This book is for perfect for people who watch Game of Thrones and Sansa Stark was their favorite character. But Roman.

Rounding up from a 4.5 - I really enjoyed this one! I'm not a huge history person so I can't speak to the accuracies but the vibes were excellent. I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this absolutely hit the spot. I also loved the way the found family aspect was done in this. As the reader, it felt super immersive as we slowly got to know the characters better and better along with Julia.

My only critiques are that 1) the POV was somewhat confusing as an audiobook (not sure if this is more clear in the written form, but it felt a little jarring to suddenly be in a different character's POV) and 2) vague spoilers ahead! the miscommunication at the end felt unresolved but the characters just went along with it, which made the ending feel rushed to me. I don't mind miscommunication but it felt like there was SO MUCH that the MMC and FMC needed to clear up in order to truly move on together and they... didn't.

Thank you to The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the ALC of this book. Overall I really enjoyed this listen and would definitely recommend it.

If you like these tropes, definitely consider this one!
- enemies to lovers
- historical fiction
- found family
- unhinged MMC
- princess x barbarian (kind of)
- protectiveness / jealousy

I initially thought this story would be a fantasy novel, but I quickly realized it was historical fiction with a strong romance element. Set deep in Roman history—farther back than any book I’ve read before—it follows the story of Julia, the daughter of a Roman emperor. After her father’s death, she finds herself at the mercy of her cruel younger brother, who delights in tormenting others simply because he has the power to do so. To escape an unwanted marriage, she takes a bold risk and stages her own kidnapping by a Gothic warlord, Alaric, to create an alliance.

From that moment, the story becomes a journey filled with intense drama, action, and intrigue. Julia and the war king inevitably fall for each other, though not without resistance along the way. The tension between them, along with the “cat-and-mouse” dynamic and the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, made their relationship all the more compelling.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was Julia’s character development. She starts as a spoiled Roman princess but transforms into a formidable Gothic queen, earning the respect of Alaric’s men and learning to fight and protect herself. And then there’s Alaric himself—absolutely divine, dangerous, and delicious. He radiates power, strength, and the unwavering presence of a true protector. Their shared thirst for vengeance and power made their bond even stronger and their love story even more intense. Every moment between them was charged with passion, making this book absolutely perfect.

That being said, I do not know enough about history to say if there are inaccuracies, and the book was quite long; there were parts where it did feel drawn out. However, the writing was exquisite, and I’m eagerly anticipating the second book—something I feel certain is coming based on how this one ended.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful books I’ve read, and I hope more people get the chance to experience it. As a final note, the audiobook narrator did an incredible job, fully immersing me in the story. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for ARC in exchange of my honest review!

This book reaches back in time to ancient European and the conflict between the Romans and the Goths. Julia is a princess of Rome, stuck in a life of court boredom in her gilded cage. She believes it is her right to rule and will stop at nothing to break free of her bejeweled shackles and take the throne for herself. When happenstance leads her into the arms of the king of the Goths, Rome's greatest enemy, she take it as an opportunity to take a gamble at try her hand at political strategy. Romance ensues of course.

This book includes:
- merry band of misfits crossing empires (found family)
- very moody and broody MMC
- an overconfident FMC
- a battle for a homeland
- games of strategy
- potential TW

This book is right up my alley. I love historical fiction and some good ancient Roman conflict. The will they wont they enemies to lovers conflict is also one of my favorites and I cant help but scoop up any book that promises banter and tension. While the writing was strong and the concept was fair, I found that I could not make myself enjoy this book. The MMC was came off as a bit slimy to me and the romance was both corny and lacking in chemistry. Honestly, despite not being offensive in any manner it sort of all left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I think the book cover led me to believe it would be more serious than a typical booktok type book, which left me with a sense of dissonance when trying to enjoy my reading. The audio production was good, but not enough to get past my distaste for the story.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Williamson, and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

I really enjoyed this book! I thought that the author made some very compelling characters and that the world building was intriguing and unique. The audiobook narrator did a great job of navigating the characters and giving depth to the story. The pacing of the story worked well and overall flowed nicely. My only complaint would be that the romance started way too soon and became minorly obsessive for the characters-- I think it could have built more slowly into this.

This book was great. The story kept me engaged. The writing was incredible. It had the perfect balance of tension and spice. Most importantly for me in an enemy to lovers storyline is the believability around the tipping point, and Jenny Williamson has done this beautifully by illustrating the internally conflicting feelings of both characters from the very beginning.

There are so many things I didn't like about this book. The narrating was awkward and clumpy and at times the way they were narrating didn't fit the lines being said. The plot line was confusing and the story wasn't anything special. We got almost no background info or world building in order to help you as a listener understand and follow the story. The romance wasn't really there and there was little to no chemistry between the characters. The only things I really enjoyed in this book was the MMC

Unfortunately this was a DNR for me. I kept trying but it wasn’t holding my attending, so my mind would wander and I would end up feeling bored, and then when I’d go back in I had no clue what was going on. I appreciate the approval and may go back to it one day, but right now it’s not for me.

If you’re looking for a story where the FMC is helpless, not taken seriously and exploited by men, then here you go.

Our FMC, Julia, has the knowledge and position to be taken seriously as a ruler, something she time and again states as her desire, but many of her choices lead her away from that, in addition to all the men of the book seeming to work against her and trade her status for kingdoms of riches. Women are treated as property in this book, common for the books setting and time period, however, she was given an education and born daughter of an emperor, and also meets another female character who is a ruler of her people and does refuse to be married. Regardless of her upbringing, and advice from those who seem to be on her side, Julia throws it all away when she makes choices for love even when he explicitly states he will not honor her wishes.

Not every story can be empowering, however, to see the main character who is so adamant on achieving her goals choose to not follow them is extremely aggravating. I only finished the book to see what would happen in the end, and although the MMC eventually (last chapter or so) finally hears her out, I still do not feel like any justice was given.

2/5 ⭐️

Following the "not so accurate but extremely hot" story of Julia and Alaric, King of Goths.
Of course, we have our FMC that refuses to ever fall in love but jumps head first after seeing our hot bod, war lord MMC. A long treacherous journey and forced proximity delivered, as it always does.

The story is well-written and action-packed.
I had trouble with the "head hopping" in the beginning but after 40% this book had me in a chokehold.

I did find myself begging them to communicate because..honestly, you guys, what are we doing?! However, the author made up for it by delivering us a groveling hero who literally loses his mind without our dear lass.

Roman historical fiction with morally grey characters, and some spice? Sign me up! This story definitely delivered, and then some. The voice acting was suburb making this story an experience I won't soon forget.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an audio copy in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Julia, only daughter of the late emperor, lives a life of excess until her teenage brother, the new emperor, decrees she must marry. The problem? She loathes the man she's meant to wed. Caught trying to sneak out of Rome to elope, and her lover thrown into the Colosseum to die, her options are running out. Until Alaric, king of the Visigoths, arrives. Orchestrating her own kidnapping, the two of them are on the run -- her looking for an army to take the throne from her brother, him looking to overthrow the Roman Empire. But the longer the two of them are in each other's company, the closer they grow. Will they be able to deny their own desire? Or will these enemies fight on opposite sides of the coming war?

A "cat and mouse" romance? Historical fiction? YES PLEASE!

Julia is a headstrong character, not willing to take any man's nonsense, even her own brother. But when she's told she has to marry... let's just say the lengths she'll go to avoid it is wild. Seeing her take her destiny into her own hands was amazing, and then seeing her fall for Alaric was beautiful. Alaric is stoic and badass, but he literally melts for Julia from the moment he meets her, despite outwardly putting her down. All of their issues can pretty much be solved if the two of them TALKED. The miscommunication one hundred percent stems from their mistrust of one another -- her because he's a man, him because she's a Roman. But seeing them find their happiness (despite how fleeting it is) was wonderful. I know there were a lot of liberties taken with their story, but I was definitely invested in their romance from beginning to end.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can I give it 10⭐️?

Review: Enemy of My Dreams

This story was absolutely amazing and entertaining from start to finish. Every character was incredibly endearing, even in their more barbaric ways. The brotherhood of the Vikings felt authentic and immersive, making their bond one of my favorite aspects of the book. And then there’s Julia and Alaric— their banter, tension, passion, and love story had me hooked. I just wanted more and more!

Even though it’s a historical story, it was easy to follow, never dragging, and it truly felt like it fit the period. The pacing was spot on, keeping me engaged without feeling bogged down by excessive detail. And I have to mention the narrator— they were absolutely incredible, bringing the story to life in such a compelling way.

If you’re looking for a historical romance with fiery chemistry, rich world-building, and characters you can’t get enough of, this is definitely one to pick up!

I received a copy of this book and audiobook from Net Galley and am voluntarily giving my honest review.

This was a fun audiobook, I enjoyed the narrator and her style.

The book itself was entertaining, it was a unique to me story which I always like these days. It had some great “I’ll burn the world for you” moments and marriage for convenience is always a good time – even when the wife doesn’t truly understand if they are married lol.

What I could have done without was the insta-lust from him…He kept repeating over and over how much he wanted his hands all over her (yes, we know you want to palm her breasts), even when she was in danger which got old. There was also a unique version of miscommunication – it bothered me she didn’t out right confirm they were married and instead kept wondering about it.

Overall it was fun, and I would read/listen to more by this author and narrator!

*Arc listener*
I was very excited to see an Ancient Roman book come across the reader space. This book had some places where it really excelled and some places where I found it really lacking.
Pros: This book did a fanatic job of speaking of the diversity of the Roman Empire, especially in the last days of Rome. Alaric's forces are Goths, Huns, Norseman, and more. Slaves of the empire that have banded together in a common cause to fight against the Romans. I also really loved Julia's character development. She goes from a spoiled brat of a princess to a strong, holds her own queen. The side characters are also fantastic, Thorsman ends up being my favorite.
Cons: In the same way Julia grows, Alaric crumbles. He turns into a weak, adle minded, love sick carcass dog. I loved his character until the end, which felt rushed and yet too long at the same time. Alaric goes from knowing what he wants to being Julia's lapdog. They should have been equals if nothing else. I also really did not like the hot/cold love affair between the two of them. One second they have undying love for each other, the next they want to kill each other. Figure it out. Enemies to lovers, great. But once they are lovers, you don't just go back to hating each other... This book also uses a lot of terms and ideas that I understand because I studied ancient civilizations in school. The average reader may struggle to understand the details and terms.
TLDR: Very slow to start, lots of cat and mouse with the enemies to lovers. But if you want to see a woman go from weak to strong and a man go from strong to weak this is the book for you. Also great side characters!

This book was AMAZING! I read it as an audiobook, and the narrator was fantastic. I loved the fantastic blend of history and fiction that Williamson put into this book. The bits I wanted to be realistic were, but the fictional Julia is a compelling and dynamic character. As someone who has seriously studied Latin, I also appreciated that Williamson notes that there was more than one type of Latin spoken during this time- another historical detail I was glad to see included. The relationship between Alaric and Julia is everything you want if you’re a fan of the enemies to lovers trope. They can’t stand each other, yet they are drawn to one another, and hate how much fire there is between them. Their dynamic and banter is truly top-notch. The supporting characters are just as good as these two, and really keep you interested in the story outside of Alaric and Julia’s relationship. The plot twists in this book are also CRAZY!!! There were a couple that I definitely didn’t see coming. I absolutely recommend this if you are a fan of the following tropes- enemies to lovers, forced proximity, who did this to you, grumpy/sunshine, he falls first. I am so excited to read the next book and see how their story progresses!

I love books set in Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome so much! While this one felt a little chaotic and all over the place, I still enjoyed aspects of it.

Omg this is a Roman historical romance I’ve been waiting for in a long time! A true enemies to lovers. The banter between Julia, the recently passed only Roman princess and Alaric, the brutal warrior king who wants to take back some of his homeland that was taken from his people is off the hook and is on fire!!! It swept me in right from the beginning. Julia (22 if I remember) wants away from her proposed marriage from the person her 17 year old brother set up and set up her own kidnapping with Alaric. This is part journey of how Julia is in as Alaric’s hostage. I have to say I laughed a few times with Julia making a fool of herself to sway Alaric. They sure put each other through the wringer. I just loved every second of it. Oh man and eventually when Alaric professes his love for Julia and how much he protects her, he’s just a big man bear. He’ll threaten if others even look at Julia. I just wanted more at the end. I loved this dual POV. I hope Jenny writes more! Audiobook was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. First off - amazing narration. She did a fantastic job of immersing the reader fully into the story. I honestly loved this book. Fantastically written, I was immediately hooked. I loved the progression of the characters, the story line was incredible. Just *chef’s kiss*

The narrator did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. I have really been digging stories around Ancient Rome recently so when I saw this was on audio, I knew I needed it. There is so much drama that keeps you entertained but the characters are truly what make this story. The action, the romance. All of it was *chefs kiss*