Tuesday Reviews: Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson
Julia, only daughter of the emperor of Rome, lives a life of excess and freedom. Wine, philosophy, and scandal—she revels in hedonism. But when her father dies and her teenage brother takes the throne, he will stop at nothing to seize control of both the empire and his wayward sister. And now Alaric of the Visigoths, a ferocious warrior who has battled Rome for years, has come to the capital to bargain for his homeland.
When Julia rebels against the marriage her brother has ordered her to accept, he responds by publicly punishing her lover in the Colosseum. Realizing how perilous her position is, Julia impulsively turns to Alaric—the empire’s sworn enemy, and the one man who can make Rome tremble. Julia must find a way to make an ally of Alaric, a man she can’t trust—a terrifying warlord with the power to bring both Julia and the empire to their knees—in an edgy, sexy cat-and-mouse game of attraction, defiance, and lust.
Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a fiery historical romance set in 409 CE, where political power plays and passion collide. The story follows Julia Augusta, the clever and defiant daughter of a Roman emperor, who arranges her own kidnapping to escape her controlling brother. Her captor? Alaric, the brooding leader of the Visigoths. What starts as a risky alliance quickly turns into a sizzling enemies-to-lovers dynamic, full of tension, desire, and complicated loyalties.
Williamson does a great job pulling you into the drama of a crumbling empire, with fast-paced twists and vivid worldbuilding. Some parts—especially the back-and-forth between Julia and Alaric—might feel a bit repetitive, but the chemistry and high stakes keep things interesting. If you’re into strong heroines, morally gray heroes, and historical romance with bite, this one’s worth the read.
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