The Temple of Fortuna

• Author: Elodie Harper
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Publication Date: November 9, 2023
• Publisher: Union Square & Co.
• Series: Wolf Den Trilogy #3

Thank you to Jenny Lu & Union Square & Co. for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The gripping final installment in Elodie Harper’s bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy.

Amara’s journey has taken her far—from enslavement in Pompeii’s infamous Wolf Den brothel to her new life in Rome as the privileged courtesan of an elite official—but her story is not over yet. While Amara plays for power in Rome’s treacherous imperial court, her beloved daughter and her one true love remain in Pompeii. Amara finds herself back in that ill-fated city as events unfold, and Felix, the vicious man who once owned her, still has her in his sights. But it is October 79 CE: mighty Mount Vesuvius is about to make itself known. Amara will need to draw on all her resources to protect herself, her family, and her secrets.

I’ve really enjoyed this series so far—from a tiny article in a magazine that called my attention to the upcoming first book, to watching Amara and the other characters grow and change throughout the first two books. Also seeing what Amara is able to accomplish over the course of the series is fascinating, as is the peek into Pompeiian and Roman history. 

Amara had captured my heart in the first two books, so I obviously wanted her to flourish in this book, and escape Vesuvius. But, I knew that it wouldn’t be a very good story without tension and conflict. All of which Amara is centered in, having all kinds of difficulty. She’s torn between her wealthy and influential patron in Rome and her true love back in Pompeii, who is taking care of her daughter while she is away. We quickly learn that Amara isn’t just the kind of person who can charm pretty much anyone, but she’s also got a great head for business. 

While working hard at securing her position in Roman society, Amara has continued with her moneylending business, and has branched out into buying up businesses, a brilliant move on her part. She has a fixation on amassing money, but she is doing everything in her power to protect her daughter and build a better future for them. It leads her to make some choices that she might not have under other circumstances, but it seems like when she has the ability, she does make moral choices. However, despite having achieved her freedom, she’s still constrained by her past choices and societal limitations. 

The many different storylines that have been building in the previous two books all get wrapped up. I loved seeing all the outcomes and how Harper created a compelling plot and several subplots, and tying everything together in the end. The pace is rather slow in the beginning, letting us get accustomed to Amara’s new life while also dreading the impending volcanic eruption. Things only really get moving after the halfway point in the story, but once it starts going, it goes fast.

Harper’s research is impeccable. She has studied so many aspects of Roman and specifically Pompeiian life, from the architecture to the types of stores, from the daily life to the social structure, and it was incredibly intriguing to learn about. We got to see more of the Roman Empire in this book than we did in previous books. Overall, this was the perfect ending to the trilogy, with difficult choices, emotional moments, and life-threatening danger, not just from the volcano.

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