I have been meaning to get to this series for ages, but was prompted to read it by the fact I met Alison Morton at the Historical Novel Society conference, and that this book is now celebrating ten years of success. I know nothing about Ancient Rome except for being a bity of a mythology buff, but of course this didn’t matter because this book is set in the new land of Roma Nova – a place in which the Roman Empire still exists in a new incarnation.

Roma Nova is technically advanced – as you might expect when the engineers of Rome survived – and so the novel would also appeal to those that like reading science fiction as well as historical fiction. As a sort of outpost of the EU, Roma Nova has many political problems, and an army to deal with them.

The main protagonist is a Karen Brown, a New York office worker and park volunteer. The plot kicks off when forces outside her control mean she must relocate in a hurry to the land where her grandmother still lives – Roma Nova, which was founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman exiles. Roman Nova is a matriarchal society with rules very different from the USA.

There is a very bad guy after her, Renschman, who is intent on getting hold of her inheritance – a multi-million business that the US government wants to get  control of, and keep in the US. Karen has several very scary run-ins with this guy, including being left to freeze to death, and it’s enough to make her want to take a chance on a new life.

After she flees to Roma Nova she meets her grandmother Nonna who is a lovely character, and a great foil for all the dangerous characters that she has to deal with. After a particularly frightening incident in which the bad guy tracks her down, she is persuaded to go on a boot camp of special training which will maker her a member of one of the foremost SAS type special forces. Thus begins her transformation from New York office girl to Carina Mitela, efficient fighting machine – and she certainly needs those skills!

There is a touch of romance, with Roma Nova native Conradus Tellus, a great big lion of a man, but this is more of a political thriller than a romance, and Carina more than holds her own in this relationship. The world-building is immaculately done, with the author’s enthusiasm to keep Rome not only alive but developing, evident on every page. This is a genre bending novel and the first of a series. If you like an action-packed thriller with a strong female protagonist and impeccable world-building, do give this a try..

BUYTHE BOOK  Barnes & Noble  Amazon  Waterstones Online or through your local bookshop. (UK link)

About Alison Morton

Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire still exists and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue.

The Historical Novel Society selected SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and JULIA PRIMA as Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. SUCCESSIO featured as Editor’s Choice in ‘The Bookseller’.

Alison has misspent decades clambering over Roman sites throughout Europe, especially French ones. A former soldier and translator, she holds an MA History, blogs about history, social media and writing. Alison lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit.

Find Alison at her website alison-morton.com