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Enemy of my Dreams
In the last days of the Roman Empire a desperate princess and brutal Goth warlord forge a dangerous alliance.
Julia, only daughter of the emperor of Rome, lives a life of excess and freedom. Wine, philosophy and scandal—she revels in hedonism. But when her father dies and her teenage brother takes the throne, he will stop at nothing to seize control of both the empire and his wayward sister. And now Alaric of the Visigoths, a ferocious warrior who has battled Rome for years, has come to the capital to bargain for his homeland.
When Julia rebels against the marriage her brother has ordered her to accept, he responds by publicly punishing her lover in the Colosseum. Realizing how perilous her position is, Julia impulsively turns to Alaric—the empire’s sworn enemy, and the one man who can make Rome tremble—and engineers her own kidnapping. Julia, the Roman princess, forges an uneasy alliance with Alaric, the brutal warrior king, in an edgy, sexy cat-and-mouse game of attraction, defiance and lust.
“Enemy of My Dreams is a romantic romp through the ashes of a dying empire.”
—Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros
Julia, only daughter of the emperor of Rome, lives a life of excess and freedom. Wine, philosophy and scandal—she revels in hedonism. But when her father dies and her teenage brother takes the throne, he will stop at nothing to seize control of both the empire and his wayward sister. And now Alaric of the Visigoths, a ferocious warrior who has battled Rome for years, has come to the capital to bargain for his homeland.
When Julia rebels against the marriage her brother has ordered her to accept, he responds by publicly punishing her lover in the Colosseum. Realizing how perilous her position is, Julia impulsively turns to Alaric—the empire’s sworn enemy, and the one man who can make Rome tremble—and engineers her own kidnapping. Julia, the Roman princess, forges an uneasy alliance with Alaric, the brutal warrior king, in an edgy, sexy cat-and-mouse game of attraction, defiance and lust.
“Enemy of My Dreams is a romantic romp through the ashes of a dying empire.”
—Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros
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About the author
Jenny Williamson
15 books87 followersJenny Williamson is a romance and fantasy novelist obsessed with the ancient past. While writing a historical romance, she fell down a research rabbit hole—an occupational hazard—and realized she had a decision to make. She could either go on hanging out in bars and ranting about child emperors and Mongol siegecraft and the Praetorian Guard—she gets that way after a few Dark n Stormies—or she could start a podcast.
In addition, Jenny recently published a poetry chapbook with Finishing Line Press. She grew up in Vermont and currently lives in Brooklyn.
In addition, Jenny recently published a poetry chapbook with Finishing Line Press. She grew up in Vermont and currently lives in Brooklyn.
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November 13, 2024rubbing my hands together like a fly
December 30, 2025
No despite what some reviewers claim this doesn't read like "Romantasy" . For the love of Johanna Lindsey I beg people to get informed about their chosen genre. Romance didn't get invented by Booktok ffs and not everything is inspired by the latest Booktok trends. What this book read like was an old school cinematic epic Medieval romance. HR used to be cinematic in scope, epic breathtaking swoony romance that spanned months, and sometimes years, in one book. This is that but make it ancient Rome and I inhaled it in basically one sitting.
"And always this man, King of the Goths, stalking the battle lines on his enormous black horse as if mayhem were his natural element."
Alaric is a barbarian chieftain from what I think is now Eastern Europe. The Roman empire has basically decimated his people and stolen his land. His nemesis, the old Roman emperor who had promised land,and then was like yeah no, in exchange for Alaric's military help, has died. In his place is now a 17 year old nutcase who has people that displease eaten alive by hungry wolves. Alaric strides into the new Roman emperor's kingdom ready to demand that the old emperor's promise be honored and ends up kidnapping the emperor's sister after a botched assassination attempt.
“You were talking to the wrong child of Theodosius at that banquet. I’m here to give you an empire.”
Julia is a bored, spoiled party princess who has shamed her brother with her orgies one too many times so he decided to strategically marry her off to some old dude and vanish her. She takes strong exception to this and tries to poison her brother, when that goes awry she decides to try her luck with the hot barbarian and helps get herself kidnapped. What follows is a wild, sexy and sometimes frustrating road trip through the ancient Roman empire where an airheaded princess finds herself, makes friends with a bunch of mercenaries and falls in love with a man who has the heads of his enemies hanging outside his city walls ::hawt::
These days it's hard to find a historical that doesn't take place in England much less find one with two flawed and sometimes unlikeable main characters. This book takes place all over Italy and the Eastern Roman empire, Alaric and Julia are terrible people at some points and really frustrating at times but they grow and learn, sometimes not, but that's completely realistic and part of being human. I ate it up because that is what made their coming together despite all their boneheaded actions so emotionally satisfying. I know it's a great book when I wanna slap the MCs into next week at least once while reading.
Julia is the kind of heroine some readers would call "unlikeable". But I thought she was fantastic. Yes I wanted to knock her upside the head a few times but she came alive off the page because she was exactly what I would expect of a young, spoiled and ignored royal princess who possesses a brain but is told to shut up and look pretty.
"Her brittle court polish had dissolved, and what was underneath was sharp and brilliant and feverishly alive."
Alaric was less complex but he was a simple man. His solution to almost everything that bothers him is to kill it and stomp away. He's known nothing but war and killing almost his entire life. He is a barbarian whose love language is I'll Kill Him For You. But he also loved his rag tag found family in his own way and would lay down his life for his friends and his woman. I ADORED him!
“You are not without courage, Julia.” The words were entirely inadequate to what he felt. “I’ve never seen anything so brave and wonderful as you.”
Sweet. But also:
““Don’t even think to run to another. I’ll gut any man who looks at you.”
I would die for Alaric. Seriously. He was giving Royce Westmoreland vibes and yes please.
The plot never let up and I swear my adrenaline was revving the entire time I was reading this and by the end I was ready to kick some Roman leggionaire a$$. The side characters were fully fleshed out and were integrated seamlessly into the love story. The found family aspect was one of my favorite things about this book. I fell in love with these bloodthirsty wild barbarians and want a HEA for all of them!
The historical part was a little sparse at times but I know next to nothing about the ancient Roman empire so it didn't bother me much. I did learn quite a bit by googling terms and characters while reading. I enjoyed the hell out of this book but that's not say it's flawless. The pacing in the last quarter was too rushed, there was too much telling at some points and the end was abrupt and left a lot to the imagination. Hopefully this will be corrected with other books. I really hope this author writes more in this world because I'm fully invested now.
TL: DR: well written cinematic action packed romance with flawed MCs, found family and epic romance. For fans of Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Johanna Lindsey, Marsha Canham and basically all the old adventure HR queens.
“I’ll be your shield and fight your battles. I’ll lay the wealth of cities at your feet.”
Nuff said.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
Tropes:
Kidnapping
Road Trip
Enemies to Lovers
Class Difference
CW: violent and gory. contains some dark themes.
"And always this man, King of the Goths, stalking the battle lines on his enormous black horse as if mayhem were his natural element."
Alaric is a barbarian chieftain from what I think is now Eastern Europe. The Roman empire has basically decimated his people and stolen his land. His nemesis, the old Roman emperor who had promised land,and then was like yeah no, in exchange for Alaric's military help, has died. In his place is now a 17 year old nutcase who has people that displease eaten alive by hungry wolves. Alaric strides into the new Roman emperor's kingdom ready to demand that the old emperor's promise be honored and ends up kidnapping the emperor's sister after a botched assassination attempt.
“You were talking to the wrong child of Theodosius at that banquet. I’m here to give you an empire.”
Julia is a bored, spoiled party princess who has shamed her brother with her orgies one too many times so he decided to strategically marry her off to some old dude and vanish her. She takes strong exception to this and tries to poison her brother, when that goes awry she decides to try her luck with the hot barbarian and helps get herself kidnapped. What follows is a wild, sexy and sometimes frustrating road trip through the ancient Roman empire where an airheaded princess finds herself, makes friends with a bunch of mercenaries and falls in love with a man who has the heads of his enemies hanging outside his city walls ::hawt::
These days it's hard to find a historical that doesn't take place in England much less find one with two flawed and sometimes unlikeable main characters. This book takes place all over Italy and the Eastern Roman empire, Alaric and Julia are terrible people at some points and really frustrating at times but they grow and learn, sometimes not, but that's completely realistic and part of being human. I ate it up because that is what made their coming together despite all their boneheaded actions so emotionally satisfying. I know it's a great book when I wanna slap the MCs into next week at least once while reading.
Julia is the kind of heroine some readers would call "unlikeable". But I thought she was fantastic. Yes I wanted to knock her upside the head a few times but she came alive off the page because she was exactly what I would expect of a young, spoiled and ignored royal princess who possesses a brain but is told to shut up and look pretty.
"Her brittle court polish had dissolved, and what was underneath was sharp and brilliant and feverishly alive."
Alaric was less complex but he was a simple man. His solution to almost everything that bothers him is to kill it and stomp away. He's known nothing but war and killing almost his entire life. He is a barbarian whose love language is I'll Kill Him For You. But he also loved his rag tag found family in his own way and would lay down his life for his friends and his woman. I ADORED him!
“You are not without courage, Julia.” The words were entirely inadequate to what he felt. “I’ve never seen anything so brave and wonderful as you.”
Sweet. But also:
““Don’t even think to run to another. I’ll gut any man who looks at you.”
I would die for Alaric. Seriously. He was giving Royce Westmoreland vibes and yes please.
The plot never let up and I swear my adrenaline was revving the entire time I was reading this and by the end I was ready to kick some Roman leggionaire a$$. The side characters were fully fleshed out and were integrated seamlessly into the love story. The found family aspect was one of my favorite things about this book. I fell in love with these bloodthirsty wild barbarians and want a HEA for all of them!
The historical part was a little sparse at times but I know next to nothing about the ancient Roman empire so it didn't bother me much. I did learn quite a bit by googling terms and characters while reading. I enjoyed the hell out of this book but that's not say it's flawless. The pacing in the last quarter was too rushed, there was too much telling at some points and the end was abrupt and left a lot to the imagination. Hopefully this will be corrected with other books. I really hope this author writes more in this world because I'm fully invested now.
TL: DR: well written cinematic action packed romance with flawed MCs, found family and epic romance. For fans of Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Johanna Lindsey, Marsha Canham and basically all the old adventure HR queens.
“I’ll be your shield and fight your battles. I’ll lay the wealth of cities at your feet.”
Nuff said.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
Tropes:
Kidnapping
Road Trip
Enemies to Lovers
Class Difference
CW: violent and gory. contains some dark themes.
January 28, 2025
Cat and Mouse Enemies to Lovers in ancient Rome!? YES PLEASE!
This story was fantastic! The character growth for the FMC was phenomenal and done so well! The writing was chef's kiss! We got action from start to finish and it kept me engaged.
I wasn't too big a fan of the ravenous insta-lust from the get go. Would of been nice to hold off on it a little bit to build the enemies part more. The cat and mouse happened on and off for about 90% of the book and knowing there is a book 2 makes me nervous if that will continue. They are such a fantastic couple I just want them to catch a break and have some good times that lasts for more than a chapter or two.
This story was fantastic! The character growth for the FMC was phenomenal and done so well! The writing was chef's kiss! We got action from start to finish and it kept me engaged.
I wasn't too big a fan of the ravenous insta-lust from the get go. Would of been nice to hold off on it a little bit to build the enemies part more. The cat and mouse happened on and off for about 90% of the book and knowing there is a book 2 makes me nervous if that will continue. They are such a fantastic couple I just want them to catch a break and have some good times that lasts for more than a chapter or two.
February 11, 2025
I had a TON of fun reading this decline-of-the-Roman-Empire set historical romance pairing Alaric, King of the Goths, with Julia, daughter of the Roman Emperor. Julia wants to escape an unwanted marriage, so when a fight breaks out during a banquet she hands Alaric a knife so he can take her hostage and get them both out of there. From that point, it's a grueling road trip/ enemies to lovers/ culture clash romance between the two strong-willed characters.
I am a historical romance reader, and as a historical romance? This bangs. It's kind of a historical retelling - Alaric is a historical figure, and from what I gathered from my internet searches a lot of the events in the novel also took place. I know very little about this time period, so "anachronisms" like Julia's title as princess didn't jar me at all. (I would also ask those bothered by this kind of thing to consider that perhaps these more familiar terms were chosen so that readers like me could understand the political relationships without having to consult a history textbook or a glossary.) I will say that the ending of the book felt a bit rushed, with several plot points taking place over several months in the span of a few pages - especially after the long road trip that takes up most of the beginning of the book.
All in all, though, I think this is a great addition to the HistRom landscape, and I'm SUPER excited to read more by Williamson!
18-Word Summaries:
Meg: Julia wants to get kidnapped, so it’s weird that she’s kind of surprised when Alaric takes it seriously.
Laine: What does a girl have to do to be taken seriously while Rome is falling? Julia finds out.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
I am a historical romance reader, and as a historical romance? This bangs. It's kind of a historical retelling - Alaric is a historical figure, and from what I gathered from my internet searches a lot of the events in the novel also took place. I know very little about this time period, so "anachronisms" like Julia's title as princess didn't jar me at all. (I would also ask those bothered by this kind of thing to consider that perhaps these more familiar terms were chosen so that readers like me could understand the political relationships without having to consult a history textbook or a glossary.) I will say that the ending of the book felt a bit rushed, with several plot points taking place over several months in the span of a few pages - especially after the long road trip that takes up most of the beginning of the book.
All in all, though, I think this is a great addition to the HistRom landscape, and I'm SUPER excited to read more by Williamson!
18-Word Summaries:
Meg: Julia wants to get kidnapped, so it’s weird that she’s kind of surprised when Alaric takes it seriously.
Laine: What does a girl have to do to be taken seriously while Rome is falling? Julia finds out.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
January 3, 2025
Y’all this was a MESS.
Headhopping that absolutely kept me from the flow of the story? Check.
Historical inaccuracies that would have been resolved with a simple google search (princesses, really??)? Check.
Insta love from a character who spends 20 pages saying she’ll never be in love? Check.
Excessive miscommunication over the same thing 30 times? Check again!
I wanted to enjoy this so much, but quite literally nothing worked for me outside of the writing. In the sections I could read without being jarred into the next POV, the prose is very nice! But I’m not at all convinced this was the way to go about telling this story.
This is definitely going to be marketed towards fans of Song of Achilles and Circe, but if you DID like those books? You’re probably not going to vibe with this one.
Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!
Headhopping that absolutely kept me from the flow of the story? Check.
Historical inaccuracies that would have been resolved with a simple google search (princesses, really??)? Check.
Insta love from a character who spends 20 pages saying she’ll never be in love? Check.
Excessive miscommunication over the same thing 30 times? Check again!
I wanted to enjoy this so much, but quite literally nothing worked for me outside of the writing. In the sections I could read without being jarred into the next POV, the prose is very nice! But I’m not at all convinced this was the way to go about telling this story.
This is definitely going to be marketed towards fans of Song of Achilles and Circe, but if you DID like those books? You’re probably not going to vibe with this one.
Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!
December 20, 2024
Enemy of My Dreams is a historical romance rooted in Roman history, and revolves around the fall of the Roman Empire. I'm not quite sure how accurate it is because I'm not familiar with its specifics, but I mostly enjoyed it.
The story follows Julia, the sole daughter of the emperor of Rome. When her father dies, her younger brother Honorius seized power and forces Julia into an imminent unwanted marriage. Alaric, on the other hand, is the king of the Goths, who are a key enemy to Rome. Alaric initially goes to Honorius in an attempt to get him to cede back a portion of the territory the Romans stole from the Goths (which backfires) and in the scuffle, Julia basically volunteers herself to be kidnapped by Alaric so she can escape her brother and plot her return for the throne.
This book is heavy with political intrigue, which only partially works here. The establishing of the wars, power struggles, and general "world building" (even though it's technically a historical romance) could be dense at times. I've never read a historical romance that went as far back as Rome. An ancient enemies to lovers tale - certainly a unique perspective. But it failed to come across as the ancient Roman romance it was described to be, and was instead reminiscent of historical fantasy books like "The Road of Bones" and "A Fate Inked in Blood." Which isn't necessarily an issue, though.
In terms of Alaric and Julia: this is an enemies to lovers plot, but with very detailed instant lust that I think came into play too quickly and foiled some of the tension. There is so much vitriol between the two of them-- they hate each other off the bat: Julia being a spoiled princess and Alaric a brute and king of the enemy Goths. In every cat-and-mouse scene where they're antagonizing each other or doing something to piss the other one off, it was simultaneously like, "but he is so sexy, she's so beautiful and I want her, etc." I wish there'd been a bit less of that or at least that it had been a little later in the novel.
That said, the character growth the two of them had was excellent. Their relationship also evolved from pettiness to genuine devotion. Julia truly grows into her own and Alaric gradually shed his rough-around-the-edges, guarded persona especially when it comes to her. While there were some elements of the book I wished were different, it's undeniably well-written and I think many readers will enjoy this fresh, "ancient" take on forbidden love and historical romance.
Thank you so much to Canary Street and NetGalley for this ARC!! 📚
The story follows Julia, the sole daughter of the emperor of Rome. When her father dies, her younger brother Honorius seized power and forces Julia into an imminent unwanted marriage. Alaric, on the other hand, is the king of the Goths, who are a key enemy to Rome. Alaric initially goes to Honorius in an attempt to get him to cede back a portion of the territory the Romans stole from the Goths (which backfires) and in the scuffle, Julia basically volunteers herself to be kidnapped by Alaric so she can escape her brother and plot her return for the throne.
This book is heavy with political intrigue, which only partially works here. The establishing of the wars, power struggles, and general "world building" (even though it's technically a historical romance) could be dense at times. I've never read a historical romance that went as far back as Rome. An ancient enemies to lovers tale - certainly a unique perspective. But it failed to come across as the ancient Roman romance it was described to be, and was instead reminiscent of historical fantasy books like "The Road of Bones" and "A Fate Inked in Blood." Which isn't necessarily an issue, though.
In terms of Alaric and Julia: this is an enemies to lovers plot, but with very detailed instant lust that I think came into play too quickly and foiled some of the tension. There is so much vitriol between the two of them-- they hate each other off the bat: Julia being a spoiled princess and Alaric a brute and king of the enemy Goths. In every cat-and-mouse scene where they're antagonizing each other or doing something to piss the other one off, it was simultaneously like, "but he is so sexy, she's so beautiful and I want her, etc." I wish there'd been a bit less of that or at least that it had been a little later in the novel.
That said, the character growth the two of them had was excellent. Their relationship also evolved from pettiness to genuine devotion. Julia truly grows into her own and Alaric gradually shed his rough-around-the-edges, guarded persona especially when it comes to her. While there were some elements of the book I wished were different, it's undeniably well-written and I think many readers will enjoy this fresh, "ancient" take on forbidden love and historical romance.
Thank you so much to Canary Street and NetGalley for this ARC!! 📚
February 12, 2025
4.5⭐️
Um holy crap. So well written, amazing characters, and THE DRAMA. One of the best ARCs I’ve read in A WHILE.
Alaric & Julia? Wow what a love story that was. And the found family?? Are you kidding? So cute (nothing about these raiding bandits was cute really 😂 but they all tugged on my heart strings), I loved every single member of the anti Roman Empire quest squad.
There’s definitely an egregious betrayal. There’s definitely bad choices made in literally epic proportions, but it all came together in the end.
Yes, there’s insta-attraction here but watching it grow into more than that between Alaric & Julia was so rewarding.
War, raiding, alliances, betrayals, new leaders and old empires…battle, tension…all of it exceptionally cinematic.
I also loved the multi POV. For me it was easy to follow and the transition between characters was perfectly executed.
***********************
✨ARC Preread
Well I love ancient Rome…and warlords…and princesses…so, let’s see how this goes 🤩
Um holy crap. So well written, amazing characters, and THE DRAMA. One of the best ARCs I’ve read in A WHILE.
Alaric & Julia? Wow what a love story that was. And the found family?? Are you kidding? So cute (nothing about these raiding bandits was cute really 😂 but they all tugged on my heart strings), I loved every single member of the anti Roman Empire quest squad.
There’s definitely an egregious betrayal. There’s definitely bad choices made in literally epic proportions, but it all came together in the end.
Yes, there’s insta-attraction here but watching it grow into more than that between Alaric & Julia was so rewarding.
War, raiding, alliances, betrayals, new leaders and old empires…battle, tension…all of it exceptionally cinematic.
I also loved the multi POV. For me it was easy to follow and the transition between characters was perfectly executed.
***********************
✨ARC Preread
Well I love ancient Rome…and warlords…and princesses…so, let’s see how this goes 🤩
March 15, 2025
This was very enjoyable until the middle, where it dragged on and on. By the end, I felt like I had read the same plot three times in the same book - they love each other, no they don’t, yes they do, no they don’t, run away, come back, the end. I don’t know it’s that’s considered a spoiler 🤷🏻♀️
Also, it uses miscommunication in the final act, which is my least preferred trope in romance.
Also, it uses miscommunication in the final act, which is my least preferred trope in romance.
December 16, 2024
I love antiquity and everything having to do with the Roman world, so now that I know there’s a whole subgenre of historical romances focused on ancient Rome, there is no going back for anyone involved (hooray). Enemy of My Dreams is everything you could want in a romance.
Read if you like…
🏛 Enemies-to-lovers where they actually want to kill each other
🗡️“Can you please get over that time where I kidnapped you?”
🏛 Attack first, ask questions later MMC
🗡️Always have a plan within a plan FMC
🏛 His warriors end up liking her more than him
🗡️Blood Oaths and sworn brotherhoods
🏛 High stakes intrigue
🗡️Hilarious side characters that always seem to be more emotionally mature than the MMC
🏛 A setting semi-grounded in Roman history
🗡️Strategy games that only increase the romantic tension (as they should)
🏛 “I will seduce you before you seduce me.”
🗡️Refusing to give into the passion before the other person because pride
🏛 A lot of (mostly) historically accurate diversity
🗡️Insult her and die
🏛 “Why does he look good covered in the blood of his enemies?”
🗡️ Caring for each others’ wounds
🏛 A FMC who respects herself enough not to put up with MMC’s crap
My one issue with this novel was the number of historical inaccuracies. First, Romans don’t have princesses; that title DOES NOT EXIST in Rome. Imperial women (there is no such thing as Roman royal women since Romans hated kings) would have been referred to as augusta or domina, not as a princess. Additionally, the timeline for the Goths sacking Rome was iffy, but if you treat the story like a romance rather than a historical epic, then the inaccuracies become less of an issue. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see what else the author has to offer.
An e-ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
Read if you like…
🏛 Enemies-to-lovers where they actually want to kill each other
🗡️“Can you please get over that time where I kidnapped you?”
🏛 Attack first, ask questions later MMC
🗡️Always have a plan within a plan FMC
🏛 His warriors end up liking her more than him
🗡️Blood Oaths and sworn brotherhoods
🏛 High stakes intrigue
🗡️Hilarious side characters that always seem to be more emotionally mature than the MMC
🏛 A setting semi-grounded in Roman history
🗡️Strategy games that only increase the romantic tension (as they should)
🏛 “I will seduce you before you seduce me.”
🗡️Refusing to give into the passion before the other person because pride
🏛 A lot of (mostly) historically accurate diversity
🗡️Insult her and die
🏛 “Why does he look good covered in the blood of his enemies?”
🗡️ Caring for each others’ wounds
🏛 A FMC who respects herself enough not to put up with MMC’s crap
My one issue with this novel was the number of historical inaccuracies. First, Romans don’t have princesses; that title DOES NOT EXIST in Rome. Imperial women (there is no such thing as Roman royal women since Romans hated kings) would have been referred to as augusta or domina, not as a princess. Additionally, the timeline for the Goths sacking Rome was iffy, but if you treat the story like a romance rather than a historical epic, then the inaccuracies become less of an issue. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see what else the author has to offer.
An e-ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
March 5, 2025
I was flip flopping between 1 to 2 stars and I sincerely believe its a solid 1 star.
When I see Elodie Harper saying this is a "hugely entertaining Roman world with hilarious heroine and smoldering hero" I was like okay well I really loved the Wolf Den Series so this has got to something good right?.. WRONG.
Isn't a romantasy supposed to make you feel something? Like anything?? I felt nothing in 444 pages not one. single. emotion. I didn't care when Julia's first "Lover" (if you could call him that) got taken out in the arena by wolves. I felt nothing when reading about Alaric's past. Parent's sold him into slavery, made it to the arena got spotted by a general and was brought up in the Roman Military.. it reads like when you are in the rough draft phase and think to yourself "hmm what does my character go through" and copy and paste it into the actual book... wtf. Nothing was expanded on, it just info dump annnnd moving on..
The insta-lust thing is super boring and over written, not once in the book did I get even a whiff of love. Protectiveness sure, love? I don't think she even knows what that is. The characters seem incredibly juvenile by the way they talk, the way the react to situations. My palm was to my forehead for the vast majority of the book.
444 pages wasted of a beautiful tree for the plot line of "does he know I like him?" "does she know I like her?" "are we actually married?" "does she not know we are actually married?" "I hope he knows I didn't betray him.." "how dare she betray me".. LIKE WHAT ARE WE READING RIGHT NOW??
If more thought or energy was put into this book I truly think it could have been something. Expanding on thoughts or situations. An example would be how Julia was raised, she is very knowledgeable about the inner workings of running an empire, politics, war fare etc. I would have loved to see that expanded on and seen examples throughout the book.
When I see Elodie Harper saying this is a "hugely entertaining Roman world with hilarious heroine and smoldering hero" I was like okay well I really loved the Wolf Den Series so this has got to something good right?.. WRONG.
Isn't a romantasy supposed to make you feel something? Like anything?? I felt nothing in 444 pages not one. single. emotion. I didn't care when Julia's first "Lover" (if you could call him that) got taken out in the arena by wolves. I felt nothing when reading about Alaric's past. Parent's sold him into slavery, made it to the arena got spotted by a general and was brought up in the Roman Military.. it reads like when you are in the rough draft phase and think to yourself "hmm what does my character go through" and copy and paste it into the actual book... wtf. Nothing was expanded on, it just info dump annnnd moving on..
The insta-lust thing is super boring and over written, not once in the book did I get even a whiff of love. Protectiveness sure, love? I don't think she even knows what that is. The characters seem incredibly juvenile by the way they talk, the way the react to situations. My palm was to my forehead for the vast majority of the book.
444 pages wasted of a beautiful tree for the plot line of "does he know I like him?" "does she know I like her?" "are we actually married?" "does she not know we are actually married?" "I hope he knows I didn't betray him.." "how dare she betray me".. LIKE WHAT ARE WE READING RIGHT NOW??
If more thought or energy was put into this book I truly think it could have been something. Expanding on thoughts or situations. An example would be how Julia was raised, she is very knowledgeable about the inner workings of running an empire, politics, war fare etc. I would have loved to see that expanded on and seen examples throughout the book.
July 30, 2025
You can tell this author reads romantasy, and I mean the derogatorily. Starting with the good, the cover art is great. The action sequences were well written. And the setting was interesting. This book takes place in Ancient Rome, and that's probably the most memorable part of the book. Unfortunately, the main characters were just insufferable. There did end up being some character growth, but not enough to save this book. I think they were supposed to be intelligent, capable people, but the author failed miserably at portraying that. Julia came across had an arrogant, spoiled brat. Alaric's romantic interest in Julia made him hard to respect. I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between Julia and Alaric. It seemed like the author was just checking off a list of troped popular on tiktok, which made the romance feel disingenuine.
January 28, 2025
Enemy of my Dreams is a romance within the historical setting of Ancient Rome. It follows Julia, sister to the emperor of Rome, and Alaric, King of the Goths. The enemies to lovers & insta lust in this were *chefs kiss*. The banter was exceptional, it was entertaining start to finish and kept me engaged. I didn’t wanna put it down. The only issue I had was the whiplash I got from POV change seemingly out of nowhere. If you love historical romance set within an epic journey you’ll love this book.
I can’t wait to see more from this author!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-ARC via netgalley.
I can’t wait to see more from this author!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-ARC via netgalley.
March 21, 2025
This was the book I wanted when I picked up A Fate Inked in Blood. I’ve always been obsessed with ancient Rome and I love stories that highlight the lives of women in that time period. This one reminded me a lot of Kate Quinn‘s Mistress of Rome series, albeit with a 2020’s romantasy vibe.
Julia is the emperor‘s daughter in a time when the Roman empire is declining. He passes away, and her brother is left to determine her fate, of course, by marrying her to some old, crusty rich guy. She decides to take fate into her own hands and arranges her kidnapping with the chief of a Goth tribe. He’s of course, super hot blah blah blah. So while she is trying to find a way to determine her own fate and recapture the power, she envisioned as the emperor‘s daughter she finds herself entangled in this love-hate relationship with Alaric.
I loved the historical aspects of this one. I did appreciate that they’re feelings for one another were not insta love but rather lost turn to hatred turn to love turn to hatred and repeat. There was real danger, lots of fun, banter and plenty of steamy scenes for people who need that aspect.
Julia is the emperor‘s daughter in a time when the Roman empire is declining. He passes away, and her brother is left to determine her fate, of course, by marrying her to some old, crusty rich guy. She decides to take fate into her own hands and arranges her kidnapping with the chief of a Goth tribe. He’s of course, super hot blah blah blah. So while she is trying to find a way to determine her own fate and recapture the power, she envisioned as the emperor‘s daughter she finds herself entangled in this love-hate relationship with Alaric.
I loved the historical aspects of this one. I did appreciate that they’re feelings for one another were not insta love but rather lost turn to hatred turn to love turn to hatred and repeat. There was real danger, lots of fun, banter and plenty of steamy scenes for people who need that aspect.
March 6, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
Rtc
Rtc
January 11, 2025
First, I'd love to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC Netgalley of this book. Seriously, I cannot thank them enough, because I am so fortunate to discover so many amazing new reads through them!
So we all know that we sometimes categorize things as "My Roman Empire?" Well, this is LITERALLY about the Roman Empire (about the beginning of the end, that is), and I am obsessed.
I absolutely love when a historical book feels like fantasy more than real life, and wow did this one fit the bill! I found myself googling all sorts of words, people, and places while reading this, which made it a lot of fun. There's even character art out there (hello famous paintings of Alaric I!), so if you're like me and want to see how artists portrayed some of these historical people, there are some beautiful paintings out there.
Some things to help you decide if you want to read this one:
- An actual badass FMC
- A MMC who will actually burn down the world for her ("I'd burn the world down for you.")
- Enemies to lovers
- One horse
- Ragtag group of friends (Goths, Huns, barbarians, etc)
- HIstorical moments & people that you can learn more about!
So we all know that we sometimes categorize things as "My Roman Empire?" Well, this is LITERALLY about the Roman Empire (about the beginning of the end, that is), and I am obsessed.
I absolutely love when a historical book feels like fantasy more than real life, and wow did this one fit the bill! I found myself googling all sorts of words, people, and places while reading this, which made it a lot of fun. There's even character art out there (hello famous paintings of Alaric I!), so if you're like me and want to see how artists portrayed some of these historical people, there are some beautiful paintings out there.
Some things to help you decide if you want to read this one:
- An actual badass FMC
- A MMC who will actually burn down the world for her ("I'd burn the world down for you.")
- Enemies to lovers
- One horse
- Ragtag group of friends (Goths, Huns, barbarians, etc)
- HIstorical moments & people that you can learn more about!
March 9, 2025
Read most of this and then skimmed the last third or so. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book with such a dumb title, but I was hoping for something a little different and maybe lighter in faire. I had just read a huge nonfiction book about a true event. Anyway, this was thin on historical detail and accuracy, and I was disappointed to learn very little about this period or the cultures. The book also had a very slight paranormal angle to it, but it was pretty non-essential.
The romance was pretty one-dimensional, and was nothing more than a series of steadily escalating encounters that didn’t really build on anything. Otherwise, the story was filled with scenes of people moving from one place to another or tedious battles.
The romance was pretty one-dimensional, and was nothing more than a series of steadily escalating encounters that didn’t really build on anything. Otherwise, the story was filled with scenes of people moving from one place to another or tedious battles.
April 25, 2025
I will never understand or condone hate/lust stories. If that's your thing, this one's for you.
February 4, 2025
Thank you to HTP Hive for the eARC and audio to review. I was intrigued by the premise of this book and setting in Ancient Rome, it’s very unique compared to most historical romance. I appreciated some historical facts and built in political machinations. Overall, I have a mixed review for this book but I still enjoyed it.
Much like one of the tropes here, we started out enemies and became somewhat cordial lovers haha. I kinda struggled with the first half, the main complaint being the constant change in POV, mid chapter and sometimes back and forth. However, once I got used to the flow and got to know the characters, it was easier going and made me invested in the plot.
The second half of this book is where it won me over. The secondary characters added fun dialogue and interactions. Particularly the wholesome moment between Julia, Thorismund, and Riga - it had a funny comeback later on that was a nice touch!
Julia and Alaric are the queen and king of the miscommunication trope, I really wanted to throttle them half the time! Despite their rocky start and some questionable historical misogyny, theirs was a slow burn romance, that in the end made me happy with their whole saga.
The audiobook was performed by Lisa Flanagan and I think she did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. It was lighthearted and added a lot of charisma to each of the characters.
3.5⭐️
Much like one of the tropes here, we started out enemies and became somewhat cordial lovers haha. I kinda struggled with the first half, the main complaint being the constant change in POV, mid chapter and sometimes back and forth. However, once I got used to the flow and got to know the characters, it was easier going and made me invested in the plot.
The second half of this book is where it won me over. The secondary characters added fun dialogue and interactions. Particularly the wholesome moment between Julia, Thorismund, and Riga - it had a funny comeback later on that was a nice touch!
Julia and Alaric are the queen and king of the miscommunication trope, I really wanted to throttle them half the time! Despite their rocky start and some questionable historical misogyny, theirs was a slow burn romance, that in the end made me happy with their whole saga.
The audiobook was performed by Lisa Flanagan and I think she did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. It was lighthearted and added a lot of charisma to each of the characters.
3.5⭐️
October 23, 2025
I was completely hooked by Enemy of My Dreams! Jenny Williamson delivers a gripping, spicy, and stunningly crafted story set in the twilight of the Roman Empire. I went in expecting to enjoy this book, but I was surprised by just how much I fell in love with it and its characters. On top of it all, the writing was nothing short of breathtaking. It was the kind of story I could have happily read for ages.
The story is about Julia, the daughter of the emperor of rome, who revels in a life of opulence and unchecked freedom. That is, until her father dies and her younger brother takes the throne. Determined and ruthless, he will stop at nothing to take the empire—and bend his wayward sister to his will. When the brutal and relentless warrior king, Alaric of the Visigoths, has come to Rome to negotiate for his homeland, Julia orchestrates her own kidnapping by him. They strike a precarious alliance while navigating a dangerous and seductive dance of lust, defiance and intrigue.
Enemy of My Dreams was exactly the kind of ancient-world story I had been dreaming of reading. The passion between Julia and Alaric was scorching hot, the drama was absolutely delicious and the political intrigue gripping. I loved how Julia had relentless ambition and how both she and Alaric didn't mind using each other for their own gain. It made the story very intriguing and unputdownable.
I also loved the secondary characters surrounding Julia and Alaric. Even though they weren't the main characters they were still fleshed out very well and were memorable in their own right, especially Alaric’s inner circle of warriors. And another thing I want to say is that the writing really was breathtaking, as I said before. The author's prose was so beautiful and made it even more of an immersive experience.
Also, don’t forget to check out Ancient History Fangirl, Jenny Williamson’s podcast co-hosted with Genn McMenemy — one of my all-time favorite podcasts!
The story is about Julia, the daughter of the emperor of rome, who revels in a life of opulence and unchecked freedom. That is, until her father dies and her younger brother takes the throne. Determined and ruthless, he will stop at nothing to take the empire—and bend his wayward sister to his will. When the brutal and relentless warrior king, Alaric of the Visigoths, has come to Rome to negotiate for his homeland, Julia orchestrates her own kidnapping by him. They strike a precarious alliance while navigating a dangerous and seductive dance of lust, defiance and intrigue.
Enemy of My Dreams was exactly the kind of ancient-world story I had been dreaming of reading. The passion between Julia and Alaric was scorching hot, the drama was absolutely delicious and the political intrigue gripping. I loved how Julia had relentless ambition and how both she and Alaric didn't mind using each other for their own gain. It made the story very intriguing and unputdownable.
I also loved the secondary characters surrounding Julia and Alaric. Even though they weren't the main characters they were still fleshed out very well and were memorable in their own right, especially Alaric’s inner circle of warriors. And another thing I want to say is that the writing really was breathtaking, as I said before. The author's prose was so beautiful and made it even more of an immersive experience.
Also, don’t forget to check out Ancient History Fangirl, Jenny Williamson’s podcast co-hosted with Genn McMenemy — one of my all-time favorite podcasts!
April 2, 2025
A romantic story in the middle of the cruelty and brutality of the Roman Empire. Loved it!
Thank you, NetGalley for this audio in exchange of an honest opinion.
Thank you, NetGalley for this audio in exchange of an honest opinion.
August 19, 2024
Rounding up from 3.8ish. SO happy to get access to this arc. I really enjoyed so many aspects of this book, especially the relationships that the main character develops with those around her. Give me a blood oath sub plot and I'm sat and ready. It also painted such a vivid picture of what the implications of the fall of the empire may have looked like for different individuals and I loved reading that in a work of fiction. I didn't feel totally attached to Alaric (which is probably just an assessment of her writing of him as more honest to the time period than completely adapted for reader tastes. which I ultimately like so this is just complicated) but the incredible supporting characters helped me work through that. Her writing was fast enough for my own taste and I think a lot of my ability for it to be so vivid comes from my own background knowledge about this time period and some of the different cultural players. Without that background i might be a little confused about the presence/importance/background of the Huns and various other groups so I'm curious to see how other readers feel about the background and development in the story. The only thing I'm stuck on is the TITLE!! It had me real confused whether this was gonna be a cutesy lighthearted romcom or something that more closely resembles what we all expect when we hear that something's set in the roman empire. But I can set that aside I guess. I hope she writes more fiction!!!
February 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC!
3.5 rounded down. Julia is an icon, she is the moment. Alaric? My dude. My broski? My broheim, you got a LOT to work on.
I did really enjoy the Roman elements of the story, as a history WHORE, I am always looking for ancient myth/historical retellings. And like, a Roman princess getting kidnapped by the king of the goths? COME ON BRUV.
But like,,,I felt that this was way to focused on the romance than it was on the history. I felt a lot of the plot/conflict arose a bit outta nowhere at the last 40 pages, and it seemed to just go SUPER quick. Also Alaric did a whole 180 for like no reason and just,,,brother ehhhhh.
I did enjoy it though, and Julia and Horsa absolutely SLAY. Writing was good, but also? Where did Julia’s bro go?
I think my opinion would have been a bit different if I hadn’t read the BEAUTY that was Babylonia. Read THAT shit
3.5 rounded down. Julia is an icon, she is the moment. Alaric? My dude. My broski? My broheim, you got a LOT to work on.
I did really enjoy the Roman elements of the story, as a history WHORE, I am always looking for ancient myth/historical retellings. And like, a Roman princess getting kidnapped by the king of the goths? COME ON BRUV.
But like,,,I felt that this was way to focused on the romance than it was on the history. I felt a lot of the plot/conflict arose a bit outta nowhere at the last 40 pages, and it seemed to just go SUPER quick. Also Alaric did a whole 180 for like no reason and just,,,brother ehhhhh.
I did enjoy it though, and Julia and Horsa absolutely SLAY. Writing was good, but also? Where did Julia’s bro go?
I think my opinion would have been a bit different if I hadn’t read the BEAUTY that was Babylonia. Read THAT shit
August 30, 2025
This book read like it was homebrewed in a lab specifically for me. Historical romance that doesn't take place in WWII? Check. TRUE enemies-to-lovers that go from enemies to cautious acquaintances to friends to lovers where the author SHOWS the reader the romance developing instead of TELLING the reader? Check. Rich with detail from impeccable research? Check!
Julia and Alaric were wonderfully fleshed out as well. I had no problem rooting for both of them. Not just in the hopes that they would get together, but as characters striving to meet their own goals. I wanted Julia to escape from beneath Honorious's thumb and to achieve as much agency as a woman could in the era of the Goths and Romans. I wanted Alaric to protect his people from enslavement at the hands of the Romans.
Jenny Williamson has earned a fan in me!
Julia and Alaric were wonderfully fleshed out as well. I had no problem rooting for both of them. Not just in the hopes that they would get together, but as characters striving to meet their own goals. I wanted Julia to escape from beneath Honorious's thumb and to achieve as much agency as a woman could in the era of the Goths and Romans. I wanted Alaric to protect his people from enslavement at the hands of the Romans.
Jenny Williamson has earned a fan in me!
June 19, 2025
Romantasy is not for me. Too much focus on lusting after each other while skimming over battles and strategies. I skimmed the last 100 pages cause I just couldn’t any more.
May 29, 2025
What a debut! I spend so much time bemoaning the fact that trad published historical romance is playing it safe so when I find an author taking a massive swing, I am on board. And wow, did Jenny Williamson take a big swing here.
We spend the bulk of this book in the year 409 CE, only 67 years before the fall of the western Roman Empire. Julia is the only daughter and oldest child of the recently deceased emperor Theodosius and she is now under her younger brother's thumb. He is a cruel, weak 17-year-old who in an attempt to shore up his power has executed his sister's lover and forced her into a betrothal with a much older man to obtain his wealth for the struggling empire. Alaric, King of the Visigoths, has been betrayed over and over again by the Romans. So when he is invited to a dinner with the emperor, ostensibly to negotiate a homeland for the Goths, he knows that the Romans will try extort more military service from his already devastated people. All hell breaks loose at the dinner and Julia decides she's better off with Alaric than with her brother so she helps him escape, offering herself as a hostage.
I have never read a historical romance set during the fall of the Roman Empire. I've read historical fiction set in this time but never a book published through a romance imprint. Honestly, I was shocked this was published as a historical and wasn't edited to be a romantasy because almost all trad published historicals are Regency or Victorian. This book was a big risk for both the author and the publisher and I am so glad they took it.
Jenny Williamson is clearly a giant history nerd. I didn't need to read her bio or the author's note to figure this out. I only had to read the prologue which takes place in the aftermath of the Battle of the Frigidus to know who I was dealing with. I loved how I could see her passion for this time period on every page of the book. From the descriptions of the clothing to the geopolitics, it was clear she has spent a lot of time with this era of history and these characters.
The romance in this book was very well done. We have a heroine who has known her whole life that she would marry in service of the empire, but she always thought her father would choose for her, not her shitty, spoiled brother. When she is faced with her brother's cruelty, Julia knows she needs to leave or she will never be out from under his control. Alaric is the best of her terrible options. Yes, he is a barbarian she's been led to believe betrayed the empire, but he is also respected by his men and seems to have a moral code. I loved how smart Julia was. She was educated in Latin, Greek, engineering, agriculture and mathematics but doesn't have any practical skills that would help her survive on the road. She observes Alaric and his men, picking up their best practices and eventually learns how to defend herself. Alaric scratched an itch for me. I grew up on the historical romances of the '90s and early 2000s. I love an asshole, alpha hero–the grumpier, the better. He is the definition of gruff and unapproachable and I was here for it!
There is more gore and death in this book than is typical for a historical romance. If you loved the medieval romances of authors like Robert Gellis, enjoy Viking romances or are a big romantasy reader, I think you'll be fine. If you're more of a ballrooms and drawing rooms person, this might not work for you.
Enemy of My Dreams was an outstanding debut. I can't wait to see what Jenny Williamson does next, but she's on my auto-read list now.
We spend the bulk of this book in the year 409 CE, only 67 years before the fall of the western Roman Empire. Julia is the only daughter and oldest child of the recently deceased emperor Theodosius and she is now under her younger brother's thumb. He is a cruel, weak 17-year-old who in an attempt to shore up his power has executed his sister's lover and forced her into a betrothal with a much older man to obtain his wealth for the struggling empire. Alaric, King of the Visigoths, has been betrayed over and over again by the Romans. So when he is invited to a dinner with the emperor, ostensibly to negotiate a homeland for the Goths, he knows that the Romans will try extort more military service from his already devastated people. All hell breaks loose at the dinner and Julia decides she's better off with Alaric than with her brother so she helps him escape, offering herself as a hostage.
I have never read a historical romance set during the fall of the Roman Empire. I've read historical fiction set in this time but never a book published through a romance imprint. Honestly, I was shocked this was published as a historical and wasn't edited to be a romantasy because almost all trad published historicals are Regency or Victorian. This book was a big risk for both the author and the publisher and I am so glad they took it.
Jenny Williamson is clearly a giant history nerd. I didn't need to read her bio or the author's note to figure this out. I only had to read the prologue which takes place in the aftermath of the Battle of the Frigidus to know who I was dealing with. I loved how I could see her passion for this time period on every page of the book. From the descriptions of the clothing to the geopolitics, it was clear she has spent a lot of time with this era of history and these characters.
The romance in this book was very well done. We have a heroine who has known her whole life that she would marry in service of the empire, but she always thought her father would choose for her, not her shitty, spoiled brother. When she is faced with her brother's cruelty, Julia knows she needs to leave or she will never be out from under his control. Alaric is the best of her terrible options. Yes, he is a barbarian she's been led to believe betrayed the empire, but he is also respected by his men and seems to have a moral code. I loved how smart Julia was. She was educated in Latin, Greek, engineering, agriculture and mathematics but doesn't have any practical skills that would help her survive on the road. She observes Alaric and his men, picking up their best practices and eventually learns how to defend herself. Alaric scratched an itch for me. I grew up on the historical romances of the '90s and early 2000s. I love an asshole, alpha hero–the grumpier, the better. He is the definition of gruff and unapproachable and I was here for it!
There is more gore and death in this book than is typical for a historical romance. If you loved the medieval romances of authors like Robert Gellis, enjoy Viking romances or are a big romantasy reader, I think you'll be fine. If you're more of a ballrooms and drawing rooms person, this might not work for you.
Enemy of My Dreams was an outstanding debut. I can't wait to see what Jenny Williamson does next, but she's on my auto-read list now.
January 27, 2025
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a third person dual-POV historical romance reimagining what if Alaric I, king of the Visigoths, had fallen in love with the sister of Emperor Honorius of the Roman Empire after the Sack of Rome. Honorius’ sister, Julia, is disgusted with her brother’s behavior and has ambitions of her own to take over Rome or at least have control over her own life. When her last possible option to escape from her brother’s thumb is killed, Julia almost gives up hope until she’s taken by Alaric after he attacks Rome and she sees a chance to finally have the freedom she’s always wanted.
I debated several times on whether or not to call this a historical romance as this definitely fits a lot of hallmarks of romance, but it also feels like a historical epic. It’s hard for me to tell if it would fall under the historical genre with a very strong romance plot or if it is a romance genre with very strong historical worldbuilding and details. One major reason why I went back and forth is because Alaric is shown to kiss another woman after he has already begun something with Julia and cheating is such a big no-no in romance, but his reasoning has a lot less to do with lust and a lot more to do with politics. It hits smack dab in the center of romance genre and historical epic and, ultimately, I think each individual reader is going to have to decide how they label it.
I was familiar with the invasion of the Roman Empire that was the beginning of its downfall, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of these names. After finishing the book, I did some quick research to see what I do and do not remember and, for the most part, the names all match and almost everything in the book seems to line up with what actually happened. The major difference is Julia herself. Alaric I did take a sister of Honorius, but her name was Galla Placidia, and she later became the queen consort of Ataulf, who succeeded Alaric. Did she and Alaric have a romantic relationship in real life before Alaric’s death? I have no idea and am considering doing a deep dive to see what scholars think.
Julia and Alaric’s relationship is both a meeting of sexual chemistry and ambition. Both want to see Rome beneath their feet, though for different reasons and in different ways, and they can barely keep their hands to themselves. I’m a fan of high heat romances and this did hit a lot of the things that I like, including the banter aspect. I’m weak for banter. There is also an antagonistic quality to their romance as they are enemies and they never truly, 100% trust each other even if they keep trying to find a way back to each other’s side. It’s actually really interesting how devoted they are and yet how easy it is for them to believe the other betrayed them.
Content warning for depictions of gore and mentions of sexual assault
I would recommend this to readers who are fans of both historical epics and romance
Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a third person dual-POV historical romance reimagining what if Alaric I, king of the Visigoths, had fallen in love with the sister of Emperor Honorius of the Roman Empire after the Sack of Rome. Honorius’ sister, Julia, is disgusted with her brother’s behavior and has ambitions of her own to take over Rome or at least have control over her own life. When her last possible option to escape from her brother’s thumb is killed, Julia almost gives up hope until she’s taken by Alaric after he attacks Rome and she sees a chance to finally have the freedom she’s always wanted.
I debated several times on whether or not to call this a historical romance as this definitely fits a lot of hallmarks of romance, but it also feels like a historical epic. It’s hard for me to tell if it would fall under the historical genre with a very strong romance plot or if it is a romance genre with very strong historical worldbuilding and details. One major reason why I went back and forth is because Alaric is shown to kiss another woman after he has already begun something with Julia and cheating is such a big no-no in romance, but his reasoning has a lot less to do with lust and a lot more to do with politics. It hits smack dab in the center of romance genre and historical epic and, ultimately, I think each individual reader is going to have to decide how they label it.
I was familiar with the invasion of the Roman Empire that was the beginning of its downfall, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of these names. After finishing the book, I did some quick research to see what I do and do not remember and, for the most part, the names all match and almost everything in the book seems to line up with what actually happened. The major difference is Julia herself. Alaric I did take a sister of Honorius, but her name was Galla Placidia, and she later became the queen consort of Ataulf, who succeeded Alaric. Did she and Alaric have a romantic relationship in real life before Alaric’s death? I have no idea and am considering doing a deep dive to see what scholars think.
Julia and Alaric’s relationship is both a meeting of sexual chemistry and ambition. Both want to see Rome beneath their feet, though for different reasons and in different ways, and they can barely keep their hands to themselves. I’m a fan of high heat romances and this did hit a lot of the things that I like, including the banter aspect. I’m weak for banter. There is also an antagonistic quality to their romance as they are enemies and they never truly, 100% trust each other even if they keep trying to find a way back to each other’s side. It’s actually really interesting how devoted they are and yet how easy it is for them to believe the other betrayed them.
Content warning for depictions of gore and mentions of sexual assault
I would recommend this to readers who are fans of both historical epics and romance
January 30, 2025
Good lord these were some horny idiots. Review to come 🗡️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
I really need to start vetting romantic historical fiction/fantasy that are supposedly set in either a historical setting or inspired by a country(’s mythology and/or folklore). Granted, I didn’t know what to expect from something set during the beginnings of the Fall of Rome, but it was definitely not this. 😕
The story follows Julia, the spoiled Princess of Rome, and Alaric, King of the Goths. These two were just walking lusty disasters to me. The insta-lust within the first 20 pages just felt incredibly rushed to me and their relationship itself was so fast that I was shocked I still had 50% left of the book to deal with their ridiculous antics. 😒
As characters by themselves, Julia, while a very intelligent thanks to her imperial upbringing, can’t see past her own problems and is rather self absorbed in my opinion. She’s constantly thinking about how to get herself out from her diabolical brother’s influence but never really thinking about what will happen to those who will get caught with her until she’s staring down their death. I dunno, she just came off as a rebellious and spoiled teen. 🙄
Alaric was just a raging red flag to me. He’s jealous of any man who gets close to Julia, immediately starts seeing her as his alone even before they hit the sack, and it just gave older man using his attractiveness to leverage a younger woman. Same as with Julia, he just came off so hot-headed and stubborn that I really enjoyed when their “plans” went to shit because how on earth did they think they were good in the first place? 🤔
The writing was also a bit of a problem for me with the story. At times, it just felt a bit too modern and don’t get me started on how the POV would randomly change without warning in the middle of the paragraph! 🤦🏻♀️
The saving glory of this hot lusty mess was that I could tell the author has done her research into the different groups that Julia meets during her time with Alaric and co.. Speaking of the company, I found myself more interested in the gang of idiots than I was in the main couple and POVs of the story. I was also a big fan of just the idea of a historical fantasy set in the time leading up to the fall of Rome because it’s such an interesting period of history, but maybe I should’ve kept that excitement to a minimal. 😬
I’m seeing a rise in Roman inspired fantasy/romantasy, but I’m getting a little concerned that people are jumping to the OG culture appropriators simply because Greek inspired fantasy is being FLOODED past capacity (in my opinion) and because it’s close enough in proximity and historical period and mythology. 🏺
Thank you goes out to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. I wish I had enjoyed this more than I had. 😢
Publication date: February 4
Overall: 2.5/5 ⭐️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
I really need to start vetting romantic historical fiction/fantasy that are supposedly set in either a historical setting or inspired by a country(’s mythology and/or folklore). Granted, I didn’t know what to expect from something set during the beginnings of the Fall of Rome, but it was definitely not this. 😕
The story follows Julia, the spoiled Princess of Rome, and Alaric, King of the Goths. These two were just walking lusty disasters to me. The insta-lust within the first 20 pages just felt incredibly rushed to me and their relationship itself was so fast that I was shocked I still had 50% left of the book to deal with their ridiculous antics. 😒
As characters by themselves, Julia, while a very intelligent thanks to her imperial upbringing, can’t see past her own problems and is rather self absorbed in my opinion. She’s constantly thinking about how to get herself out from her diabolical brother’s influence but never really thinking about what will happen to those who will get caught with her until she’s staring down their death. I dunno, she just came off as a rebellious and spoiled teen. 🙄
Alaric was just a raging red flag to me. He’s jealous of any man who gets close to Julia, immediately starts seeing her as his alone even before they hit the sack, and it just gave older man using his attractiveness to leverage a younger woman. Same as with Julia, he just came off so hot-headed and stubborn that I really enjoyed when their “plans” went to shit because how on earth did they think they were good in the first place? 🤔
The writing was also a bit of a problem for me with the story. At times, it just felt a bit too modern and don’t get me started on how the POV would randomly change without warning in the middle of the paragraph! 🤦🏻♀️
The saving glory of this hot lusty mess was that I could tell the author has done her research into the different groups that Julia meets during her time with Alaric and co.. Speaking of the company, I found myself more interested in the gang of idiots than I was in the main couple and POVs of the story. I was also a big fan of just the idea of a historical fantasy set in the time leading up to the fall of Rome because it’s such an interesting period of history, but maybe I should’ve kept that excitement to a minimal. 😬
I’m seeing a rise in Roman inspired fantasy/romantasy, but I’m getting a little concerned that people are jumping to the OG culture appropriators simply because Greek inspired fantasy is being FLOODED past capacity (in my opinion) and because it’s close enough in proximity and historical period and mythology. 🏺
Thank you goes out to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. I wish I had enjoyed this more than I had. 😢
Publication date: February 4
Overall: 2.5/5 ⭐️
January 7, 2025
Thank you Jenny Williamson, Canary Street Press, The Hive, and NetGalley for the free book!
I’m always drawn to historical romances set in ancient Rome, and Enemy of My Dreams did not disappoint! Julia, a headstrong Roman princess, and Alaric, the fierce Visigoth warrior, make for an unforgettable pairing. Julia’s refusal to bow to anyone’s demands made her such a compelling protagonist, and Alaric’s sharp wit and commanding presence were the perfect match for her fiery spirit.
The dynamic between Julia and Alaric was one of my favorite parts. Their early journey together was full of tension and hilarious pettiness— Priceless moments that kept me hooked. The mix of humor and heat in their interactions made their relationship feel authentic and entertaining.
This book is epic in every sense—rich with drama, suspense, and an incredible cast of characters. There were moments where I genuinely wasn’t sure if some of them would make it to the end, which added to the stakes and kept me turning the pages.
Between the vivid writing, the perfect balance of spice and story, and the captivating setting, Enemy of My Dreams is a must-read for fans of historical romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Jenny Williamson!
I’m always drawn to historical romances set in ancient Rome, and Enemy of My Dreams did not disappoint! Julia, a headstrong Roman princess, and Alaric, the fierce Visigoth warrior, make for an unforgettable pairing. Julia’s refusal to bow to anyone’s demands made her such a compelling protagonist, and Alaric’s sharp wit and commanding presence were the perfect match for her fiery spirit.
The dynamic between Julia and Alaric was one of my favorite parts. Their early journey together was full of tension and hilarious pettiness— Priceless moments that kept me hooked. The mix of humor and heat in their interactions made their relationship feel authentic and entertaining.
This book is epic in every sense—rich with drama, suspense, and an incredible cast of characters. There were moments where I genuinely wasn’t sure if some of them would make it to the end, which added to the stakes and kept me turning the pages.
Between the vivid writing, the perfect balance of spice and story, and the captivating setting, Enemy of My Dreams is a must-read for fans of historical romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Jenny Williamson!
July 4, 2025
THANK GOODNESS this delivered. I was so suspicious of this, because it’s clearly marketed as a romantasy, but I was pleasantly amazed at how much more it offered. The late Roman period setting was the initial draw for me, but I liked both Julia, sister of the emperor Honorius, and Alaric, the king of Goths. Their perspectives alternated frequently, (maybe sometimes too frequently) which made me comfortable in both their heads. I especially appreciated how long it took for them to actually give in to each other- there was great distrust between them, occasionally erring on the side of miscommunication, but it was honestly believable given the circumstances. With romantasy, if the romance begins in earnest before the 200 page mark, I will be annoyed. 😩 The side characters that accompany Alaric and Julia are loyal and entertaining, and I thoroughly bought their connection to each other. The constant warmongering and political intrigue was also far more than set dressing, and deeply affected the romance. I actually think this qualifies better as historical fiction or fantasy rather than romantasy! Incredibly lovely. Sort of desperate for a sequel…or something else in this world/by this author.
July 14, 2025
Julia, daughter of the late emperor of Rome, has turned to bacchanalian ways since her cleverness and cunning goes unappreciated at court. Now that her spoiled younger brother rules, he'd like lay down his own laws and marry Julia to one of his very wealthy advisors to pay for the never ending wars Rome faces. Julia tries to murder her brother and arranges the warlord Alaric to kidnap her. When she offers to help Alaric gain a homeland in exchange for making her Empress, he balks initially, but eventually finds that the headstrong Julia is the only thing his heart desires.
This may be marketed as fantasy/mythology, but on the tip of @plottrysts I went into it expecting a historical romance, and was richly rewarded. Julia is tempestuous and spoiled, having lived her life in a palace and being engaged to half a dozen different potential allies previously. Alaric is stiff and honorable, having grown up in the army, fighting for every inch. Both of them are stubborn. neither know how to share their feelings or communicate (language barrier aside). And yet I found that it worked well in this war-ravaged setting.
The end of the book takes some interesting turns, but it sticks the landing as Julia refuses to yield - which in the end is less out of stubbornness and more out of bravery.
This may be marketed as fantasy/mythology, but on the tip of @plottrysts I went into it expecting a historical romance, and was richly rewarded. Julia is tempestuous and spoiled, having lived her life in a palace and being engaged to half a dozen different potential allies previously. Alaric is stiff and honorable, having grown up in the army, fighting for every inch. Both of them are stubborn. neither know how to share their feelings or communicate (language barrier aside). And yet I found that it worked well in this war-ravaged setting.
The end of the book takes some interesting turns, but it sticks the landing as Julia refuses to yield - which in the end is less out of stubbornness and more out of bravery.
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