Books like 'The First Man in Rome'

Readers who enjoyed The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

historical  fantasy  war  ancient times  military  20th century

  • Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett

    Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles , Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond is once again in France, leading an army against England...
    Categorized as:
    military  war  historical  fantasy  medieval  mystery  suspense
  • Ponniyin Selvan- Whirlwinds : Part 2 by Kalki

    Ponniyin Selvan- Whirlwinds : Part 2 by Kalki

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Whirlwinds, the exciting second part of Kalki R Krishnamurthy's historic magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, our hero Vallavarayan Vandhiyathevan's adventures continue as he rides into marshy quagmires, befriends a mysterious girl, becomes the object of intense suspicion by the wily Pazhuvettarayars - and meets the hero of his dreams...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense
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  • The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman

    The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Here, alive from the pages of history, is the compelling tale of a Celtic society ruled by Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, on a collison course with a feudal realm of Edward I. WIth this last book in the extraordinary trilogy that began with HERE BE DRAGONS and continued in FALLS THE SHADOW, Sharon Kay Penman has written a beautiful and moving conclusion to her medieval saga...
    Categorized as:
    20th century  war  historical  medieval  fantasy  royalty
  • The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

    The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    A glorious novel of the controversial Richard III---a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  medieval  fantasy  contemporary
  • The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters) by Lucinda Riley

    The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters) by Lucinda Riley

    Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
    · 32 ratings
    Following on from the bestselling The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series, loosely based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters star cluster...
  • The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley

    The Sun Sister by Lucinda Riley

    Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    The Sun Sister is the sixth epic story in the Seven Sisters series by the number one international bestseller Lucinda Riley.To the outside world, Electra d'Apliese seems as though she is the woman who has everything: as one of the world's top models, she is beautiful, rich and famous...
  • Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman

    Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman

    Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars
    · 22 ratings
    Simon de Montfort was a man ahead of his time in the thirteenth century, a disinherited Frenchman who talked his way into an English earldom and marriage with a sister of the English king, Henry III. A charismatic, obstinate leader, Simon soon lost patience with the king's incompetence and inability to keep his word, and found himself the champion of the common people...
    Categorized as:
    war  20th century  historical  medieval  fantasy  royalty
  • The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy

    The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    In this haunting tale from the bestselling author of The Storyteller of Casablanca, Beatrice kept a wartime secret to protect the innocent. Now, could telling it set her free?Tuscany, 1943. Stranded in war-ravaged Italy, Beatrice’s dream of an escapist year teaching English is shattered...
    Categorized as:
    20th century  historical  fantasy
  • When We Were Crowned by Auryn Hadley

    When We Were Crowned by Auryn Hadley

    Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 9 ratings
    Long Live the Gladiator Queen! With the crown safely on Leyli's head, her problems should've been over. Her country is safe. Her family is together. What more could a new Queen ask for? Unfortunately, spending her mornings purging her stomach isn't it. Evidently, not even the Queen of Norihame is immune to morning sickness...
  • Zone of Action by A.J. Sherwood

    Zone of Action by A.J. Sherwood

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 12 ratings
    Ren’s homecoming wishlist includes:•Arman not bashing everyone’s heads together (at least not without him)•Getting the fortress built before the Mongs attack (not at the rate they’re going with all the thefts happening)•Going home without incident (also, again, not likely)What it did not include was:•Social reform•A child•A raiding party•Arman actually using his wordsLife once again proved...
    Categorized as:
    military  multicultural  fantasy  m-m  historical
  • Shield-Maiden: Gambit of Swords by Melanie Karsak

    Shield-Maiden: Gambit of Swords by Melanie Karsak

    Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A broken prince.A shield-maiden bent on vengeance.A Viking world set on fire.With the war against the Gauls over and Angantyr crowned king, everything should have been peaceful. But the arrival of Prince Hlod and its devastating consequences have brought nothing but heartache and darkness...
  • The Blackthorn Queen by Melanie Karsak

    The Blackthorn Queen by Melanie Karsak

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Britain, AD 38, Princess Cartimandua—Carti—of the Brigantes tribe faces an uncertain future when her father’s sudden death ignites turmoil. Suspicion falls on the Crow People of the Votadini tribe, straining the fragile peace between the factions. But they’re not the only ones bearing a grudge. A tangled web of political games soon unfolds...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  fantasy  historical
  • Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白

    Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 12 ratings
    It is year twenty-five of the Yuantai Era of the Great Zhou Empire. The renowned Marquis of Jingning, commander of the Beiyan Cavalry, Fu Shen is injured on the battlefield at the northern border. Returning with a broken leg to the capital, Fu Shen learns that the emperor has conferred a marriage for him—with another man...
  • The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper

    The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper

    Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    The final, dramatic installment in Elodie Harper's Sunday Times bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy.Amara's journey has taken her far; from enslavement in Pompeii's wolf den brothel to her new life as a high-powered courtesan in Rome, but her story is not over yet. While Amara plays for power in Rome's imperial palace, those dearest to her remain in Pompeii...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  historical  fantasy
  • Aztec by Gary Jennings

    Aztec by Gary Jennings

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    Aztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America...
  • He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

    He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    1914 finds archaelogists Amelia Peabody, narrator, and husband Radcliffe Emerson back in Egypt for another dig, despite civil unrest. Defiantly pacifist son Ramses hides his spy activity with cousin David. He rescues Molly 12ish, and his dazzling smile conquers yet another female. An artifact from Giza confirms the return of archnemesis Sethos...
  • The Sorcerer's Alpha by Corey Kerr

    The Sorcerer's Alpha by Corey Kerr

    Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 4 of 5
    Explicit open door [?] · 5 ratings
    They’re lost in the wilderness. And there’s only one tent.When a routine mission goes horribly awry, expert wilderness scout Marut finds himself solely responsible for protecting one of the powerful court sorcerers. Marut is suspicious of magic and more comfortable with horses than people, but he comes to begrudgingly respect Sycamore as they flee for their lives...
  • Queen of Ash and Iron: A Novel of Boudica by Melanie Karsak

    Queen of Ash and Iron: A Novel of Boudica by Melanie Karsak

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Fated to lead a rebellion against Rome.Destined to become a legend.Britain, A.D. 47All at once, everything changes.The rebellion of the Northern Iceni under King Caturix results in dire consequences for Boudica. Without Aulus Plautius’s protection, Boudica must face the new, more severe Roman Governor Scapula...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  fantasy  historical
  • The Honor of Duty by A. R. Rend

    The Honor of Duty by A. R. Rend

    Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 12 ratings
    Phillip had spent his life living by his mother’s code of honor. One she had instilled in not just him but her household staff, her soldiers under her command as a general, and all his siblings.One that called to the familial bonds and the importance of putting those above all else. Second only to the land and the crown.If he was being honest with himself, Phillip valued that code of honor...
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

    The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper

    Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    The life of a courtesan in Pompeii is glamorous yet perilous...Amara has escaped her life as a slave in the Wolf Den, the city’s most notorious brothel, but now her survival depends on the affections of her patron: a man she might not know as well as she once thought. At night in the home he bought for her, the house with the golden door, Amara’s dreams are haunted by her past...
  • Kristin Lavransdatter - The Cross by Sigrid Undset

    Kristin Lavransdatter - The Cross by Sigrid Undset

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    The Cross' is the third in the trilogy of historical novels called Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork...
  • Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

    Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    In his first novel since Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières creates a world, populates it with characters as real as our best friends, and launches it into the maelstrom of twentieth-century history. The setting is a small village in southwestern Anatolia in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Everyone there speaks Turkish, though they write it in Greek letters...
  • The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

    The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Following on from the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse's The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic in The Burning Chambers series, for fans of Ken Follett and Dan Brown...
    Categorized as:
    war  military  historical  mystery  fantasy  suspense
  • Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey

    Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings
    Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and the sound of the engine throbbed in Eva’s head. The plane crashed and skidded. She heard the wail of sirens. The last thing she remembered was pulling her body across the tarmac an inch at a time—before her world went black.Sweetwater, Texas, 1943. Eva has always wanted to fly away...
    Categorized as:
    war  military  historical  fantasy
  • On Mother Brown's Doorstep by Mary Jane Staples

    On Mother Brown's Doorstep by Mary Jane Staples

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The big event of the Walworth year was to be the wedding of Sammy Adams, King of Camberwell, to Miss Susie Brown. Everyone was looking forward to it, and Susie was particularly overjoyed when her soldier brother suddenly turned up on leave from service in India in time for the approaching 'knees-up'...
  • Julian by Gore Vidal

    Julian by Gore Vidal

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 18 ratings
    Julian the Apostate was the nephew of Emperor Constantine the Great. Julian ascended to the throne in A.D. 361, at the age of twenty-nine, and was murdered four years later after an unsuccessful attempt to rebuke Christianity and restore the worship of the old gods. Now this historical tapestry is brought to vibrant life by the dazzling talent of Gore Vidal...
  • Golden Terrace Volume 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, E. Danglars

    Golden Terrace Volume 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, E. Danglars

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 8 ratings
    It is year twenty-five of the Yuantai Era of the Great Zhou Empire. The renowned Marquis of Jingning, commander of the Beiyan Cavalry, Fu Shen is injured on the battlefield at the northern border. Returning with a broken leg to the capital, Fu Shen learns that the emperor has conferred a marriage for him—with another man...
  • Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

    Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    With Calais in English hands, hostilities are suspended, but Thomas' quest to find the Holy Grail continues. His cousin Guy of Vexille still pursues him with deadly purpose, convinced that there is a link between Thomas and what he covets...
  • Two For Three Farthings by Mary Jane Staples

    Two For Three Farthings by Mary Jane Staples

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Horace was ten, Ethel seven, when Jim Cooper, home from the trenches, minus an arm and just about managing on his own, found them huddled in a doorway on a wet night in Walworth. Slightly against his better judgement he took them in, fed them cocoa, and put them to sleep in his bed. A few days later he found that - somehow - he had become the unofficial guardian of Horace and Ethel...
  • The Emperor's Games by Damion Hunter, Amanda Cockrell

    The Emperor's Games by Damion Hunter, Amanda Cockrell

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The strong will triumph. The weak will die. Correus and Flavius, half brothers and rivals, have won respect in service to the Empire. Correus, esteemed soldier in the Roman Army of Eagles, has been entrusted with the honoured task of running the Emperor’s brutal games. Flavius, a Centurion at his brother’s side, has risen to become the Emperor’s most trusted advisor...
  • The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell

    The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 26 ratings
    From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, now available in paperback—the first book in the Grail Series--a spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail...
  • Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

    Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars
    · 25 ratings
    From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the sequel to The Archer's Tale—the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail.In 1347, a year of conflict and unrest, Thomas of Hookton returns to England to pursue the Holy Grail...
  • The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, Donna Gillespie

    The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, Donna Gillespie

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground...
  • Down Lambeth Way by Mary Jane Staples

    Down Lambeth Way by Mary Jane Staples

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The Adams family of Walworth were poor, cheerful, and above all respectable - even though they sometimes had to seek a little help from the pawnbroker. Mrs Adams - affectionately called Chinese Lady by her children - was a widow, her soldier husband having gone, rather carelessly, to a hero's death on the Northwest Frontier...
    Categorized as:
    war  20th century  historical  humor  mystery  urban  fantasy
  • The Wall by Adrian Goldsworthy

    The Wall by Adrian Goldsworthy

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Britannia, AD 117: Roman centurion Flavius Ferox is trying to live a quiet life of dignified leisure, overseeing his wife's estate and doing his best to resist the urge to murder an annoying neighbour – until someone else does it for him...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  war  historical  fantasy
  • A Year of Ravens by Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray

    A Year of Ravens by Ruth Downie, Stephanie Dray

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Britannia: land of mist and magic clinging to the western edge of the Roman Empire. A red-haired queen named Boudica led her people in a desperate rebellion against the might of Rome, an epic struggle destined to consume heroes and cowards, young and old, Roman and Celt . . . and these are their stories. A calculating queen sees the sparks of revolt in a king’s death...
    Categorized as:
    war  ancient times  military  historical  fantasy
  • The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters

    The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    Dorset, 1642. England is on the cusp of civil war.Jayne Swift, a daughter of the Dorset gentry, has resisted all offers of marriage and instead trained as a physician, using her skills to tend to her Royalist father's tenants and the local population. When civil war sweeps England she vows to remain neutral and aid the injured whether they be Royalist or Parliamentarian...
    Categorized as:
    war  military  historical  mystery  fantasy
  • The Gates of Troy by Glyn Iliffe

    The Gates of Troy by Glyn Iliffe

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The second thrilling adventure with Odysseus, continuing from King of Ithaca It was ten years ago since Odysseus started his rule of Ithaca and his reign has been one of peace and plenty. But across the seas, eyes meet across a burning fire and a long-forgotten oath begins to surface. When Paris of Troy meets Helen of Sparta the love affair of centuries begins...
  • The Watchmaker's Daughter by Dianne Haley

    The Watchmaker's Daughter by Dianne Haley

    Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Hiding the worn piece of paper among her father’s watch deliveries, her eyes fill with tears at the memory of her brave friend walking towards the Nazi soldiers, and the sharp sound of gun fire. Her friend sacrificed herself so that she could deliver this message...
    Categorized as:
    war  20th century  historical  fantasy
  • The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

    The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

    Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    At the World of Wonders, Europe's most magnificent travelling circus, every moment is full of magic, and nothing is as it seems--especially for the people who put on the show Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo...
    Categorized as:
    war  20th century  fantasy  historical
  • Wait for Me: A Novel by Santa Montefiore

    Wait for Me: A Novel by Santa Montefiore

    Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    From #1 internationally bestselling author Santa Montefiore comes a gripping new novel of enduring love and devastating secrets, sweeping across England during WWII to Australia five decades later, based on a true story.Rupert promised he was going to come back. All Florence had to do was wait...
  • The Princess and The Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh

    The Princess and The Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh

    Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    Award-winning creator Duncan Tonatiuh brings a cherished Mexican legend to lifeA Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book and ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book!   Izta was the most beautiful princess in the land, and suitors traveled from far and wide to woo her. Even though she was the daughter of the emperor, Izta had no desire to marry a man of wealth and power...
  • Ireland by Frank Delaney

    Ireland by Frank Delaney

    Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on...
  • The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley

    The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms, an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia...
    Categorized as:
    war  20th century  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense  m-m
  • Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott

    Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott

    Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars
    · 19 ratings
    Dreaming the Eagle is the first part of the gloriously imagined epic trilogy of the life of Boudica. Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word "boudeg"). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome - and triumph...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  war  historical  fantasy
  • Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone

    Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone

    Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Five millennia ago, on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, the course of human history changed forever . . .The people of Orak cherish their peaceful village and the life they have made. Though not proficient with the bow or sword, they possess a weapon far stronger: the ability to coax food from the ground. This is why the barbarian leader Thutmose-sin hates and fears them...
    Categorized as:
    military  war  historical  fantasy
  • When We Were Gods by Colin Falconer

    When We Were Gods by Colin Falconer

    Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings
    Caesar, Antony, Cleopatra, Augustus. Only one can rule. Only one can live.Alexandria, 51 BC: When Cleopatra VII assumes the throne of Egypt, the Roman empire rules the Mediterranean with an iron fist. But Cleopatra has an audacious plan to change the course of history. Allied first with Caesar and then with his protégé Marc Antony, she dares to challenge the might of Rome...
    Categorized as:
    ancient times  war  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense
  • The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The world is at war. And time is running out…London, 1940. Britain is gripped by the terror of the Blitz, forcing Nell Spelman to flee the capital with her young daughter – leaving behind her husband, Arthur, the clockmaker who keeps Big Ben chiming. When Arthur disappears, Nell is desperate to find him...
  • The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The world is at war. And time is running out…London, 1940. Britain is gripped by the terror of the Blitz, forcing Nell Spelman to flee the capital with her young daughter – leaving behind her husband, Arthur, the clockmaker who keeps Big Ben chiming. When Arthur disappears, Nell is desperate to find him...
  • The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    The Clockmaker’s Wife by Daisy Wood

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    The world is at war. And time is running out…London, 1940. Britain is gripped by the terror of the Blitz, forcing Nell Spelman to flee the capital with her young daughter – leaving behind her husband, Arthur, the clockmaker who keeps Big Ben chiming. When Arthur disappears, Nell is desperate to find him...
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