Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Sons of Rome
AUTHOR: Karrie Roman
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2019
LENGTH: 293 pages
BLURB:
9CE Germania
Battle weary and fearless Centurion Drusus Tuscus has only three more years in the Roman Legions and then he can return home to the mother and young brother he was forced to leave behind seventeen summers ago. Drusus has suffered much during his years in the Legions: defeats, fallen comrades, and excruciating wounds, but this time the stakes are so much higher. As he prepares to lead his warriors from the safety of their winter base, across the Rhine into the wilds of Germania, he awaits the arrival of new recruits to bolster his century. With these men he will face the ferocious barbarian tribes, many still chafing under the yoke of Roman subjugation.
When his friend and Optio returns with the new men, two faces in the crowd change everything for Drusus. His brother, long lost to him and now a man, stands before him and he brings with him a friend, a man named Caius. A man who stirs the long dead fires of Drusus’s heart. Two men, neither of whom Drusus is willing to lose to a barbarian blade.
As the campaign begins, whispers of betrayal and rebellion stoke a fear in Drusus, especially as his arrogant commander refuses to take heed of the warnings. As catastrophe stalks their footsteps Drusus must balance his duty to Rome with his love for Caius. He will give everything he has to save his beloved brother, and Caius, the man who has stolen his heart.
Two lives that mean more to Drusus than his own.
REVIEW:
The blurb pretty much nails the crux of the story, so I’m going to launch into my review without my usual paragraph synopsis.
Drusus – Centurion, Marcus – Optio, Calpurnius – Brother, Caius – Lover. Those are the four names in this story that stood out the most. Like a well-oiled machine, they live, love, fight and dream together.
OMG, what a story. Other than the novel is written in the third person from Dru’s viewpoint, I can’t even comment on the technical side, because I was so immersed in the world before me. From the very first page, I was drawn into the life of Drusus and his faithful legionnaires. At times I felt as though I was living and fighting alongside them, enjoying the quiet times as well as the wars. I’d have been with them for the complete duration of the book, had it not been for my family playing Disney films in the background. Nevertheless, I frequently received weird looks from them as they saw tears streaming down my face.
I felt as though I was there when Dru and his men lamented about times on the farm and what they’d do if they survived to retirement. The superb imagery alongside the masculine tenderness broke the emotional barrier and its associated dam. These men fought hard and loved like it was their last day before being sent to Elysium. Given that their Varus is essentially, a knob, Drusus ensures his men are ready for every eventuality. No quarter is spared during the fighting scenes either – they are brutal, bloody, and unforgiving. The author does not give in to a delicate nature during these scenes, so be warned. They are among the best I’ve ever read.
Due to the language and tone of the writing, there was not an instant when I did not believe that I hadn’t been transported back to when the Roman Legions fought their way across Germania.
Drusus is a quietly strong leader who would give his life for any of the band of brothers around him. Though, until Caius, he had little reason to live either.
This story is one that will stay with me for a long time.
RATING: 
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