Today we kick off the blog tour for The Hostage of Rome by Robert M. Kidd!
Here’s the blurb
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.
Review
The Hostage of Rome is book 3 in The Histories of Sphax series. I’d highly recommend reading the first two books.. they are bloody good but also you’ll get to understand Sphax and his motivations a little better 😊
Sphax is a former slave and nephew to Hannibal, leader of the Carthage army. It’s been a tough ride for Sphax for sure but now he must face a new challenge….
Rome may have lost the battle, but the war is far from over as small garrisons hold strong.
There’s hope in the form of Cleon, a 2 year old heir to the throne of Illyria, yet unfortunately a hostage of Rome. But how?
Hannibal is a great leader but his sights are elsewhere, Macedon, and it’s up to his nephew Sphax and Corinna, Sphax’s lover and Cleon’s mother, to navigate the waters and find a way to free him!
One major issue is communications… Sphax and the Numidians aren’t sailors after all. This led to some quite amusing retorts between the characters and inner monologue from Sphax. These little moments really helped build the connections between the characters but also have a ring of truth around them. Sailing must not have been easy, even for those with experience so the amount of detailed added by the author really managed to emphasize just what an achievement it was for Sphax to make this journey.
Along the way we will see Sphax come face to face with Queen Teuta of Illyria, Corinna’s mother. Does she have the manpower at her disposal to crush Rome once and for all? And at what cost?
Oh and the journey is not isn’t an easy one that’s for sure, there’s also numerous legionaries and Gauls just waiting to capture Sphax! Who wouldn’t want to capture the nephew of Hannibal afterall.. Not to spoil anything but you’ll not be surprised to know things don’t go smoothly and we meet a wonderful new character by the name of Falto..Oh trust me you’ll hate him.. but love him too!
Sphax ends up in a very tricky situation!
The Hostage of Rome is a thrilling ride you’ll love to be part of.
For the history/fact buffs out there there’s so much detail added when you look for it, places, animals and descriptions as Sphax’s travels by boat down the Po river to their final destination. Nothing is forced in there, just nicely woven into the tale.
This series is really coming together nicely, the developments, the pace and detail all intertwined to deliver a tremendous tale packed full of energy and excitement.
Fans of the genre will love this one. The authors style is so easy to read so is perfect for those who love a plot driven story with a natural flow of detail.
I’m really enjoying following the authors progress with this series.
Easy 4/5 Stars form me
To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon
My thanks go to the author, the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the blog tour! I received an ARC of the book as part of the tour but I’ll be adding this to my purchased collection too 🙂
Why not follow the tour?
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.
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