I am so thrilled to say Hostage of Rome by Robert M. Kidd is on the blog today. Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for the copy of the book to read more of Sphax’s adventures and bring you my honest thoughts on the book.
217 BC.
Rome has been savaged, beaten and is in retreat. Yet, in that winter of winters, her garrisons cling on behind the walls of Placentia and Cremona, thanks to her sea-born supplies. If he could be freed, a hostage of Rome may yet hold the key to launching a fleet of pirates that could sweep Rome from the seas. For that hostage is none other than Corinna’s son Cleon, rival heir to the throne of Illyria, held in Brundisium, four hundred miles south of the Rubicon.
But Hannibal is set on a greater prize! Macedon is the great power in Greece, feared even by Rome. Its young king, Philip, is being compared with his illustrious ancestor, Alexander the Great. An alliance with Macedon would surely sound the death knell for Rome.
Given Hannibal’s blessing, Sphax, Idwal and Corinna face an epic journey against impossible odds. Navigating the length of the Padus, past legionary garrisons and hostile Gauls, they must then risk the perils of the storm-torn Adria in the depths of the winter. If the gods favour them and they reach the lands of the pirate queen, only then will their real trials begin.
This is the third book in the Histories of Sphax series. I am very lucky to be able to say I have read every single book in the series and was very happy to be able to rejoin Sphax in another chapter of his life.
Sphax has always been a character I have a soft spot for. Robert M. Kidd has brought the period of time and the people in it to life for me. His character development is still there and the realism and authenticity within the book always transports me to wherever the story leads me.
Again, this is another action filled story. There is never a slow spot and I am always filled with adrenaline with these books and Hostage of Rome is no different. I again, felt like I was with Sphax, Corinna and Edwal on their journey, one laced with danger that gave me an adrenaline rush at certain points.
The research has been so thorough to write this series and it shines through. The realistic and well written story is a gripping one and it makes me feel like I am witnessing first hand the events.
I, for one, am glad that Robert M.Kidd decided we needed to know the stories that he felt needed telling. I love this series.
Purchase Links
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/
US https://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Rome-Histories-Sphax-Book-ebook/dp/B09X3L8WLB/
Author Bio – Robert M. Kidd
When Cato the Censor demanded that ‘Carthage must be destroyed,’ Rome did just that. In 146 BC, after a three year siege, Carthage was raised to the ground, its surviving citizens sold into slavery and the fields where this once magnificent city had stood, ploughed by oxen. Carthage was erased from history.
That’s why I’m a novelist on a mission! I want to set the historical record straight. Our entire history of Hannibal’s wars with Rome is nothing short of propaganda, written by Greeks and Romans for their Roman clients. It intrigues me that Hannibal took two Greek scholars and historians with him on campaign, yet their histories of Rome’s deadliest war have never seen the light of day.
My hero, Sphax the Numidian, tells a different story!
When I’m not waging war with my pen, I like to indulge my passion for travel and hill walking, and like my hero, I too love horses. I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Media Links
https://robertmkidd.com/
https://twitter.com/RobertMKidd1
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064169594911
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 