Book Review: The Last Roman by B.K. Greenwood

 

The Details

 

Publisher: Bat City Press

Published: May 2021

Genre: Historical Thriller, Historical Fantasy

Pages:300

Available: ebook, paperback

Series: Yes.  Cliff-hanger: Yes

Sex: ❤ violence against women

Violence: 😱😱😱 extreme graphic violence

 

My Review

Reviewer’s Note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Plot in Brief: Marcus, the Roman soldier who put a sword in Jesus’ side, finds he cannot die, for long. Death after death he is resurrected. He spends his life battling the enemies of Christianity and his greatest enemy, Thomas. Thomas, immortal like Marcus, has turned against the church and is developing the ultimate weapon to destroy it. 

The Characters: Marcus is an interesting guy, his story is a mix of the Highlander, the Da Vinci Code and James Bond. He’s honed his skills at killing and surviving over two thousand years. Helping him are his side-kick tech whiz Sam, her uncle Cormac and Isabella, another immortal. Turned to the dark side is his ultimate enemy, Thomas. 

I was a little confused by the difference between Marcus and Thomas and the other immortals like Rebecca and her sister Isabella, and had to go back and reread part to figure them out. 

There are several interesting minor characters which add to the appeal of the story and help flesh out the scenes. 

The History: There is lots of good history here, from Rome to Byzantium, Gauls and Crusades. All very interesting and well researched. Of course, most of the historical settings involve war or some type of violent conflict. 

The Writing: The story is well written; the pace is very fast. There are lots of twists and turns and almost nonstop action as the story jumps back and forth in time. I read it fairly quickly as I wanted to get the ending! Thomas' plot to extinguish Christianity was surprising! 

The book ends on a cliff-hanger, so you’ll have to get book 2 and presumably 3 to see where the story goes. 

Overall: I enjoyed The Last Roman. The premise is interesting and the writing really good which kept me interested until the end. I admit that graphic violence makes me squeamish. There are a lot of bodies in this one and there were times when I kinda skimmed over the shoot outs. . I would recommend this to lovers of fast-paced historical fiction with a modern twist who are not averse to bloodshed.

 

My Rating:  I give this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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