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!

The dual narration is excellent! I highly recommend the audiobook for this read!

Thank you Harlequin Audio, Canary Street Press, and Net Galley for the DLC. All opinions are my own.

This novel was an absolute blast! I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I first dove in, but I was hooked from the very first page. The story kept me engaged, curious, and on the edge of my seat through every single chapter. The pacing was spot on, and there was always something fresh to discover around each corner.

What really stood out, though, were the characters. They were all so rich and multi-dimensional—each one with their own motivations, flaws, and growth throughout the story. I loved how complex they felt; it made everything that much more immersive.

This is my first historical romance set during the fall of the Roman Empire, and I have to say, I’m officially hooked on this time period. The world-building was superb, and the author did a fantastic job bringing this pivotal moment in history to life while still delivering a gripping romance. I might just have to prioritize historical fiction for a while because I couldn't get enough of this one.

If you love captivating characters, intricate plots, and a beautifully told story, I highly recommend you grab Enemy of My Dreams when it hits shelves on February 4th, 2025. You won't regret it!

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.

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!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/4/25.

book has:
-FMC who gives Meg from Hercules vibe + MMC with Jamie Frazier vibes
In a
-Roman-era storyline from a group of people that isn’t the Romans.
AND it’s
-Loosely based on historical events

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

((I listened to the audiobook via NetGalley))

The beginning was a little slow— I felt like the modern language didn’t match the time period, so I kept getting confused about the time period. After that, though, I had no issue following.

The pacing of this book is impeccable. I felt like they were always on an epic adventure. The characters felt real- flaws (PTSD) and all. Each new location came with an interesting cast of characters. Lots of badass female leaders throughout !!

I was skeptical throughout but these characters, great writing and insight into a group of people not commonly centered in literature won me over.

—-//
Not public feedback:
The smell of “wide open spaces” gave me the ick.

“Enemy of my Dreams” doesn’t totally capture the vibe of the book in my opinion.

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. The audio narration was great too

3.75 stars, would have been 4 if the ending did not feel so rushed.

I really liked the first 80% of this book where we follow Julia as she gets abducted by a warrior and they fall in love. The way this was written really felt like a historical fantasy, but since it did not have any magical elements there really was not any fantasy. The sexual tension and banter between the two characters was fantastic, but once I got to the 80% mark, I felt so confused by how the story played out. I felt that last 20% had way to much going on crammed into it and the plot twists and turns were not able to really feel shocking or effective because we had to move past them to get to the next plot point so quickly. If the last 20% were edited down, I would have rated this story a little bit higher.

⭐️⭐️.25/5

Enemy of My Dreams is a historical romance set in the final days of the Roman Empire with an intriguing plot.

I am very saddened to say that this one was not for me. I’m usually a huge fan of historical fiction and historical romances, but this one was uncomfortable. The romance between Alaric and Julia was concerning and cringy. The characters bounced between intense lust (which made the story uncomfortable) and hatred, which felt unnatural. Their romance seemed to develop in haphazard spurts. I was hoping for more character development, especially in Julia’s character. Her character felt underdeveloped, and I hoped to see her portrayed in a stronger, more positive light. The plot and political intrigue were interesting, and I enjoyed the historical details. However, some of the dialogue felt quite modern and incongruous with the historical setting. The pacing was overall good, although I thought the story could have been shortened.

Lisa Flanagan is a wonderful audiobook narrator, and I enjoyed her performance of EoMD. The accents and emotion she used fit the story well.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC.