From the Ashes

The Colosseum #1

by Melissa Addey

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don't just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time - and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him. First in the Colosseum series.
Praise for Melissa Addey's previous
Reading this novel was a moving and wonderful excursion into a different time. Editor's Choice. Historical Novel Society
Ms Addey excels at making ancient worlds come her world-building is superb. Discovering Diamonds
The Colosseum series They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. It opened with one hundred days of brutal gladiatorial combats, exotic wild animal hunts, naval battles and the re-enactment of extraordinary and dangerous mythological adventures. But no history book, anywhere, mentions the people who made it the backstage team. The Colosseum series follows the lives of the backstage team as they serve an unpredictable Emperor, put on shows to please the masses and live out their lives in the shadowy underworld of the greatest amphitheatre ever built.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Ancient History

316 pages, Paperback

Published February 5, 2021

About the author

I mainly write historical fiction: my first novel, The Fragrant Concubine, was Editor’s Choice at the Historical Novel Society, my latest, The Cold Palace, won the 2019 Novel London award.

I was the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library and now run regular workshops there. I have a PhD in Creative Writing and have self-published 13 books.

I live in London with my husband and two children.

If you’d like to try my writing, visit my website www.melissaaddey.com to pick up a free novella, The Cup.

Reviews

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“From the Ashes” by Melissa Addey is the first of two books in ‘The Colosseum Series’ set in Rome 80AD and is both captivating tense and emotionally tender.
The reader is introduced straight away to slave Althea, in a scene that sets the atmosphere of Rome of the time; an extravagant party with lavish food, lewd entertainment and an obsession with nudity. When Althea later starts work as a scribe to a new master Marcus, she forms a working relationship and close friendship with him, as he is challenged with organising the one hundred days of games for the soon to be inaugurated Colosseum. The amount of detail the author conveyed in the organisation of the games was truly tremendous and almost like she does this task daily! It is often overlooked when we think of the gladiatorial games and what must go into organising the constant supply and upkeep of animals from around the world, the removal of dead bodies from the arena etc and that’s without taking into account the number of visitors to the amphitheatre and their needs and safety. Very interesting and immersive reading.
Everyone knows the history of Pompeii and the devastation Mount Vesuvius wreaked across the city but reading it first-hand from the survivors who were able to flee in time along with Althea and Marcus’ emotions as they attempted to find their friends and family, was truly heartbreaking. The fear, concern and determination were perfectly communicated.
I was interested in the different gods and goddesses the Ancient Romans worshipped and how they genuinely believed each one would help with their prayers.
I’m looking forward to the second book with gusto and if historical fiction based on Ancient Rome takes your interest then this book is for you. I was addicted. Often brutal, bloody and upsetting but only what you’d expect from gladiatorial life.
#FromTheAshes - ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melissa Addey’s compulsively readable FROM THE ASHES is the story of a young slave woman trained as a scribe who must assist a retired centurion, now an impresario, in planning inaugural Games for the new Colosseum. Few readers will be aware that the great amphitheater's dedication took place soon after the destruction of Pompeii, an epidemic of what was probably malaria, and a fire that burned a sizable part of Rome. These disasters play an important part in the novel, pitting intense emotions against an inexorable deadline.

Addey’s pitch-perfect knowledge of life in Rome circa 79-80 AD helps engage the reader and ratchet up the tension. She gives us an Althea who is kind, humble, and clever, and a Marcus who is a good man, easy to like and empathize with. At the same time, she guides us through the behind-the-scenes workings of the Colosseum, as well as the complexity of putting on an entertainment to please an emperor and an audience hungry for spectacle. This highly authentic and compelling story deserves (and if Fortuna were just, would enjoy) acclaim to equal Robert Harris’s POMPEII. Strongly recommended.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very powerful and well researched book depicting the tragedies which Rome faced under the rule of Emperor Titus as seen and recounted by the Greek slave woman known as Althea. She who had been given as a gift from one owner to the next, like chattel in a move that was to change her life forever. Marcus her new owner had just been given the responsibility of seeing the new amphitheatre being built in Rome finished to the highest expectations in just under one year, and she was to be his scribe and assistant. However, this was before tragedy struck in the form of the eruption of Vesuvius which destroyed and erased from the face of the Earth towns and villages including Pompeii, the town where Marcus' wife and baby son had been left behind. As Marcus' loses everything in life, he also loses hope and a reason to live, searching endlessly for his beloved family. However Althea and Fausta, his one time assistant could not let him give in to despair as he would become a wanted man unless he returned to Rome to finish the job he had signed up to do. They also needed a man's protection in order to survive but during the following year it was Althea's strength that sees them through one tragedy after another as she helps to pull Marcus back to the world of the living to see the job done. I love the courage of Althea, her loyalty to Marcus and those she cared for, I love the way Ms. Addey manages to capture the life of the Romans of that age, depicting them as the superstitious people they were, praying to the numerous Gods of the Pantheon and blaming all and sundry for the afflictions they were suffering. However I hated reading of the harsh brutality of the amphitheatre which Ms Addey depicts in all it's gory detail, thus bringing to life the splendour of the games and the blood thirst people revelled in, in those times. I look forward in anticipation to book 2 in this beautifully narrated series which puts us really in the picture of life in Rome under the reign of Emperor Titus.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLURB
Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius. Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.
REVIEW
I love Roman historical-fiction. So many eras, earth shaking events, godlike personalities, and stories for an author to choose from. From the Ashes takes place during the reign of Titus, and the inauguration of The Flavian Amphitheatre. As for earth shaking, Mt Vesuvius blows up covering the landscape in an ashen shroud, choking and burning all in it's reach. The story revolves mainly around Marcus and Althea, not the usual godlike characters, but two individuals who rise above the tearful, paralyzing grief brought about by Vesuvius, while faced with the daunting task of keeping the Emperor pleased with his father's legacy. Vividly described, their journey to get to and then through Pompeii in a hopeless search, is one of the more heartbreaking storylines in a tale full of emotional upsets. It would take a very strong, determined person to navigate the many challenges faced in this page turning tale. The author has created just such a character. Althea, accustomed to taking orders, becomes adept at handling situations where failure to succeed would produce dire consequences. Beset with her own sorrows, Althea digs deep into her being placing the doubts and worries aside. The tortuous path to complete the Amphitheatre is strewn with seemingly impossible to overcome obstacles...and that is what makes this book so entertaining, so enjoyable to read. I cannot wait for the second book in the series. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Mary Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the threat of Pompeii in 80AD, to the ‘glamour’ of gladiator battles in the Colosseum, be transported to ancient Rome in this fast-paced and gripping historical fiction, taking us behind-the-scenes of some of the most extravagant entertainments the Empire ever witnessed.

There’s always a sense of foreboding in any book which starts in Pompeii. As a reader, I feel a hint of nervousness, trying to think ahead, work out who will survive the disaster, and who will not. History has shown that the numbers are not on any character’s side, after all. Here, we know that Althea and Marcus must survive, but it’s the family and friends we meet in the opening pages I worry for. We know the disaster must hit, and soon, and the sense of threat really does hang over everything.

Following a job offer he cannot refuse, and needing a scribe to help him with it, Marcus and Althea make their farewells, and head for the capital. Marcus is initially unwilling to take up his new role, but the anticipation of buying a little farm-stead and enjoying retirement just about convinces him to take on the greatest challenge of his career. This is no small-scale dinner party, or battle in Pompeii’s arena, after all – can he really bring about the magnitude of events that the Emperor will require for the inauguration of the Colosseum? One hundred days of games and entertainments? The men making the decisions believe he can.

There is a detailed Author’s Note at the end of this novel, which I would usually mention at the end of the review, but it’s worth raising at this point. Despite it being one of the most famous symbols of ancient Rome, there is very little, practically nothing in fact, about the people who worked ‘backstage’ at the Colosseum, at any stage, including the inaugural events. And yet, given the scale of things, there simply must have been a huge group of people behind-the-scenes. It’s wonderful then, to give these people a moment in the spotlight, rather than focusing only on the gladiators and Emperors.

In brilliant detail, we meet the teams who paint the scenery, create the souvenirs, capture and bring in the animals, train the gladiators, supply the criminals for execution and far, far more, all under the watchful eyes of Althea and Marcus. Marcus becomes Althea’s owner, much to Althea’s surprise, early on in the story, and her skills as a scribe are soon put to much better use than they ever have been for her previous master.

When news reaches Rome that disaster has befallen Pompeii and others (how can towns and ports just ‘vanish’, people wonder, horrified), Marcus feels he must return home, to know for certain what has happened to his loved ones. We are with him and Althea as they convince a boatman to take them down the unrecognisable coastline, and are right beside Marcus, especially as he digs through the fresh ash, desperate to find any trace of his home. The devastation of the city, and those left behind, is well-captured, and Marcus’ reaction is believable and heart-breaking.

There is little time to mourn though, as we are thrown from one problem to another, whether that’s keeping badly-travelling giraffes alive long enough, or ensuring there are enough toilet-cleaners on hand to deal with breaks in the entertainments (it seems some things never change!).

At a wider level, Rome itself is going through a period of upheaval, with sickness and fire both threatening the city, and taking their toll on Marcus and Althea, through the loss of colleagues and, tragically, more close friends. This is as much a story of survival against the odds, as it is the entertaining of a pampered ruler.

Despite my best intentions, I found myself racing through this book, speeding through over half of it in one night of very poor sleep. Whether in the rural comfort of Pompeii, or walking between the ancient temples of the Forum, I felt utterly transported back in time, with the sights, smells and sounds captured at every stage. We are in the rooms when people are on their sick-beds, we sit and share family meals, and we hurry through ash-and-soot-filled streets whilst Rome burns, just days before the Colosseum is due to open. We feel the despair of Marcus as he has to come to terms with what has happened in Pompeii, and the frustration of Althea, as she and Fausta, Marcus’ right-hand-woman from his former role, are forced to cover for him during his ill-advised absences from work. And we are there as Althea grows in confidence working alongside this man who was ‘given’ her with hardly a second thought.

The relationship between the colleagues was a particularly interesting one, and I am certainly looking forward to reading more about their upcoming challenges in the rest of the series. Marcus and Althea especially, find themselves bound together by promises to which they gave hardly any credence as they were made, and yet became binding by subsequent events. The understanding which grows feels realistic, given their circumstances, and although I knew from previous history documentaries etc. that the opening events they were preparing for were particularly violent and graphic in nature, I found myself willing them to succeed every step of the way.

In the midst of the wealth and apparent glamour of Rome though, and the still-famous Colosseum, what appealed to me most in this story was the ‘ordinary-ness’ of it all. We have all been there – a demanding manager, staff or colleagues who can’t / won’t deliver on time, suppliers struggling to meet demands – but reading about the seemingly mundane behind something so magnificent gives a real grounding to an ancient civilisation we all feel we know, even if we’ve never studied it, just by its sheer magnitude. It makes everything feel very real and relatable, and I love that in a piece of historical fiction.

I Highly Recommend From the Ashes (The Colosseum Book 1) by Melissa Addey.

Review by Jennifer C. Wilson.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, giving us a window on how a team of people led by Marcus and his helpers Althea and Fausta make sure everything will run smoothly for the Flavian Amphitheater [i.e., Colosseum] to be a success in the Inaugural gladiatorial games. We've never thought about it [and probably the spectators never did, either] that there were many details that had to be gotten just right for the "show to go on." We also read of Pompeii and its destruction, in which Marcus loses his family, and more bad luck--a fire breaks out in Rome and there is an outbreak of [probably] malaria. Very readable and well written. Pacing just glided along. I understand there will be sequels, which I want to read.

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Ashes is a captivating tale of Rome in the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius. Titan is Emperor (incidentally, I've not long read Simon Turney's take on Domitian, and I felt as though I knew the time period well), and the Flavian Amphitheatre is to be opened in honour of his father. As such, he is invested in its success.

From the Ashes, told through the eyes of Althea, a Greek slave woman, is a well-told and thrilling story of the Colosseum by those who ensure the spectacle is arranged and carried out as expected for the people attending the games, including the Emperor and despite the year of the three disasters, the eruption of Vesuvius, a plague and a fire that threatens Rome itself.

Althea is a fabulous main character. Her viewpoint, as a slave woman who became a freewoman, who once lived in Pompei and yet has knowledge of Rome, ensures that while the reader might be a stranger to the era, she certainly is not. The telling of the tale is thrilling.

Her story, and that of Marcus and the rest of the group of men and women labouring to ensure the opening of the Flavian Amphitheatre goes without a hitch, is human and real - Marcus, grieving, Althea, out of her depths and the rest of their collection of allies, ensure we know all about the people behind the scenes. Some scenes are distressing, and I appreciated that the author made no apology for them and still included them. As sophisticated as elements of the Roman way of life sound, some elements chime against today's sensibilities.

I thoroughly enjoyed From the Ashes. It is a well-told story of the 'plebs' of Rome, and it is a triumph.

[Melanie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely superb historical fiction

Everyone knows the horror story of Pompeii, the vibrant city buried alive by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. That disaster is the jumping off point for From the Ashes (The Colosseum Book 1). Melissa Addey's meticulous historical research and captivating detailed storytelling combine to make this gritty tale of tragedy and survival a must-read. Told through the eyes of Althea, Greek slave and scribe, the incredible challenges of putting on the Roman Colosseum's inaugural festivities for the glory of the Emperor Titus are contrasted with the background of Rome's underclasses and their way of life. Eruption, fire, and pestilence, the everyday threat of Imperial disapproval, and the unrelenting burden of grief threaten to crush the spirits, and the lives, of Althea, her master/employer Marcus, and the odd assortment of whores, waifs, aging Vestal Virgins, etc. who surmount all in order to bring off the show of the century. The might of Rome shines through this story, in the strength, grit, resourcefulness, and teamwork of Addey's band of unsung heroes who live this challenge with the courage and perseverance worthy of the great Caesars of Roman legend. This is a voluntary ARC review, and a strong recommendation to READ THIS BOOK!

[Vivien Gintner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the mood to read some historical fiction set in ancient Rome, and after a short research, I found From The Ashes. I just wanted to read the excerpt to know if it is worth putting it on my TBR. And a strange thing happened. I couldn't stop reading. I've read the excerpt, and I abandoned my current read to be able to continue the novel.
I've read the book in three days. I read whenever I had free time, and when I couldn't read, I was thinking about the book.
From the Ashes is a short book, but it didn't feel that way. So much happened in 300 pages. I adored the fire theme, and I adored it even more because it was a historically accurate theme. One of my favorite parts was the author's note about the historical background.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read all her fiction now. Hard as it is for me to believe she is getting better. The way she describes the eruption of Vesuvius and the aftermath is just mesmerizing and that’s not even the center of the story.

I love how this author brings characters back in her subsequent stories as she weaves together how everyone fits. Each book can stand by itself but she creates her characters so well that you are glad to see them again as you learn another characters story. I expect she will do that again so how can I possibly wait for the next book? I cannot recommend this author highly enough!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story. Rome 80AD, and games to be played in the new Colosseum. Unfortunately the games have to be made. How will this all happen. Loved the characters and the plot.

[Irene Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended!

I'm not always good at writing a review but after finishing this wonderful book I felt I just had to recommend it to anyone thinking about buying it. I have been transported back to the year 79AD, cried at the loss of Pompeii, travelled to Rome and the wonders of the Coloseum and fell in love with Marcus and Althea. Another beautifully written book by Melissa Addey!

[Helen Hollick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Rome in 79/80 CE at the time of the construction of the Flavian amphitheatre that we now call the Colosseum, this novel tells of the lives and struggles of the backstage team who are to organise the first hundred days of events. As with modern music festivals, coronations, or Olympic games today, ancient Roman games didn’t just happen. Ex-centurion Marcus, who managed the amphitheatre in Pompeii, is contracted to create and run the opening ceremony and first few months of events in the biggest amphitheatre in the empire – Rome. Not an easy task, especially as he is grieving for his young family crushed in Pompeii under the Vesuvius eruption. Althea, a Greek slave woman, serves as his scribe and becomes his right-hand woman, friend and more.

The research in general is very good; descriptions of streets, buildings, clothes, food, transport, religion and superstition are comprehensive and well done, sometimes almost touching on the info-dump, but the writing is clear and fluent enough to bring us back from that precipice. The attitude to gladiators, Christians, animals and criminals is mostly realistic but surprisingly un-gory. Perhaps this is tempered for a modern readership?

The author resisted the urge to describe the disaster at Pompeii as it happened but made it more horrific as news trickled through to Rome and then as the two main characters visited in the aftermath. Althea turns through her mind what it must have been like. These were strong and very moving scenes.

The characters are well-defined and vivid and the developing relationships – collegiate and romantic – are warm and emotional. From the Ashes is, of course, fiction not history, but the interaction between Althea and her former master, Lucius, and between her and Marcus are more 21st century than 1st century. Rome was an extremely class conscious society and the difference between free citizen and enslaved human property was a gaping chasm. All slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. They could be sold at a whim and whipped or flogged for the tiniest infraction or misplaced word, whatever their place in the slave hierarchy. Althea questioning her social-climbing first master, Lucius, seemed unrealistic and somewhat jarring when placed into an accurate historical context.

Marcus, however friendly and pragmatic, was a former centurion, a rank earned from years of personal discipline and hard battle in brutal circumstances. As a Roman man of that experience from a land-holding family, it is unimaginable that he would allow a slave to address him familiarly, even in private. Nor would he express his feelings so overtly. As the relationship develops and Althea is freed, and they both work in the raffish atmosphere of the backstage Colosseum, their more informal relationship does becomes more plausible.

Although surprise is expressed that Althea is still a virgin at around twenty years of age, this is, however, not enough to deflect this reader’s doubts. By Marcus, Althea is on her third master. Sleeping with your slave and/or lending her, or him, to your friends for the same was so normal as to not be worth mentioning. If female slaves reached thirteen or fourteen years old intact, it was remarkable. I am aware, though, that many readers are over-sensitive to this modern-day uncomfortable fact of history, which is, perhaps why the author circumnavigated the issue.

While I very much enjoyed the story, the concept, and the vivid writing, this could have been a deeper, more believable story if the author had truly entered the Roman mindset. However, stepping around this inconsistency: as fiction this is a clever concept and a well-developed story; a welcome change from battles, emperors, riots, revolution, assassinations and army heroes. Few of us, even standing in the bright sunshine and atmosphere in the ruins of the Colosseum today, consider the sheer organisational skills and numbers of people behind the events. Sometimes, texts leave frustratingly large holes about the nitty-gritty of day to day life in Ancient Rome.

Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds

[Susan Hamann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Althea is a scribe in Pompei. She is also a slave. This story covers over a year, from Althea being transferred to a wealthy, talented man with a wife and young son. The story takes us through the tragedy of the explosion of Mount Vesuvius to Rome, a plague, and a great fire. All the while, planning the building and opening of the biggest and most impressive colosseum in all of the Roman Empire.

The entire story is told through the eyes of Althea, a talented and smart woman, who is dedicated to her master and to the people she lives and works with. The story provides us with insight into the every day lives of the people in ancient Rome; what they ate, how they dressed, their customs, and their gods. It also covers their fears and their work.

This is a well written story that kept me interested from start to end. I think it can be read and enjoyed from young adult through mature audiences.

I listened to the audio version of the book. The narrator did an excellent job.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story

I have read most of this authors books and love each and every one. But this one was special because it covered a time in history I had not read about before. Learning about the eruption of mount Vesuvius and the impact it must have had on so many live was heartbreaking. And to know what happened during the shows at The Colosseum was not easy to read, but i am always grateful to an author that will do the leg work and put historical facts into concise, yet interesting stories, is what always keeps me coming back for more. I cannot wait to read the next 3 books in this novel and recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction.

[Julia Boggio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful reimagining of the opening of the Amphitheater in Rome. I love how this focuses on the backstage team and the trials of putting on the games ordered by Titus. Melissa Addey has done a beautiful job of bringing this era around 79AD and the eruption of Vesuvius to life, through careful research paired with inventive storytelling for the bits she couldn’t find in history books. The characters were fully fleshed, the writing pacy and the story captivating. I highly enjoyed getting to experience this time period through the author’s eyes and will definitely be reading the rest of the series!

[Kendall Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addey’s offering, From The Ashes is a totally engrossing book, from the first page to the last! The story takes place just after the fall of Pompeii, when Rome is set to inaugurate the Colosseum with spectacular gladiatorial games. The story is rich in fact and understanding of the period, and is told from the point of a slave woman, who is a scribe to the man who oversees the planning of the games. It is an authentic telling of people, places and events in an engrossing fictional way. The book is brilliant and immensely readable. No reader would be disappointed in this story!

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was some modern phrasing I didn't care for, but overall this was a convincing recreation of ancient Rome. It was well-written with wonderful, memorable characters, especially our heroine. Having just read a couple of novels that take place IN Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius, I found it interesting to read about the disaster from the point-of-view of people impacted but not present: the loss of loved ones and the aftermath. I'm only sad that Book Two in the series isn't yet in audio.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first novel in the new Colosseum series and what a starter this was! I was hooked immediately and found myself drawn to the characters and the electric fast paced storytelling!

We learn all about the people behind the Colosseum performances which makes for some fascinating reading! The descriptions here are amazing and I could feel myself being transported back in time to Ancient Rome where brutality was often just part of the reality of life!

Such a wonderfully detailed and engaging read!

5 stars

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this backstage pass on the workings at the colosseum. A clever idea, and one that works brilliantly.

Packed with tension, drama and superb characters, I was addicted to this read.

An unusual historical time period to choose- I know I haven't read anything else from this time period, and the author made it accessible despite being such a long time ago. It still felt real and natural.

This doesn't shy away from topical issues of the time which makes it a brave and smart all round read.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know of the lost city of Pompeii, smothered by the ash from the Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D.

But do we know the suffering incurred by its residents, how they died, the agony felt by their surviving family members, friends, neighbors?

When I read this book and learned of the aftermath of the blast, I was sucked into the story and the emotions of grief, guilt, and compassion of those left behind. I felt the disbelief, the numbing pain and the deep sense of loss deep in my gut.

I recommend this book! It goes way behind the history and science of the event by tapping into the feelings of humans nearly destroyed by a cataclysmic and uncontrollable event in their life.

[Michèle Callard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I love anything to do with Pompeii and relished the fast-paced story told through the eyes of a slave. I am convinced I used to be a Roman matron in a previous life and am always wishing I could go back to Rome, just for a moment. The sights and smells rising From the Ashes took me back there and I enjoyed every minute, even if, like the heroine, I had to avert my eyes when the lions came out.

[Georgina Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing on with my love of Italy, this is set in Ancient Rome around the time of the Colosseum’s grand opening and the loss of Pompeii. I had no idea that the two events were around the same time, this is why i love historical fiction so much - whilst there is an element of fiction, there is always true events and a chance for learning.

Althea is a scribe/slave who works for a wealthy merchant in Pompeii who then sells her as part of a deal to Marcus, the man he puts forward to run the games and entertainments at the new Colosseum in Rome. No long after they arrive in Rome to check progress, Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying Pompeii and Marcus’ family under tonnes of ash and rock. Whilst stuck in his grieve, Althea keeps things going and proves herself to be a competent and worthy right hand woman to Marcus, making difficult decisions and generally annoying the architect!

We meet some amazing characters along the way, I loved Fausta - such a great sense of humour and no one messed with her and Julia, the ex-Vestal Virgin who is an old friend of Marcus and gives them a place to stay.

I loved this book, and am excited for the sequel to see what more life has in store for Althea and Marcus, they have overcome so much in this one that I hope for an easier life for them next time.

[Sam Heffernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful and insightful to something I had never considered

Lovely book, short but well moving story. Managed to read it on holiday in 2 days. Very invested in the actual story but also the insights into the many things we dont know about Roman history, culture and lifestyle and how Melissa has gently filled in some blanks with very plausible theories.
Love it, downloading the next one now :)

[Tarry DW Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story about Marcus, the man in charge of building the colosseum and creating the gladiator games, told from the eyes of his servant that accompanied him & helped through the many disasters happening at that time.

An enjoyable read that kept me wondering what would happen next, I loved hearing the stories of Pompeii & the Roman fires through the experience of someone living through it.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing start to a new series, I can't wait for book two to be released.

Pompeii has fallen, Vesuvius has erupted and drowned it in its ashes. The Colosseum is being erected and it's down to lowly slave Althea to ensure that everything goes as planned so Marcus can claw his way out of his darkness.

I became completely absorbed into the story and devoured every single word, it was an incredible reincarnation of ancient Rome, very well written and clearly researched.

Highly enjoyable, addictive and definitely recommendable.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Andrea Oliverio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non sono un grande fan dei romanzi in prima persona (l’unico motivo per cui non ho dato 5 stelle), ma devo ammettere che questa scrittrice mi ha stupito: storia molto intrigante, un dietro le quinte dei preparativi al Colosseo per l’inaugurazione; personaggi credibili e belli, ben caratterizzati; immancabile colpo di scena (che non posso dire).

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

This book was different than I expected and I loved it! Though the facts and storyline are difficult to read or comprehend at times (due to the gravity of the situation described) and can be extremely sad and heart-wrenching, there is still hope, loyalty, and love that shines through the ashes. What an emotional journey! I can't wait to read the next book.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I loved the writing style, and the historical detail. Fantastic. Great characters - friendship, love, heartbreak. Read in one go, 5 stars. Will be looking for more books from this author.

[Nicole Brunskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Book

The story is excellent, as are the characters. However, this is supposed to be a historical fiction set in Ancient Rome. Why do the characters accidentally fall back into using modern British slang? It doesn't sound right or real.