Even the best book is going to be a readers digest summary. You're talking about centuries of history condensed into a single book.
Some of the aforementioned authors are good reads, but hopefully you start diving into the in depth biographies of the major players in Roman history...it gives you a fuller picture of the politics and events that shaped history and a much better understanding of the culture and life of everyday Romans.
Anthony Everitt's books are all excellent.
Also, be aware that even the best books out there have relatively little information regarding the rise of Rome. So much of we we know is from archeology, the passing down of myth and legend, and secondary references to sources and early historians that have since been lost. Not to mention that historians in antiquity viewed their jobs much differently than modern day historians. They weren't at all impartial, and they were often less concerned with capturing a chronology of facts for future generations. Which is why when you read any credible narrative of ancient Rome they usually say "this historian said this, that one said that, and because we know X, Y and Z, this is what I think is most likely to be true" all throughout the book.