The Temple of Fortuna (Wolf Den Trilogy, 3) Paperback – November 14, 2023

The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper is the intense third installment of The Wolf Den trilogy. My reviews for books 1 and 2 can be found here and here. To be honest, I kind of put off reading this final installment because I knew it was going to be rough with the culmination of the stories and character arcs against the backdrop of the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption.Temple opens three years after the events of book 2 with Amara living as a wealthy courtesan in Rome under her patron Demetrius. But when political ambitions and feuds threaten Amara’s safety, her patron sends her back to Pompeii with the expectation of their marriage later that year.Amara is at once unseated by returning to Pompeii’s gritty streets where memories of trauma and abuse run wild. While she reunites with her former fellow “wolf”, the Iceni warrior Britannica who is now a gladiator, Amara also comes face to face with her past love Philos and their three-year-old daughter Rufina. They live at the estate of Julia Felix under the pretense the Philos, still enslaved, is Rufina’s caretaker while most believe she is the daughter of Amara’s former patron Rufus. Amara is at war with herself in her proximity to Philos, for it is clear she still loves him and he in turn, yet both know the utter danger involved in acting upon those feelings–especially with their daughter now in the mix.Tremors rock Pompeii in growing frequency, and while the citizens shrug them off as normal, the reader will be feeling the heightened anxiety of what is to come. Amara briefly faces off with her old adversaries Felix and Victoria, now married, and worries her and Philos’ secret will come undone at Felix’s behest. All of these problems, however, will soon pale in comparison to the coming catastrophe that really hammers home the idea that many human problems and social constructions are trivial compared to the might and terror of nature.About 60% through the book, the eruption begins. I will not give away too much, but rest assured I had to stop myself from binging the rest of the book in one sitting after this part because things move very fast and very intensely. Your heart races knowing what will happen on a grander scale, yet aches for the characters and their possible fates. Will all their struggles be for naught, or will they–against all odds, find their happy ending after all? Again, I don’t want to give away too much, but I found the end both surprising and satisfying. The Temple of Fortuna is a wonderful conclusion to this amazing trilogy filled with complex and nuanced relationships, characters, and social structures.

I've read all three books in this trilogy now and the second, The House with the Golden Door, is my favorite because of the pacing. This third book slows down again when Amara returns to Pompeii not long before the Vesuvius eruption of 79 ce. I appreciated that time was spent reminding us of her friends, colleagues, and enemies. The post explosion was fine, it felt a bit rushed at point for me but too slow at other times, but overall I liked the atmosphere that Harper created since it can be a challenge for people to understand why the ancient people in Pompeii were surprised and why they made the choices that they did (it a one-class lesson at the college level if you want students to fully grasp what happened and the aftermath). I also appreciate that in this book 98% of it is from Amara's viewpoint.So what did I have a problem with that resulted in my giving this four instead of five stars? The relationship choices. As much as we in the 21st century may feel that Amara is making the correct decision, I am really not convinced that 1) she would make a choice of love over security and 2) that they could get away with their claims given certain facts made clear about her lover's life and body. I know I am harsher because I am an ancient historian who has taught about, written about, and been to Pompeii, that's one I only deducted one star.Without spoilers, I want to add that the other 2% viewpoint could and should turn into at least one novel on it's own because I'd buy and read that without a doubt.

*Many thanks to Ambi for surprising me with this book when I couldn't get it on release day :) *----This is just one of the best series I've read :)Amara definitely has come a long way since we first met her.I enjoyed seeing her in Rome but it got more interesting when she returned to Pompeii. And of course the bastard Felix still causing trouble. *glares* I kept hoping from book two on that Amata or Brittanica would just unalive him already.I was surprised but happy when she continued after the eruption and went into what then people fleeing to safety went through.You know what happens but you're still white knuckling it anyway.When one character was swept away, I was heartbroken more than two others even though was sad about them too.I was saying if course when one person survived. *snorts* This person's fate had me high-fiving the person responsible.Seeing life after what happened, you get a glimpse of what life was like and how people coped with everything. I can't imagine 😢...The ending was great but also had me saying "No , more!" at the end. I want a certain character to have their own novella.Can't recommend this series highly enough:)

Best part of the trilogy

Good book. Great story

The only reason it gets four stars instead of five is because the first half of the book dragged on. The ending is absolutely beautiful. I could not have imagined a better ending.

This book, and the 2 previous ones in the trilogy, tell the story from a woman’s perspective of the life In ancient Pompeii. Having been there myself, it was interesting to imagine Pompeii populated with people living their lives day to day, along the the struggles they faced to even survive. I really liked Brittanica, and encourage other readers to consider the entire trilogy. I don’t often read fiction, but these books drew me in and kept me thoroughly engaged.

Quite possibly the best ending to a trilogy I’ve read. I am sad to leave these characters, but hopeful that maybe, just maybe, “the is not where it ends.” 5⭐️