obsession with the Roman Empire and anything Roman-adjacent growing up, this book is for you. It’s a good balance of action and spice. It’s enemies to lovers but they’re enamored with each other. There is quite a bit of miscommunication throughout which can be frustrating to read but overall I really enjoyed the book. I listened to the audiobook as well and the narration was beautiful and had great pacing.

This is a fun, fresh take on the classic bodice ripper. Set in Ancient Rome, it follows the rollicking romance between "Roman Princess" Julia and hulking morally grey hero Alaric, the empire's sworn enemy.

This book delivers exactly what it promises. Bodice-rippers are not my genre and for that reason I won't be picking up another any time soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street for this ARC.

Enemy of My Dreams is a pretty solid debut novel. While it’s called a historical romance, it’s definitely more similar to The Great in the sense that it’s *sometimes accurate, and that’s honestly fine with me! I didn’t go into it expecting 100% historical accuracy, and I did ultimately enjoy my time with this book!

I did really like the romance for the most part. The unclear age gap did throw off my view of their dynamic just a bit though. Overall, Julia and Alaric worked pretty well together. The miscommunication could be a bit much at times, but they worked through it, and I thought their love ended up being quite cute.

I really enjoyed Julia’s dynamic with some of the side characters as well. The twins in particular were my unexpected favorites. I didn’t expect to like them as much as I did. There’s a solid bit of the found family trope in this book, and I’m pretty much always into that.

On top of the eARC, I also received an ALC and enjoyed that as well. The narration kept me engaged with the story. I thought Lisa Flanagan did a great job with the character voices as well.

Overall, Enemy of My Dreams was an enjoyable read that I would recommend!

Thank you to The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and Harlequin Audio for the eARC and ALC of Enemy of My Dreams. All opinions are my own!

Thank you to HTP Hive, Canary Street Press, and Jenny Williamson for this ARC!

Do you normally avoid historical fiction because you think it’s boring? Enter “Enemy of My Dreams.” This novel blends all the heart-pounding elements of a romance book with immersive historical fiction rooted in ancient Roman history.

🏛️What did you love the most?
The character development of both MCs, Alaric and Julia, completely stole the show. Their arcs are masterfully crafted, and the writing is so vivid and immersive.

Now, the timeline for historical events is a bit off, but since it's fiction, I get that some creative liberties were taken. Also, the enemies-to-lovers trope was executed brilliantly. They were genuinely enemies—both in a historical sense and within the story itself. Their relationship growth felt authentic, well-paced, and far from rushed.

🔥Steam level: Open-door scenes 🌶️

🏛️How was the romance?
There’s definite insta-lust and some miscommunication, but I didn’t mind these tropes. The romance starts with a heavy focus on sexual chemistry and ambition. The fact that they never fully trust each other is the perfect definition of enemies to lovers! Their dynamic was irresistible, and I devoured every moment.

🏛️Do you recommend this book?
My only complaint is the way the multiple POVs were written—there are no headings, so the sudden POV switches can be jarring. I adjusted, but it was a bit frustrating at first.

That said, if you loved “The Song of Achilles” or “Circe,” you're going to adore this book. There are a few historical inaccuracies, but the pacing, found family dynamics, and character development are top-tier. Don't miss it! 📖🔥

A runaway Roman princess tries to escape an arranged marriage and her tyrannical brother but finds herself kidnapped by a brutal Gothic warlord who seeks revenge... yet together they will find freedom, revenge, and an impossible romance between two people who were always suppose to be enemies. Julia is the only daughter of the emperor of Rome, she has all the makings of a general and the intelligence to fix it all... but her father sees her as nothing more than something to be married off and Julia instead now spends her days in orgies and drugs to drown out everything else. Yet when her father dies her brother takes over... and he's determined to force her to marry a terrible man for an alliance or die exiled in another island. Julia will do anything for her freedom, even kidnap herself essentially to the Goth warlord, Alaric, who has been her father's long time enemy and the one waging war on Rome. Alaric used to be a general for the Roman emperor, Julia's father, until her father went back on his promises to give Alaric and his people the land to live on sending them to die in camps instead and sending Alaric to fight brutal wars with no end for him. Alaric then decides to rebel and wage war against Rome itself. Alaric of the Visigoths has now spent years fighting against Rome trying to bargain for his homeland and when his visit to the new emperor, Julia's brother goes terribly he finds himself with the Roman empire's princess as she hands herself over to him. Julia is determined to find a way to make Alaric her ally but for a man who has spent his life hating her father and fighting against her homeland... this is a near impossible task... or is it ? Alaric has only one goal in his life...yet finds himself completely distracted by his newest hostage... a Roman princess who is as courageous as she is beautiful. He is suppose to hate her but finds himself bending to her will... the line between love and hate begin to blur as lust overrides both of their minds the more they spend together... but can two people who were always meant to be enemies find a way to make their love work or will they die for it?

This was a historical romance set in Ancient Rome with a insta lust enemies to lovers romance at the center of it. Julia and Alaric felt like teens with the constant miscommunication and back and forth. I wasn't really vibing with the romance or the characters. For someone who is meant to be so smart, Julia really didn't portray it. Alaric just wasn't all that great of a love interest. The ending felt anti-climatic... like it was missing 5-6 more chapters to the final climax of the story and is left a bit open ended. I just can't really really tell if I liked this book or not. On one hand, it's a fine historical romance, but on the other hand it could have been better. I love ancient Rome stories and the setting is so much fun, however I just felt like it never lived up to my expectations. It was fine overall for me.

Release Date: February 4, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Enemy of My Dreams is a gripping psychological thriller with a strong, complex protagonist. Williamson’s twist-filled story keeps you hooked from the very first page.

I'm a sucker for ancient love stories!! This one is Ancient Rome roots with the story of Julia, the only daughter of a ruthless emperor of Rome. When her father dies, her teenage brother takes over with a reign that forces her into an unwanted marriage. In order to avoid this fate, Julia plots to be "kidnapped" by the Goth King, Alaric, an ancient enemy of Rome.

She becomes a prisoner of the Goth king, and is treated as such. The more that she is around, the more the Goth king wonders what she is all about. He finds himself protecting her from her kingdom, her brother, and his own people. The one that he can never have is the only one that he wants, and she feels the same way. Will she stay as "prisoner" or return to her homeland and brother when she has the chance?

A lot of corruption, ancient history, seduction, and romance. An instant-lust enemies to lovers made for some good character growth as they try to fight their attraction to each other, but it is just too strong.

Usually the historical romance stuff is bland and light, but I loved the sassiness and banter of those ancient characters! At first, I struggled with what I knew of Roman empire history and trying to match up the characters, but let that go and you'll be fine. I loved the characters, the resistance, and the emotion!!

Julia Augustus loves to lounge and party, until her brother, the new emperor, threatens to exile her unless she end her nights of debauchery. When she confronts him, he instead tells her she will marry their late father’s minister Olympius. Which she wants nothing to do with this odious man and now has to find a way out of this marriage.

Alaric has been trying to keep his people, the Goths, together ever since the battle 15 years ago when they attempted to turn on the Romans. Now, he’s been summoned by a man he used to view as a father, Stilicho, to Ravenna because the emperor has died and the newest may be more willing to listen to Alaric and give him and his people lands.

What happens instead is the princess basically forcing Alaric to kidnap her and take her away as a possible ransom for land. Which gives Alaric a possible way forward for his people and a way out of the marriage for Julia.

This was truly an enjoyable book! I absolutely adore the romance! Yes, it was fast, it was probably based mainly on lust for each other, but I just loved it! There was so much that happened from the start of the book to the end, and this is not a book for the faint of heart because it gets gruesome and back in the day, it truly was, and it was not a very happy time to live I would say. But I feel like the relationship between the two main characters gives you such hope while you’re reading the story and I was here for it.

I love the family family that is created with Julia and Alaric and his men. It was adorable, it took some time for some of them, but once it was developed, it was like they were a truly bonded and close family. It was so beautiful.

Not only did I love the main characters, but the side characters were so wonderful. Some added humor, some just added that something you needed in this book to break up all the tension or the terror of what will happen next with our characters, or that one protective person that would do anything for the others. This is just such a great group of characters that I will forever love.

I would probably say the romance was my favorite, and even though there was miscommunication, I am willing to overlook it because it did add a lot of tension and added some drama, and it really made for a truly epic ending to this book.

The writing in this book was also on the humorous side. The descriptions of, let’s just use Alaric as an example, were just so well descriptive, but also in a humorous way and dramatic. It was like I was reading a Shakespeare book about Alaric’s body and how supremely beautiful his abs were. It made me laugh, but also like really want to see this man’s body. But it wasn’t just about him, the descriptions about other things were so dramatic and filled with such flare that it just added something picturesque about the world and the story I was reading. I could not get enough of the writing, it makes me want all the books I read to be written the way this book was.

And as I said, before, I adored the romance, they were truly enemies to lovers, there were some delicious steamy moments, but I love when a book is a romance, but it has a plot that is occurring at the same time that may disrupt their relationship and just adds tension and that “will they or won’t they” ever be together truly. Will they ever admit that they love each other?! I just love a good tension-filled romance like that. And this book delivered. I would not say it was a slow burn, but it was definitely tension-filled.

I highly highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed with this adventure, action-filled romance with all the dramatic flare you would love to read in a Shakespeare book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF at 21%. I thought the main character and the somewhat well researched setting were good, but once the romance subplot properly started, I was not a fan. I felt like the love interest is downright mean, and the attraction was a whole lot of insta-love without any actual development of the attraction or the character dynamic. Also, whose point of view we were getting changed all the time without any kind of warning, and that made it really difficult to get into.

Thank you to HTP Hive for the eARC to review. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and setting in Ancient Rome, it’s very unique compared to most historical romance. I appreciated some historical facts and built in political machinations. Overall, I have a mixed review for this book but I still enjoyed it.

Much like one of the tropes here, we started out enemies and became somewhat cordial lovers haha. I kinda struggled with the first half, the main complaint being the constant change in POV, mid chapter and sometimes back and forth. However, once I got used to the flow and got to know the characters, it was easier going and made me invested in the plot.

The second half of this book is where it won me over. The secondary characters added fun dialogue and interactions. Particularly the wholesome moment between Julia, Thorismund, and Riga - it had a funny comeback later on that was a nice touch!

Julia and Alaric are the queen and king of the miscommunication trope, I really wanted to throttle them half the time! Despite their rocky start and some questionable historical misogyny, theirs was a slow burn romance, that in the end made me happy with their whole saga.

3.5⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️+.5

Holy banter !

The politics of this story, and the history kept me incredibly interested, but the romance just brought me along for a ride.
The attraction and lust omg and the playfulness and banter just had me giggling.

If you’re looking for historical accuracy- well princesses weren’t a thing in Rome but plenty of others will tell you that.
I’m not a stickler for accuracy, and this was written in a very compelling way, that I wasn’t bother by it.

A fresh fmc to read if that makes sense, Julia Augusta is very unique and strong willed. I love her character a lot, all I kept thing is “well she’s just a girl” lol iykyk
She’s just so real, her love for wine, and partying and being strong in freedom for herself and power. I most of all love her love for drama and making things interesting.

Alaric of the Goths is definitely a mmc I liked off the bat, and it grew even more the way he is so tender with Julia in certain moments.
This couple’s relationship is so interesting to me.

-She forced herself to hold his gaze, to raise her chin defiantly. "Why? Do I displease you?"
"Ah, Julia." His legs at her thighs, parting them. "You fucking ruin me."

Ugh this was just great and I’d love to get a physical copy one day! I hope there’s more also, because I need to see more !!
Thanks so much to Netgally for this arc! Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a Roman/Goth (like visi-Goth, not wearing all black) bodice-ripper, or perhaps tunic ripper... If you do not want a spicy romance, then do not read this book. If you are looking to gain any new historical insight, look elsewhere. However, if you think that the King of the Goths capturing a smart and sassy Roman princess and them falling into lust/love sounds like a rip roaring good time, then you should read this book!

Julia is a spoiled virginal princess who engages in nightly debauchery featuring wine and opium. After being threatened by her brother and engaged against her will to her brother's very old advisor, she plots her escape. When that escape is thwarted, she seizes upon the opportunity presented by Alaric, king of the Goths, at a banquet, to get herself kidnapped. She wants an army of her own so that she can seize the throne. Along the way, she becomes less spoiled and pampered and cannot seem to resist the temptation presented by Alaric. Alaric sees her as a spoiled and pampered princess but begins to see more and has to fight his lust as they travel.

This is a highly enjoyable book but has a specific audience. Right after I finished it I was talking to my brother who was making fun of our other brother for listening to smut and I just laughed at him. Some of us enjoy these sorts of books and no one should yuck anyone else's yum!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and Net Galley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

I really need to start vetting romantic historical fiction/fantasy that are supposedly set in either a historical setting or inspired by a country(’s mythology and/or folklore). Granted, I didn’t know what to expect from something set during the beginnings of the Fall of Rome, but it was definitely not this. 😕

The story follows Julia, the spoiled Princess of Rome, and Alaric, King of the Goths. These two were just walking lusty disasters to me. The insta-lust within the first 20 pages just felt incredibly rushed to me and their relationship itself was so fast that I was shocked I still had 50% left of the book to deal with their ridiculous antics. 😒

As characters by themselves, Julia, while a very intelligent thanks to her imperial upbringing, can’t see past her own problems and is rather self absorbed in my opinion. She’s constantly thinking about how to get herself out from her diabolical brother’s influence but never really thinking about what will happen to those who will get caught with her until she’s staring down their death. I dunno, she just came off as a rebellious and spoiled teen. 🙄

Alaric was just a raging red flag to me. He’s jealous of any man who gets close to Julia, immediately starts seeing her as his alone even before they hit the sack, and it just gave older man using his attractiveness to leverage a younger woman. Same as with Julia, he just came off so hot-headed and stubborn that I really enjoyed when their “plans” went to shit because how on earth did they think they were good in the first place? 🤔

The writing was also a bit of a problem for me with the story. At times, it just felt a bit too modern and don’t get me started on how the POV would randomly change without warning in the middle of the paragraph! 🤦🏻‍♀️

The saving glory of this hot lusty mess was that I could tell the author has done her research into the different groups that Julia meets during her time with Alaric and co.. Speaking of the company, I found myself more interested in the gang of idiots than I was in the main couple and POVs of the story. I was also a big fan of just the idea of a historical fantasy set in the time leading up to the fall of Rome because it’s such an interesting period of history, but maybe I should’ve kept that excitement to a minimal. 😬

I’m seeing a rise in Roman inspired fantasy/romantasy, but I’m getting a little concerned that people are jumping to the OG culture appropriators simply because Greek inspired fantasy is being FLOODED past capacity (in my opinion) and because it’s close enough in proximity and historical period and mythology. 🏺

Thank you goes out to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. I wish I had enjoyed this more than I had. 😢

Publication date: February 4

Overall: 2.5/5 ⭐️

I was excited to receive an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley-many thanks to the publisher!

This one caught my eye as I felt the ancient Roman setting was not something I had read in historic fiction/fantasy. I was expecting something in the vein of Outlander, with a great love story combined with historic references and context. However, the narrative and dialogue frequently didn't seem to fit the time period, reading much more like a contemporary kidnapping romance, and I would have liked to have seen more about the culture or historic events occurring over this time period.

With that, I really liked the FMC Julia! She had such an interesting character arc, from a pampered princess of Rome to a barbarian queen. She learned to ride, fight, survive in the wild, foster allegiance and trust. She survived attempted attacks, imprisonment, and Alaric's distrustful yet possessive nature. She showed interest in the lives of her people, such as repairing aqueducts and ensuring hygiene needs were met to avoid plague. She went from naive and foolhardy, to confident and capable. Given her upbringing, I had hoped for more political scheming/intrigue from her, but the miscommunication trope was strong and both Julia and Alaric seemed guided more by instinct and gut reaction than strategizing and planning. The side cast of characters were also lovable and interesting, a motley crew of wanderers looking for a home and a leader. Seeing their love and trust in Julia evolve over the course of the story was so sweet!

You'll love Enemy of My Dreams if you like:
--Movies like Gladiator and A Knight's Tale
--Contemporary mafia romances/kidnapping romances
--Instalust and possessive/jealous MMC
--Virgin heroine
--Miscommunication: misunderstandings and assumptions
--Minor OWD

Cat and Mouse Enemies to Lovers in ancient Rome!? YES PLEASE!
This story was fantastic! The character growth for the FMC was phenomenal and done so well! The writing was chef's kiss! We got action from start to finish and it kept me engaged.
I wasn't too big a fan of the ravenous insta-lust from the get go. Would of been nice to hold off on it a little bit to build the enemies part more. The cat and mouse happened on and off for about 90% of the book and knowing there is a book 2 makes me nervous if that will continue. They are such a fantastic couple I just want them to catch a break and have some good times that lasts for more than a chapter or two.

DNF at 18% when the MMC told the FMC she’d be less of a fool to lie on her back as she was made to do. Gross.

Enemy of my Dreams is a romance within the historical setting of Ancient Rome. It follows Julia, sister to the emperor of Rome, and Alaric, King of the Goths. The enemies to lovers & insta lust in this were *chefs kiss*. The banter was exceptional, it was entertaining start to finish and kept me engaged. I didn’t wanna put it down. The only issue I had was the whiplash I got from POV change seemingly out of nowhere. If you love historical romance set within an epic journey you’ll love this book.

I can’t wait to see more from this author!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a third person dual-POV historical romance reimagining what if Alaric I, king of the Visigoths, had fallen in love with the sister of Emperor Honorius of the Roman Empire after the Sack of Rome. Honorius’ sister, Julia, is disgusted with her brother’s behavior and has ambitions of her own to take over Rome or at least have control over her own life. When her last possible option to escape from her brother’s thumb is killed, Julia almost gives up hope until she’s taken by Alaric after he attacks Rome and she sees a chance to finally have the freedom she’s always wanted.

I debated several times on whether or not to call this a historical romance as this definitely fits a lot of hallmarks of romance, but it also feels like a historical epic. It’s hard for me to tell if it would fall under the historical genre with a very strong romance plot or if it is a romance genre with very strong historical worldbuilding and details. One major reason why I went back and forth is because Alaric is shown to kiss another woman after he has already begun something with Julia and cheating is such a big no-no in romance, but his reasoning has a lot less to do with lust and a lot more to do with politics. It hits smack dab in the center of romance genre and historical epic and, ultimately, I think each individual reader is going to have to decide how they label it.

I was familiar with the invasion of the Roman Empire that was the beginning of its downfall, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of these names. After finishing the book, I did some quick research to see what I do and do not remember and, for the most part, the names all match and almost everything in the book seems to line up with what actually happened. The major difference is Julia herself. Alaric I did take a sister of Honorius, but her name was Galla Placidia, and she later became the queen consort of Ataulf, who succeeded Alaric. Did she and Alaric have a romantic relationship in real life before Alaric’s death? I have no idea and am considering doing a deep dive to see what scholars think.

Julia and Alaric’s relationship is both a meeting of sexual chemistry and ambition. Both want to see Rome beneath their feet, though for different reasons and in different ways, and they can barely keep their hands to themselves. I’m a fan of high heat romances and this did hit a lot of the things that I like, including the banter aspect. I’m weak for banter. There is also an antagonistic quality to their romance as they are enemies and they never truly, 100% trust each other even if they keep trying to find a way back to each other’s side. It’s actually really interesting how devoted they are and yet how easy it is for them to believe the other betrayed them.

Content warning for depictions of gore and mentions of sexual assault

I would recommend this to readers who are fans of both historical epics and romance

This one's for fans of enemies to lovers romances who are interested in Ancient Rome but not hard over on too many facts. Julia and Alaric make a dynamic couple in a swirl of political intrigue. Focus on the romance and you'll be happy. Thanks to the publisher for the ArC. A good read.

This was such a solid romantasy debut. It started to feel a little long during the third act, specifically with the amount of things Julia goes through. It definitely helps her gain perspective, but this part dragged on so long that I felt myself losing interest a little bit. Overall I really enjoyed the mix of tension between our main characters Julia and Alaric, the found family Julia developed amongst Alaric's men, and the tensions between the Huns, Visigoths, and Romans. It was definitely a page turner for the most part.