Book Review: Dying to be Roman (Dai & Julia #1) by E.M. Swift-Hook & Jane Jago

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 stars

This novella presents a very cool alternate timeline in which the Roman Empire still exists. London as we know it doesn’t exist, instead it’s Londinium… a city in which only Roman citizens are viewed as ‘worthwhile’ and non-citizens (Saxons, Caledonians and other non-Romans) must scrape by. Amidst this topsy-turvy blend of history & fantastic future, Saxon vigiles (police officer) Dai has a doozy of a murder mystery to solve.

Participants in the Londinium Games are being murdered. But alongside these non-Roman deaths are a few noble Roman citizens who up the ante significantly. Dai’s superiors assign a Roman Inquisitor to oversee his investigation. That alone would be enough to annoy Dai, but when he meets the person assigned to take charge he gets more (or less?) than he bargained for. Julia is small but mighty, a spitfire Roman who, contrary to her class and citizenship, treats Dai (and most non-citizens she encounters) with a respect rarely afforded.

This was truly a delightful introduction to the world of Dai & Julia. It’s a quick read with an intriguing mystery and plenty of hope to fill out future installments.

Care to check out Dai & Julia’s world? You can grab your copy HERE, free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.