Thanks. Just ordered both of them.
Be careful. After i read those and saw the series I read 2000 pages of roman history from Livy and the inception of Rome through the year of the four emperors (69). Yo0um might enjoy Livy. eye had access to the wealthy families who had chronicled their ancestors speeches and he quotes some of them especially before and after battles. He ends at the second punic wars because the last 150 years of his writing were never found.
I read a few sources concurrent trying to read in alphabetical order. i still have some books that go to later years but I stopped at 69 AD. Enjoy.