The Honour of Rome (Eagles of the Empire 19)

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Another excellent book in the Cato and Macro series. In this adventure, Macro is newly retired from the Roman army and has moved to Britain to set up a new life with his wife. Macro, along with his mother, is the co-owner of a bar in London and he also plans for a rural retreat in Colchester.

Macro has been discharged from the army and is set on retiring to a place he knows well - Britannia. With his half share of an inn in Londinium and the prospect of a plot of land to build a home, things look good for the former centurion. But things are not what they seem in this part of the empire. The local tribes are unsettled and a group of gangs are causing problems for anyone who owns a business. This includes Macro and his inn. It’s simple, they what a cut of your profits and if you don’t pay there will be consequences. A brilliantly written story with an intense atmosphere throughout, great fight scenes and an unbreakable bond of brotherhood that is intoxicating.So happy Cato and Macro weren’t apart for long. I whizzed through the first half of the book with the anticipation of Cato’s arrival. It was nice to see Macro operate on his own, as he has been overshadowed by Cato for quite a long time. Unfortunately he doesn’t actually achieve much until Cato does arrive which was annoying and hope Scarrow gives Macro the competence and attention he deserves. I do admire Simon Scarrow's in-depth knowledge of life in the Roman Empire, from the day to day routine of housekeeping and providing meals to the details of Army life for both serving soldiers and veterans. I haven't read all of his stuff (there's so much of it!), but this is the third 'Macro' novel I've read and it was nice to renew his acquaintance, and that of Petronella, and to catch up on their adventures in the far-flung outpost of Britannia.

Early on Macro encounters members of a gang that are terrorising London business owners and demanding protection money. Macro, of course, is not one to leave the gang alone and gets himself badly beaten up for his troubles. In the end, Macro finds himself battling on several fronts - against not one, but two gangs, against the Roman authorities who seem to turn a blind eye, while also being dragged into a dispute with the Trinovante tribe. This is the twentieth book in the Eagles of the Empire Series, and as usual an excellent read. Full of great characters and with a real sense of life in the Roman Empire. Storytelling is as ever of a superb quality, its a fast-paced Roman adventure in Britannia, and where all characters come vividly to life to capture the reader from start to finish. This was another awesome novel from Scarrow, who has once again produced an exciting and fast-paced historical fiction read that perfectly envisions the landscape of Roman-occupied England. The Honour of Rome is a great read, and I loved the cool combination of historical and crime fiction elements throughout it. I ended up reading this book in only a few short days and loved every second of it.For readers of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Ben Kane - unputdownable fiction from an author who knows the Roman world like no other.