Brimming with romance, adventure and vivid historical detail, Christina Courtenay’s gripping dual-time novel travels from the present day to the fires of ancient Pompeii.
The sunlight caught her gold bracelet, sending a flash that almost blinded her.
She closed her eyes, but jumped when the earth started shaking and there was an almighty boom behind her.
Present Day
Finally escaping an abusive marriage, Caterina Rossi takes her three-year-old daughter and flees to Italy. There she’s drawn to research scientist Connor, who needs her translation help for his work on volcanology. Together they visit the ruins of Pompeii and, standing where Mount Vesuvius unleashed its fire on the city centuries before, Cat begins to see startling visions. Visions that appear to come from the antique bracelet handed down through her family’s generations…
AD 79
Sold by his half-brother and enslaved as a gladiator in Roman Pompeii, Raedwald dreams only of surviving each fight, making the coin needed to return to his homeland and taking his revenge. That is, until he is hired to guard beautiful Aemilia. As their forbidden love grows, Raedwald’s dreams shift like the ever more violent tremors of the earth beneath his feet.
The present starts eerily to mirror the past as Cat must fight to protect her safety, and to forge a new path from the ashes of her old life…
Kindle Edition
357 pages
Published 18th January 2024
(Review)
Warning: The subject of domestic violence is briefly discussed in relation to the female main character Cat…If you or someone you know has experienced a similar situation please seek help from professionals A.S.A.P.
First Impresion
Shadows in the Ashes is set in the 3rd person with the alternate viewpoints of Raedwald, Caterina Rossi, Aemilia Licinia and Connor.
The reader is introduced to the action straight away with a prologue opening up about a earthquake in the past…
I am looking forward to reading Shadows in the Ashes and can’t wait to find out what happens next
Shadows in the Ashes is a detailed medium paced story with a slow revealing plot. Shadows in the Ashes focuses on the years AD 73-79 and 2022.
Courtenay has researched the society customs and lifestyles of the Romans and gladiators, paying particular attention to what happened to Pompeii. Courtney shows The reader the effects of domestic violence and the process of leaving the situation…The writing style has titled chapters to help with navigation between the different characters. Shadows in the Ashes has an easy to follow plot, with a mixture of dialogue and detail, creating am engaging and interesting story.
The character development of Shadows in the Ashes gives the reader a brief background about the characters. The characters are relatable and realistic, with their own personalities and mannorisms.
In North London, 2022 after 5 years of being in an abusive marriage Caterina (Cat) finally gathers enough courage to leave with her daughter, Bella (3). With the help of her mother and family she puts a plan for a new life in motion…
Connor is working on his thesis for a PhD in volcanology. He has travelled to sites of volcanic activity collecting data. His final stop has led him to a research centre in Naples, where his has been allowed to join their team. He meets Cat in a hotel restaurant and asks for help to translate some of the documents he is studying…
In Frisia (Northwestern Europe) AD 73, Raedwald is following his younger half-brother, Osbehrt (15), towards the forest… Osbehrt was determined to hunt a stag he saw the day before…as the eldest brother, Raedwald has always told to watch over, so he follows tediously… suddenly shadowy figures come from the trees, surrounding him…caught he soon comes to the realisation that he has been sold…
In Pompeii, AD 79 Raedwald is a gladiator called Rufus. Gladiators are seen as the lowest of the low only there for entertainment purposes as well as hired out as bodyguards. Six years have passed since his capture. His only goal of returning and seeking revenge on his half-brother and step-mother is the only thing that keeps him going…. Raedwald is hired to protect Lucius and his family…
In Pompeii, AD 79 Aemilia and her husband, Lucius have recently returned from the gladiatorial games… Aemilia has an unhappy relationship with Lucius, yet her only option is to obey her husband as he is master of the household…she hands over some of the jewelry left to her to pay for his debts…
Aemilia and Raedwald share a slowly built chemistry, much like Connor and Cat, who are linked through space and time… Their heated attraction, with small smiles and looks turns to passion as their feelings grow…
Overall I feel that Shadows in the Ashes has a great sense of history mixed with romance. I 100% rooted for Cat from the start and was happy that she was able to escape and build on making her life her own again… I quickly became investigated in the stories behind both timelines and enjoyed exploring the theme of reincarnation.
I would suggest reading Shadows in the Ashes to people who enjoy reading historical fiction, romance and dual timelines, based around the Roman era, as it is a character driven story about love, hardship and passion as the characters rebuild their lives…
QuirkyBookReads 
This sounds super interesting. Not sure how I feel about the dual timelines, but I just might give this a try.
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If you do try it let me know what you think about it
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