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Brook Allen
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Antonius: Second in Command (The Antonius Trilogy) Kindle Edition

by Brook Allen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 310 ratings
"A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO THE PANTHEON OF LITERATURE FEATURING THE ALWAYS FASCINATING MARC ANTONY. AN EXCITING READ!" Michelle Moran, international bestselling author of Cleopatra's Daughter "Second in Command is a worthy addition to any Roman bookshelf." The Historical Novel Society "Brook Allen has crafted a truly excellent work of historical fiction..." Readers' Favorite Book Reviewers After proving himself as a formidable cavalry commander, Marcus Antonius finally earns a position at his kinsman Julius Caesar’s side. However, Caesar is an exacting general, demanding complete allegiance from his staff, even when his decisions put him at odds with the Senate. Marcus’s loyalty to Caesar comes at a cost, and he soon finds himself embroiled in mob violence and military mutinies. As civil war brings Rome’s Republic crashing down, many a relationship is torn asunder, including Marcus’s marriage. Determined to rise triumphant in Rome’s new era, Marcus faces his fears, his failures, and his enemies—not the least of whom is himself. Amid the crisis of the Ides of March, Marcus must don the mantle of ruthlessness to carve his own legacy in Rome’s history. Enemies have been made, wills have been read, and heirs proclaimed. But in Rome’s civil unrest, blood answers only to blood.
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  1. Book 2 of 3
    The Antonius Trilogy
  2. Print length
    350 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    October 25, 2019
  6. Reading age
    17 - 18 years
  7. File size
    2.6 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"SECOND IN COMMAND is a wonderful addition to the pantheon of literature featuring the always fascinating Marc Antony. An exciting read!"

Michelle Moran, international bestselling author of Cleopatra's Daughter

About the Author

Brook Allen has a passion for ancient history-especially 1st century BC Rome. Her current work is a trilogy on the life of Marcus Antonius-Marc Antony, which she has worked on for the past fourteen years. The first installment, Antonius: Son of Rome was published in March 2019. It follows Antony as a young man, from the age of eleven, when his father died in disgrace, until he's twenty-seven and finally meets Cleopatra for the first time. The newest book is Antonius: Second in Command, dealing with the Antony's tumultuous rise to power at Caesar's side. In researching the Antonius Trilogy, Brook's travels have led her to Italy, Egypt, Greece, and even Turkey to explore the places where Antony once lived, fought, and eventually died. While researching abroad, she consulted with scholars and archaeologists well-versed in Hellenistic and Roman history, specifically pinpointing the late Republican Period in Rome. Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her present works. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and two amazing Labrador Retrievers. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Z1MWB4D
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dawg House Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1732958531
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 2 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Antonius Trilogy
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 17 - 18 years
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 310 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Brook Allen

Brook Allen

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Author Brook Allen has a passion for history. Her newest project, West of Santillane spotlights history from a little closer to home. It’s the story of Julia Hancock, who married famed explorer, William Clark. Each character of this thrilling, adventurous period was researched throughout southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It launches in March of 2024.

Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, Son of Rome won the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award. In 2020, it was honored with a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards and also won First Place in the prestigious Chaucer Division in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2020.

The Antonius Trilogy is a detailed account of the life of Marcus Antonius—Marc Antony, which she worked on for fifteen years. The first installment, Antonius: Son of Rome was published in March 2019. It follows Antony as a young man, from the age of eleven, when his father died in disgrace, until he’s twenty-seven and meets Cleopatra for the first time. Brook’s second book is Antonius: Second in Command, dealing with Antony’s tumultuous rise to power at Caesar’s side and culminating with the civil war against Brutus and Cassius. Antonius: Soldier of Fate is the last book in the trilogy, spotlighting the romance between Antonius and Cleopatra and the historic war with Octavian Caesar.

Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her Antonius Trilogy. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and big, black dog, Jak. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
310 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this historical fiction novel engaging and well-written, praising its wealth of historical detail. They appreciate the character development, describing them as wonderfully faceted, and one customer notes the realistic motivations and dialog. The book receives positive feedback for its narrative, with one review highlighting its gripping story and descriptive battle scenes.

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ReadabilityStory qualityWriting qualityNarrative qualityCharacter development
11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be an amazing and entertaining read, with one customer noting how it picks up excitement and speed, while another mentions it has a slow start.

"...Book II is much better than Book I, having spared the readers a lot of the meaningless self-pity, endless drunkenness & bi-sexual acting out to bore..." Read more

"The second book of this trilogy picks up excitement and speed, and then just doesn't let up!..." Read more

"...So good." Read more

"slow start, good for a rainier day" Read more

10 customers mention "Story quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers praise the historical fiction novel for its wonderful storyline and wealth of historical detail, with one customer noting it powerfully conveys Ancient Rome.

"If u like Roman history you will enjoy this book. Good plot and characters with a lot of action and drama." Read more

"...on her, she has crafted a credible work and for those who want a good story and can forget some things I’ve mentioned, you should enjoy yourself." Read more

"...men and men as three-dimensional individuals, crafting an epic work of historical fiction not only achieving verisimilitude in its construction of..." Read more

"...Allen tells a masterful story filled with facts, tense battle scenes, and a time of upheaval after Ceasar was assassinated...." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with several noting the author's amazing work, and one customer highlighting the detailed battle scenes.

"The author does an amazing job making you feel like you’re there in the battles and in Ancient Rome. So good." Read more

"...Her descriptive writing of battles and conditions of the Roman soldier is compelling...." Read more

"...Well written!" Read more

"...Well done !" Read more

5 customers mention "Narrative quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative quality of the book, with one review highlighting its realistic motivations and dialog, while another notes its gripping story and personal details that make it engaging.

"...Marcus’s story. He shapes his destiny with decision and immense courage, while shielding his vulnerability—and his need to find that woman who he..." Read more

"Realistic motivations and dialog!" Read more

"...It offers a fascinating and gripping narrative even though the reader knows the outcomes based upon historical events...." Read more

"Great follow up ,lots of insights and historical asides...." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, describing them as wonderfully faceted, with one customer noting the author's good job of keeping Roman characters straight.

"If u like Roman history you will enjoy this book. Good plot and characters with a lot of action and drama." Read more

"...Ms. Allen does a good job of keeping her Romans characters straight, which is no small task...." Read more

"...Allen constructs Marcus, now in his prime, with great believability. Charismatic with an immense lust for life, he is flawed yet wears his mantle of..." Read more

"...Allen built a wonderfully faceted character who bravely fights for what he believes is honorable and good for Rome, meanwhile battling his own demons..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    If u like Roman history you will enjoy this book. Good plot and characters with a lot of action and drama.
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  • Bill
    4.0 out of 5 stars Much Better Than Book One
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is the second book of a three book series, as I understand it. I have read Books I & II now but will forgo the third book. Book II is much better than Book I, having spared the readers a lot of the meaningless self-pity, endless drunkenness & bi-sexual acting out to bore even the most ardent fans of such behavior that characterized too much of Book I.
    Ms. Allen does a good job of keeping her Romans characters straight, which is no small task. Also, Ancient Rome is not an easy society to come to grips with. Although I have been a bit hard on hard on her, she has crafted a credible work and for those who want a good story and can forget some things I’ve mentioned, you should enjoy yourself.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Wendy J. Dunn, author of Dear Heart, How Like You This?, The Light in the Labyrinth, Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters and Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Allen brilliantly opens the door to ancient Rome and to the man we know as Marcus Antonius!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    One way I know I am reading a wonderful work of historical fiction? When I find myself not only utterly engaged with the characters who live and breathe on the pages of the work but also checking out the history and the fates of these people. With this novel, I even watched the movie Cleopatra (the four-hour Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton classic) and documentaries about Rome. By the time I finished reading the first chapters of Antonius: Second in Command, I recognised the immense and commendable research that had gone into writing this novel.
    I first met Marcus Antonius in Allen’s first novel when he grew from boy to man. This novel continues Marcus’s story—and what a gripping and suspenseful story it is. Allen constructs Marcus, now in his prime, with great believability. Charismatic with an immense lust for life, he is flawed yet wears his mantle of leadership with ease. He is also a man who has never recovered from the loss of his first wife—a woman tragically taken from him. Her loss leaves for him a vacuum that other women cannot fill—no matter how much they love him.
    Allen opens the door to ancient Rome and to its many battlefields, battlefield often seeing Marcus fighting for his life. Brilliantly choreographed bloody battle scenes are set against a vivid Roman world. It is not a place for the fainthearted or those who wish to live long, peaceful lives. Treachery is a much a game for many highborn Romans as the games played in the blood-soaked arenas of the gladiators.
    Allen does not flinch from creating this brutal time in history, nor shaping Marcus as a man of his times. The novel powerfully conveys Ancient Rome as a man’s world where women’s power is limited by strict rules and to what their men allow. Even so, Allen successfully crafts both men and men as three-dimensional individuals, crafting an epic work of historical fiction not only achieving verisimilitude in its construction of this complex Roman world but also abele to convey psychological insights into this man remembered so well by history.
    Antonius: Second in Command is a man’s story. Marcus’s story. He shapes his destiny with decision and immense courage, while shielding his vulnerability—and his need to find that woman who he can entrust with his heart and soul. A woman he could die for. Now looking forward to reading book three to see that particular story played out.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic follow-up!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was a wonderful second book about Marc Antony. Allen tells a masterful story filled with facts, tense battle scenes, and a time of upheaval after Ceasar was assassinated. The young Octavian, and heir to Julius Ceasar, doesn't see eye to eye with Marc Antony but one thing they do agree on is getting revenge for Ceasar. I really enjoyed reading part 2 in this series.
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  • Steve Mauk
    4.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading, entertaining reading
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This second book of the trilogy is an interesting view in to Rome as the Republic devolved into the Empire. Antonius is a tragic hero who succeeds against all odds to survive the Republic’s death throws.
    One person found this helpful
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  • MBarber
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, those battle scenes.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The second book of this trilogy picks up excitement and speed, and then just doesn't let up! The standout scenes are Antonius in his favorite element as a military commander: Allen does an amazing job of conveying complex strategy at the same time that she puts you right in the middle of the action. Away from the battlefield, Antonius faces different but equal dangers in the morass of Roman politics, which become more brutal as the Republic unravels. I was drawn in more as I learned more about the history of this man and the journey he makes from outcast to Imperator. Allen built a wonderfully faceted character who bravely fights for what he believes is honorable and good for Rome, meanwhile battling his own demons: pride, jealousy, and anger. And then there is the rise and fall of Caesar, as uncompromising as he is fascinating! You know what will happen, yet you cannot put the book down as the story unfolds. I enjoyed volume 1, loved volume 2, and cannot wait for the third installment.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tony
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The author does an amazing job making you feel like you’re there in the battles and in Ancient Rome. So good.
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  • midget15
    3.0 out of 5 stars slow read, good for a raining day or two.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    slow start, good for a rainier day
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Rover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy and Captivating Read!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Any person who enjoys the intrigue of Roman history must read this fabulous part 2 of the Trilogy!!
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  • Selma in Japan
    5.0 out of 5 stars History is not boring.
    Reviewed in Japan on November 18, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Engrossing. Nothing boring about history. 
    There's really nothing more I can say of this book that the other reviewers haven't already said so eloquently about "Antonious: Second in Command," except that this author, Brook Allen, is the one who made me utter these words for the first time: Gods above, totally engrossing. I never knew history could be this amazing.  

    And it was at the beginning of 2021 that I said that when I posted my review for her first book in the trilogy/Historical Fiction Novel, “Antonius — Son of Rome."

    Brook Allen was my initiation into the genre. And she has done it again with the second book in the trilogy: Roman history is not boring.

    Ms. Allen's books take you to where you can smell the action. If you know history, this book will still add value to what you already know. If you don't know or like history, this second book will shift your perspective. (The first book did that to me) I guarantee.

    I've purchased all three books so, look for my review sometime around this time in 2022. Thank you, Ms. Allen. Happy Holidays. xo, Selma in Japan.
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  • Whitey
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Second Instalment
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I loved the first book in this series and couldn't wait to carry on with Marcus' story. This second volume does not disappoint. The author has a way of making you see what's going on so that every scene is in clear focus and you feel like you're there, watching the characters. It's evident that the author knows the history inside out and yet the research sits lightly on the pages, adding to the atmosphere without intruding. Another strength of the story is that the relationships are built up so that you completely understand how the characters feel about each other and why. I see that the third part is going to be published very soon. I can't wait. Even though I know what happened to the historical characters I'm excited to find out how the author portrays the events.
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  • Kindle Customer S. Clarke.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Maaaatte!!!!
    Reviewed in Australia on March 15, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Bloody good read Brook!! I've got number 3 lined up ready to go buddy, it's nearly kick off time. A couple of tokes on a wee spliff and it's like I'm really there walking beside Antonius!!
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  • Ranga venkataraman
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read.
    Reviewed in India on June 15, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Excellent reading. Spellbound beginning to end! Masterpiece of historical fiction. Highly recommended. More such writings would be a boon to serious readers.
    Report

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