BOOK REVIEW: The Temple of Fortuna (The Wolf Den Trilogy Book 3) by Elodie Harper

Published November 9th, 2023 by Head of Zeus
Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Historical Romance, Ancient World History

Welcome to my review of The Temple of Fortuna, the final instalment in the mesmerising series, The Wolf Den Trilogy. Thank you to Head of Zeus for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

The final instalment in Elodie Harper’s Sunday Times bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy

A courtesan in Rome. Playing for power. Haunted by her past. Her name is Amara. How will her fortunes fall?

Amara’s journey has taken her far, from a lowly slave in Pompeii’s brothel to a high-powered courtesan in Rome. She is now a freedwoman with wealth and influence, yet she is still drawn back to her past.

For while Amara is caught up in the political scheming of the Imperial palace, her daughter remains in Pompeii, raised by the only man she ever truly loved. Although she longs for her family, Amara knows they are safest while she is far away. Perhaps, with enough cunning and courage, she will manage to turn Fortuna’s wheel in their favour.

But the year is ad 79, and Mount Vesuvius is preparing to make itself known…

The Temple of Fortuna is the dramatic final instalment in Elodie Harper’s Sunday Times-bestselling Wolf Den trilogy, which reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

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MY REVIEW:

“Even the most powerful woman can be broken by love.”

The Temple of Fortuna was my most anticipated book this autumn, but picking it up felt bittersweet as it meant reaching the end of what has become one of my favourite series ever. But I needed to know how things concluded for Amara and if she or any of the others survived the catastrophic eruption.

Amara is now a high-powered courtesan living in Rome. It’s a far cry from her time as a slave at Pomepeii’s brothel alongside the other she-wolves. But her past continues to haunt her and secrets that could destroy everything she’s built still hover over her. Her heart also remains in Pompeii as her young daughter is still living there and being raised by Amara’s true love. She heads back for a visit, trying to find a solution that will free her from the shackles of her past and reunite her family for good, never suspecting that there is an even greater threat to their lives. It’s October 79, and Mount Versuvius is about to erupt…

“Then the light starts to fade, as if dusk is falling with supernatural speed. Amara looks up. Above the mountain, a black column has risedn is still rising, piercing the sky like a spear thrown from the kingdom of Vulcan, god of fire. Dark fingers spread out from its summit, reaching for the city of Pompeii… Amara realizes people are screaming.”

Once again, Elodie Harper has delivered a masterpiece. Lush, vibrant and alluring, The Temple of Fortuna is an extraordinary ending to a magnificent series. Intricately woven, gorgeously written and transportive, this gloriously rich tapestry of a novel brings ancient Rome to life in three-dimensional technicolour. As Mount Vesuvius rumbles in the background, slowly building to its violent destruction, Harper takes the reader on an emotional journey alongside the characters as they go about their ordinary lives in blissful oblivion of what is to come. Harper humansies the catastrophic destruction of an entire city, reminding us that those lost were people with lives, family, love, hopes and dreams, and brings to life the horror and fear experienced by those in Pompeii that fateful day; the terrible reality of fleeing for your life as the world turns dark and ash rains down on your city. 

The novel is meticulously researched with great attention paid to even the smallest of details and I loved how she wove historical fact with fiction to create a book that feels so real it was like I was walking in the characters’ footsteps. Having visited both Rome and Pompeii this past summer the story felt especially visceral to me. I could see things even more clearly and had imagined Amara on the cobbled streets when I visited the broken remains of Pompeii. I read the first ⅔ of the book in one sitting but as I arrived at the third part at 1am –  Vesuvius, 24th October 79AD – I had to put the book down until the next day. The anticipation had reached fever pitch, my heart racing as I wished I could reach into the book and rescue them all.

“All the layers of respectability that Amara has wrapped around herself with as much painstaking care as the folds of her expensive robes, fall away. She is back in the Wolf Den, enraged by any attempt to confine her.”

Amara is one of my favourite characters of all time. Despite the fact that she lived a life nothing like anything I’ll experience in a time so long ago, everything about her feels so relatable and I was rooting for her at every step of her journey. I love her feistiness and determination, and how she’s so rich with nuance. In this book we feel her anguish, heartache, longing and determination radiating from the pages as she wrestles with complex situations and emotions. Amara’s daughter, Rufina, was a joy to read and stole my heart completely, tugging on my heart strings one moment and making me laugh the next. She was a great addition to the cast and I also loved seeing this side of Amara and the complexities of all the emotions it stirred in her. Harper has created a rich and compelling cast of characters that you can really connect with and villains you will love to hate. There are some genuine friendships, beautiful love stories and terrible feuds, but will all have you hooked. Harper also explores sensitive subjects such as abusive relationships and the effects of trauma which made them feel even more relatable. There’s a feeling of sisterhood through survival that can be felt whoever you are and whenever you lived. When the volcano erupts I nervously awaited the fate of the characters I’d grown to love. Would any of them get out alive?

Atmospheric, moving, illuminating and unforgettable, The Temple of Fortuna is a masterpiece of historical fiction. I lived every moment while reading and am utterly bereft that this series is over. But it’s certainly ended on the highest of notes. This is one not to be missed.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elodie Harper is a journalist and author whose bestselling Wolf Den trilogy has won wide acclaim. The first book The Wolf Den, won the Glass Bell Award and was shortlisted for Page turner of the year at the British Book Awards. The second in the series, The House with the Golden Door, was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller.

The Wolf Den trilogy has sold into 20 territories worldwide and has been optioned for TV. The third and final instalment, The Temple of Fortuna, will be published in the UK and the US in November 2023. Elodie is currently a reporter at ITV News Anglia, and before that worked as a producer at Channel 4 News.

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