by Elodie Harper
Overall: This is the second book in the Wolf Den trilogy, so if you haven’t read Wolf Den, PLEASE don’t read any further to avoid spoilers! I’ll wait. Ready? The reader returns to ancient Pompeii in The House With the Golden Door to find Amara a free woman installed in her own household courtesy of her patron, Rufus. Although Rufus says he adores her, Amara knows that she must build up a nest egg to save against the inevitable day when Rufus marries or withdraws his support. And while Amara may be physically free of the Wolf Den, the violent brothel of the first book, in the sequel it still has claims over her heart and mind. Trying to balance doing the right thing, being independent, and being happy will prove challenging for Amara; life as a free woman isn’t quite the paradise she supposed.
Likes: Harper brings the ancient city of Pompeii and its people alive through meticulous research and the judicious use of details — the smell of scented lotions, the feel of olive pits pelted at a character’s skin, the shock of riding in an elevated carriage for the first time, the sound of many languages. I especially loved Britannica, with her fierce warrior’s spirit. Amara and most of the characters are convincingly morally gray; Harper writes eloquently in the back of the book about how difficult it was to understand formerly enslaved people buying and owning their own slaves.
Dislikes: the plot takes its time, and sometimes it feels like we’ve taken a detour from the main part of the story. For those who’ve been following me for a while, you know I dislike it when the romantic lead is portrayed as perfect, and that happens here a fair bit (though I’m not going to tell you who it is!). But on the whole, I found the book a very enjoyable, thought-provoking work of historical fiction.
FYI: Harper writes about a very violent, misogynistic culture, and it’s all here: murder, violence, references to sexual assault of adults and children, slavery, kidnapping, suicide, child abandonment, etc. Strong language.
Thank you to Net Galley and Union Square & Co. for my advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Liz Helfrich 