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Alison Morton

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SUCCESSIO: The fourth Carina Mitela adventure (Roma Nova Thriller Series Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Alison Morton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 76 ratings

Book 4 of 11: Roma Nova Thriller Series

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"I love this country. My ancestors struggled for it. I’m not going to let some throwback poison it."

Pulled into a nightmare of blackmail, drugs and breakdown, 21st century Roma Novan Carina struggles to defend her family and country against a gifted and vicious enemy.

An experienced military intelligence officer and undercover investigator tasked with protecting Roma Nova – the last remnant of the Roman Empire that’s survived into the 21st century – Carina is no novice. But for once, she may not have the mental and physical strength to defeat this manipulative killer intent on destroying her and her husband's families.

Her career in meltdown, her husband in breakdown and the children under threat of murder; her heart and nerves are at break point. But in the final agonising confrontation with her enemy, Carina has to make the hardest decision of her life…

A thriller with a difference – Roman fiction brought into the 21st century through the lens of alternative history and driven by a female protagonist with heart and courage.

– Longlisted for the 2015 HNS Indie prize
– Historical Novel Society’s indie Editor’s Choice for Autumn 2014
– B.R.A.G. Medallion
– Editor’s choice, The Bookseller’s inaugural Indie Preview, December 2014

Review
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this classy thriller.’ Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller

“Alison Morton has done it again. SUCCESSIO is the latest in her series of powerful tales of family betrayals and shifting allegiances in Roma Nova. Once again, I was gripped from start to finish.” – Sue Cook, writer and broadcaster

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I thoroughly enjoyed this classy thriller, the third in Morton's epic series set in Roma Nova, a breakaway Roman colony established in AD395, which has survived to the present day. The series came about because the author -- a self-confessed 'Ancient Roman nut'-- wondered what a modern Roman society run by women would look like." - Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller

"If there is a world where fiction becomes more believable than reality, then Alison Morton's ingenious thrillers must be the portal through which to travel. Following in Caesar's footsteps, she came with INCEPTIO, saw with PERFIDITAS - and has well and truly conquered with SUCCESSIO!" - Helen Hollick, author and Managing Editor Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews

"Alison Morton has done it again - an intelligent, well-constructed thriller with gutsy characters. SUCCESSIO is the latest in her series of powerful tales of family betrayals and shifting allegiances in Roma Nova. Once again, I was gripped from start to finish." - Sue Cook, writer and broadcaster

About the Author

Even before she pulled on her first set of combats, Alison Morton was fascinated by the idea of women soldiers. Brought up by a feminist mother and an ex-military father, it never occurred to her that women couldn’t serve their country in the armed forces. Everybody in her family had done time in uniform and in theatre – regular and reserve Army, RAF, WRNS, WRAF – all over the globe.

So busy in her day job, Alison joined the Territorial Army in a special communications regiment and left as a captain, having done all sorts of interesting and exciting things no civilian would ever know or see. Or that she can talk about, even now…

But something else fuels her writing… Fascinated by the breathtaking mosaics at Ampurias in Spain and the engineering brilliance of the Pont du Gard in France, she was curious about the role of women in the complex, powerful and value-driven Roman civilisation. That started her wondering what a modern Roman society would be like if run by strong women…

Now, she lives in France with her husband and writes Roman-themed alternate history thrillers with tough heroines:

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KOSV1YC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pulcheria Press (May 29, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 29, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3961 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,018,802 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,310 in Alternative History
- #7,370 in Espionage Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #8,004 in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.6 76 ratings

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Alison Morton

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Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire still exists and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue.

The Historical Novel Society selected SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and JULIA PRIMA as Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. SUCCESSIO featured as Editor’s Choice in 'The Bookseller'.

Alison has misspent decades clambering over Roman sites throughout Europe, especially French ones. A former soldier and translator, she holds an MA History, blogs about history, social media and writing. Alison lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit.

To get the latest news, subscribe to her newsletter (https://alison-morton.com/newsletter/) and receive 'Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter.

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Amo Successio

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2015

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Excellent alternative history with an intriguing take on (reimagining of) gender roles. These books are so good that I bought them one after another over a weekend and read them back to back.
There are many novels that take as their starting point the assumption that a major historical event turned out differently: The South won the US Civil War, Hitler conquered Europe and kept it, the Spanish bested Drake or Napoleon won at Waterloo. Alison Morton’s four Nova Roma books take a different path. Instead of a different outcome, Ms. Morton imagines what happened if a culture survived.
The idea: A small corner of the Roman Empire survived, keeping some of the culture and religion of Rome – and Latin! – alive into the twentieth century, while the country itself – Nova Roma – had to change to accommodate technological changes. Like Switzerland, Nova Roma has never been conquered. Morton takes practices that were alive during Roman times, such as Senators having clients, and imagines how those practices morphed in almost 2,000 years.
There is a further twist, a twist that makes the books so imaginative. Unlike Switzerland, a patriarchal society, Nova Roma is a matriarchy, albeit a modern one.
So what is excellent about the books?
1. Use of history. Ms. Morton has thought out how today would be different if Nova Roma existed for the past 2000 years. BUT, this history is dropped into the plot in frozen blocks; instead, only when relevant is it mentioned.
2. Use of history. As far as I can determine or remember from my history and years of Latin, the little details of society then are accurate. This makes it so easy to accept Ms. Morton’s recreation of them in modern form – no “willing suspension of disbelief” is required.
3. Plot. Well thought through. Each book has a natural conclusion (no cliffhangers), while creating the beginnings of events that will form the plots for the next books.
4. Characters. I am a fan of strong women – women with “agency” – the ability to make things happen rather than respond to events. It is also the ability to learn from mistakes.
5. Complicated personal relationship(s). There is a romance here, in addition to mystery and suspense. The romance is far from linear.
What didn’t I like? I think that the female lead, Carina Mitela, should have made a different romantic choice. However, I’m male, and I tend to be harder on male characters than I gather female readers are.
My standard disclaimer: I purchase the books, I don’t know the author and I wasn’t asked to review them.

Helpful

Mervi Hämäläinen

Great continuation to the series

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019

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Set eight years after the end of the second book, Carina Mitela is now a major in the Roma Nova’s elite military force, the Praetorian Guard Special Forces (PGSF). She’s also the head of her powerful family now that her formerly formidable grandmother Aurelia is suffering from late-stage cancer. Carina’s husband Conrad is a legate in the military forces and therefore her commanding officer. They have managed to make it work, though, because they love each other and because they’re both committed to serving the state. They have three children.

But when they suddenly find out that Conrad has a daughter he never knew existed, their life is torn apart. The girl, Nicola, is already 25 years old and she’s in the British military. When she comes to Roma Nova, she wants everything she can get. Carina strongly suspects that the girl is manipulating Conrad but he won’t hear of it. He turns his back to his existing family, refusing any help from his wife. When Carina finds out that Nicola is a drug dealer who almost gets Carina and Conrad’s oldest daughter killed, Conrad refuses to hear of it. When Nicola gets the Roman Novan Imperial heir into trouble, Conrad still sides with Nicola, feeling guilty and that he must try to make up for the lost years.

This story is quite a roller coaster, involving the people closest to Carina. Nicola threatens not only Conrad and Carina’s relationship but also their children. Conrad siding with Nicola hurts Carina deeply but she does her best to serve the country. Also, Carina’s eldest daughter Allegra is 15 and in trouble. The imperial heir, Stella, is also a teenager. She’s unsure of what she wants to do in life and is used to being pampered. When she rebels against her mother, it’s more serious than an average teenager’s rebellion.

Also, Carina’s beloved grandmother is dying of cancer and Carina needs to step up as the leader of her extended family. All of this makes the story seem complicated but it’s written very well and I had no problem following the different plots. However, I was really very dubious about Conrad’s actions (once again) even though we do get an explanation, of sorts.

The series has a lot of secondary characters and we get to see most of them this time, too. Carina’s friends in the military play a big role but we get to see the others, as well. Stella and Allegra have their own character arcs, and while the girls could have been very similar, both reared up is rich, privileged families, they are actually quite different. I’ve enjoyed the cast of characters in the previous books and I enjoyed them a lot this time, too.

This is a great end to Carina’s story. There’s still a novella about her which I haven’t read. While “Successio” can be read as a stand-alone, I think it’s best to read “Inceptio” and “Perfiditas” first. The next book in the series “Aurelia” follows Carina’s grandmother’s story and I’m eager to read it.

Helpful

Gordon L

Excellent Book 3 in the Roma Nova series.

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2014

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Roma Nova is always at risk, from enemies both internal and external. Carina and Conrad are getting older, as is their family, but there are always new threats. The good guys don't always win and there is always a penalty, win or lose. Plenty of mayhem as someone from the past desires revenge, threatens Conrad, with repercussions affecting the Royals, and and the love of family clashes with love for, and responsibility to, Roma Nova.
Enjoyed it very much. Took two and a half days and carried my Kindle around 'till finished. Please, Keep the series going
Gordon L.

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

Smart, clever, and highly believable - made me look for that country on the map! Good characters, if a little over the top - but they were fun -some were to be loved, others hated - but not too much! Good reads!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Tom K

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2016

It's just OK.

Carina and Conradus' beautiful love story is so engrt drives the story,...

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2014

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If I could rate this novel (and the series) as a six star, I would. Carina and Conradus' beautiful love story is so engrossing that it drives the story, the even as sup-plots and dangerous persons attempt to usurp the culture of Roma Nova. I have been thinking about this book for weeks, which is a sign of a good book.

One person found this helpful

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Mike C

At last

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2014

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I have waited a long time for this and read it very quickly!!! Too quickly I am now waiting for the next book...................
To be serious for a minute. I enjoyed the first 2 books in this series. I wasn't sure when I started reading the first one, but soon got stuck in
The 3rd book deals with the family a bit more and there were times when i wanted to kick Conrad up the backside!!
It is a little darker than the previous books, but not too dark
There is drama
There is violence ( not over the top and should not put you off)
There is pathos
There is politics
There is humour ( not a lot but subtle when it is there)
There are stroppy teenagers
There are confused parents

Really just about everything you need in a good book and this IS a GOOD book

Well done Alison, worth waiting for, now no sitting on your laurels, when is the next due out!!!

2 people found this helpful

Love to shop

and although I found the covers dull, together they make an impressive collection

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2014

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This is the last of the Roma Nova saga. I can't say much about the cover other than it's similar to the last two books, and although I found the covers dull, together they make an impressive collection.

The title Successio, in Latin, means descent, inheritance, succeeding etc so I think this book could focus on the main protagonist's family life. Maybe the grandmother, Aurelia Mitela (Nonnie), elderly in the last book, has died and Carina inherits? Shall have to read to find out.

The blurb nicely includes a first line hint at the troubles of the previous episodes before drawing me back into Carina's life. The blurb also reinforces my belief that this book will concentrate on troubles brewing in the Mitela household.

The look inside is again (almost) the same as the others--background story--which because I commented on before I shan't do so here.The only difference was the illustration of Carina. A nice touch.

Straight into the review of the story...

The beginning hinted at friction between Carina and her stepdaughter, Stella, which was nicely done. Nothing heavy handed. Then Conrad received a mysterious letter where Carina, instead of asking him about its contents, decided to be sneaky and follow him.I've always come away feeling that Conrad and Carina aren't a strong match for one another. They seem to mistrust the other, and in Book 1 and 2 I felt it was because he'd picked up on the sexual spark between Carina and Apollodorus--maybe he'll just never forgive her. Maybe I read too many romances!

Anyway, instead of asking her husband what the hell is going on Carina follows him and discovers he has a daughter from a past relationship laying claim to his affections. Nicola Sandbrook is resentful of Conrad's other family (Carina and her children) but worse, she is now the heir to the throne after the beloved death of Grandmother Nonnie (I came to love this character, and it was a sad moment when she passed).

Nicola is a nasty, flawed character, and intent on destructing the entire foundations of the Mitela household. She first causes trouble by trying to lead Carina and Conrad's oldest daughter, Allegra, astray, but then settles on Stella (another daughter from Conrad's past) and uses Stella's jealously over her stepmother Carina to worm her way into the Mitela household.

Then her destruction gets steadily worse as Carina and Conrad drift even further apart.

Successio, like the others in the series, is a plot driven book rather than character but I preferred Successio to the others because in this one, Carina seems more human and less of a superwoman. Conrad was allowed emotions as well, but so much so, I began to think he was a wimp! Neither could I understand why he was blind to Nicola's evilness and turn his back on Carina and their other children.

Subtly, Morton had dropped into the story that Conrad had had an accident and although recovered physically I felt his mental state was still in rehabilitation (because of his eagerness to side with his villainous daughter), but whether this was intended or not, I wasn't sure.

Even so, Carina was cruel to break the news in front of others about the activities of this bad daughter. She should have waited until they were alone. Their massive bust-up over it could still have happened, but the reader would have been more in Carina's court. Instead, I lost sympathy for her a little.

It's a tight read, tighter than the others, which seemed to have many little sub-plots feeding through. I did think that Carina would have had more respect at work by now, and the constant put downs she received was unnecessary because she'd proved herself time and again that she was an effective solider.

Successio is probably the only book out of the three that you could read as a stand-alone novel. It's genre is an alternative history (and well thought out) but first it's a crime story with a strong emphasis on thriller.

Very well done. Another strong 4/5.

Freyalyn

Alternate history...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

... at its best, carefully researched and worked out, with excellent characters and completely realistic. So easy to imaging this happening.

Lindsay Jones

Successio? Total Success

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

I have been awaiting this book with bated breath. Having read and loved the previous two Roma Nova books I was delighted to see the third one released. Another great book from Alison Morton, filled with intrigue, action, excitement, but definitely not missing emotion. I cannot recommend these books highky enough - if you haven't read any of them already, please do, you are missing out on a great piece of writing.

2 people found this helpful

ProofProfessorPublications

Acclaim

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

Alison Morton has been acclaimed for this series of books, and that acclaim is well justified: the narrative moves along swiftly and deftly, and the quality of the writing is clear. Not very many typos but there are other notable editorial errors, mainly to do with punctuation, syntax and consistency, and totalling just under 100. This level of errors is broadly representative of that in other books issued by this self-publishing company that I have viewed.

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SUCCESSIO: The fourth Carina Mitela adventure (Roma Nova Thriller Series Book 4) Kindle Edition

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