Posts labeled Ancient Rome
Review - Memoriae by S.P. Somtow
My rating: 
Note: Due to a health issue, the author published the third book of this trilogy in two parts. This is the review of the second part, titled “Memoriae.” If you haven’t read the first part yet, the completed third book can be purchased as a single volume titled “Damnatio Memoriae.” Sporus and Nero return to Rome from their trip to Greece, but Sporus knows that Nero’s days as emperor are numbered.
Tags: Ancient Rome Novella
Review - Damnatio by S.P. Somtow
My rating:
Sporus is on his way to Greece with Nero, after the emperor had the young man’s genitals removed so that he would remain looking forever young, in the image of the Empress Poppaea, whom Nero killed in a fit of rage. The onetime slave may now be Empress of Rome, but in every way that matters, Sporus has less freedom than when he belonged to Petronius. I had thought that this third book would be the final in the series, but there’s now a fourth book announced.
Tags: Ancient Rome Novella
Review - Imperatrix by S.P. Somtow
My rating:
Sporus’ master Petronius is dead, having taken his own life after being implicated in a plot to overthrow Emperor Nero. Petronius freed Sporus before he died, but nobody is truly free from the attentions of the mad emperor. Without his protector, Sporus must quickly learn how to navigate the ups and downs of Nero’s mercurial temperament, as well as the intrigues of the imperial court. It will take all his skills to keep his head, not to mention other parts of his anatomy.
Tags: Ancient Rome
Review - Delicatus by S.P. Somtow
My rating:
In the first century AD, a small village on the very edge of the Roman empire was overrun by pirates, who took a young boy hostage to sell on the slave market. The pirate's ship is captured by Romans, but the boy is still transported to the slave market in Ostia, on the coast near Rome. While waiting to be sold, someone notices that the boy bears a strong resemblance to one of the most powerful women in Rome, Poppaea.
Tags: Ancient Rome
Review - Favorites of Fortuna by J.P. Kenwood
My rating:
You'd think our two heroes would be happy. Alle is free and back among his people, many of whom expect him to become king when his ailing father dies. Gaius no longer needs to worry about anyone finding out Alle's true identity and can focus on becoming the next emperor of Rome. The problem is that both of them miss each other. When it becomes clear that Alle's destiny is not to be king, he hatches a plan that may reunite him with Gaius and maybe even offer the Dacian prince a chance to kill the emperor.
Tags: Ancient Rome
Review - Pulsus Cordis Mei - The Pulse of my Heart by Maxime Jaz
My rating:
Marius is off to far-away lands, leading Rome's legions against her enemies. But, distance is no barrier to his enemies who don't want to see the general named as heir to the imperial throne. A plot to kidnap Marius goes awry, and he ends up being sold as a slave and transported to a gladiator school in Africa. Meanwhile, Kyle and Claudia struggle to stay one step ahead of the “snakes” who not only want to get rid of Marius, but his son as well.
Tags: Ancient Rome Menage M/s
Review - Avis Aurea - The Golden Bird by Maxime Jaz
My rating:
Marius has returned to Rome with Kyle, more determined than ever to keep the slave by his side. Of course, there are pressures from all quarters for him to conform to the demands of his high position as the commander of the military and nephew of the emperor. Ultimately he gives in to demands for him to take another wife, but he does so on his own terms. Claudia proves to be more than just a beard, and the three form an odd sort of family.
Tags: Ancient Rome Menage M/s
Review - Donum - The Gift by Maxime Jaz
My rating:
General of the Roman army and nephew of the emperor Marius is returning to Rome after a long campaign. At camp the night before reaching home, he is invited to dinner at the home of the local noble. It's not something he wants to do, but can't refuse. The noble turns out to have a penchant for young boys and presents his bed slave Kyle to Marius for the night.
Tags: Ancient Rome M/s
Review - Blood Before Wine by J.P. Kenwood
My rating:
After three months of hard labor in the slave quarters, Gaius releases Alle from his punishment for stealing a dagger, and welcomes him back to his bed. As the two grow ever closer to acknowledging their feelings for each other, it also becomes clear to Gaius that there are people, some of them apparently quite powerful, who know Alle’s secret, and then there’s the emperor himself, who takes an uncomfortable interest in Alle as well.
Tags: Ancient Rome
Review - Meeting Tiberius and Other Roman Tales by Clodia Metilli
My rating:
In this collection of stories featuring Gaius, Tiberius, Achilles and other characters from the previous two books of the series, we learn a bit more about Gaius’ past as well as glimpses of the future after the end of Gaius and Achilles. The first story, which gives the collection its name, recounts how Gaius and Tiberius first met, while later ones tell us about Achilles’ life with Gaius after being freed.
Tags: Ancient Rome Anthology BDSM