Review: Admonition by Kathryn Amurra | A lovely Historical Romance set in Ancient Rome with Slow Burn & Prophecies!

Hello everyone!

Ah ‘simple’ romances are usually a hit or miss for me, and today I’m bringing you my review of Admonition, a short but sweet historical romance that was definitely a hit. Today (5 June) is Admotion’s book birthday (welcome to the world!) so go show it some love!

ADMONITION by Kathryn Amurra

Genre(s): Romance, Historical
Series: Soothsayer’s Path #2 (but can be read as a standalone!)

Published: 5 June 2021 | Read: 1 June 2021

Sabina is a young noblewoman who, based on her soothsayer aunt’s prediction, believes her words are dangerous and will hurt those she loves. Following the death of her beloved husband, she takes a vow of silence to protect others from suffering the same fate. Ignored and scorned by those around her, who believe her to be cursed by the gods who took her voice, she is content to live in the shadow of her former life, avoiding society as best she can and staying away from the politics and drama of Rome’s inner circles.

Lucius is an unwilling front-runner to inherit the title of Emperor from Rome’s childless leader, Trajan. Although the soothsayer warns him to steer clear of a pretty face that hides a cursed soul, Lucius cannot help but be drawn to the silent and beautiful Sabina. After learning her secret, he is as determined to help her shed her cloak of silence as she is to keep him at a safe distance. But when Lucius becomes the target of a political plot, Sabina must decide whether breaking her silence will save his life or merely seal his fate.

Admonition was winner of the Georgia Romance Writers’ 2020 Maggie Award for Excellence in the Unpublished Historical Romance category.

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Thank you to the author: Kathryn Amurra, for an ARC of this book for a sincere review.

REVIEW

Admonition is the second book in the Soothsayer’s path series (the first being Soothsayer which I enjoyed last year!), but it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone as well! It is set in Ancient Rome, following Sabina, a young noblewoman who is grief-stricken by the death of her husband, and condemned herself to silence to protect those she loves, as well as Lucius, the son of a powerful Senator, whose path towards inheriting the title of Emperor seems clear, until he takes to Sabina. However, there are quite a number of obstacles and hindrances along the way, ranging from personal pasts to political plots.

The heart was made to feel, the body made to love.

I thought that Admonition was just a lovely historical romance, pairing the two so well together. Its historical side, being set in Ancient Rome, brought out the romance well, in terms of atmosphere. it was one with much familial and societal expectations and power in politics, dominating patriarchy, as well as that of women in courtship. For me, these all ingrained in the setting of Ancient Rome allowed the challenges faced in the romance to be believable, and flow well.

Because, young man, some things are too important to leave to fate.

Ah usually I crave slow burn, while simultaneously having it drive me up the wall, but for Admonition it was not the case. The slow build up in the romance, with Sabina and Lucius treating each other gently, and giving each other time to open up, was just so heartfelt that definitely gave my heart the fuzzies. Both were so sensitive, empathetic and to an extent, sacrificial characters, and I adored every second of their interactions.

Another relationship that made me smile was that between Sabina and her stepsister Priscilla. Priscilla was many years her juniors, a young, innocent, but too easily led astray, woman, which I found a little irksome at first. However, the love between them was made evident, and their actions thinking of each other truly drove the story in such an interesting way!

And in the end, we must trust that whatever our future holds, good or bad, it is our fate. We must arrive at our destiny honestly and with no regrets.

One of the features that drew me to both of Kathryn Amurra’s first novel: Soothsayer, that also was weaved into Admonition was that of soothsayers, those that tell of prophecies. Yes, thank you to my Percy Jackson obsessed self. I loved the way that once again the prophecies were left open to many interpretations, and both brought out the best qualities of our characters, as well as caused quite a bit of misunderstanding (yes friends, a version of the miscomm trope actually done well.). Truly in awe of how a few short, albeit ominous lines, can spin a story!

Overall, Admonition was such a sweet, slow historical romance with such genuine characters and relationships. If all that plus prophecies appeals to you, then please go check out Kathryn Amurra’s second book in the Soothsayer series!

rating // ★★★½

P.S. The ebook will be free on Amazon TODAY (5 June), so go and check it out!

Have you read Soothsayer, or does Admonition sound interesting to you? Any fellow “pRopHeciEs” fans (*cough pjo*)? What other historical romances have you loved?

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