A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

THE GLADIATOR'S HONOR

Author: Michelle Styles ISBN: 0263846504 (UK) ISBN: 0373294174 (US) 5/2006 (UK) 9/2006 (US) HISTORICAL Publisher: MILLS & BOON
Time Period: Rome, 65 BC

Bedtime Eyes by Amy Yamada
U.K. Cover

SOLD INTO SLAVERY! A hardened survivor of more than a dozen gladiatorial combats, Gaius Gracchus Valens’s raw masculinity fuels many women’s sexual fantasies. He is a man outside polite society, and Roman noblewoman Julia Antonia knows she should have nothing to do with a man who is little more than a slave.

But, with a wisp of scandal clinging to her stola, she is drawn inexorably towards the forbidden danger Valens represents. Julia is a tantalising reminder of the life he had torn from him. To claim her, Valens must fight one final time – and win!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE GLADIATOR'S HONOR is everything that I hoped it would be, and more. Michelle Styles takes us way back in the day to Rome, 65 BC. She presents a lovely picture of Julius Caesar, his court, and the Gladiatorial games that were rampant during this time period.

Julia Antonia is a wonderfully scarred, but beautifully strong heroine. She has been through much and has been hurt by many, but that doesn't stop her from living her life. She is caring and courteous, always seeming to do and say the proper things, even after divorcing a brutally abusive husband and causing havoc and scandal for her family. When she happens upon Valens one day and is inexplicably drawn to him, something happens inside of her that will change her life forever. This something changes the very way that she thinks about her life, and also marks the beginning of a beautiful romance.

Valens is everything that a Gladiator should be—at least in my mind. He is strong, disciplined, caring and not afraid to die. He knows what he must do and he does it—no questions asked. Valens has depth and substance with a past—a painful, horror-filled past—and still he manages to keep it together and do what he must to survive. Meeting Julia gives him a reason to live, a reason to keep fighting. He knows that one day, if he fights long enough, if he tries hard enough, he may be able to claim her for himself.

I felt like I was living and breathing this story. The writing is superb and did not fail to keep me intrigued at all. The love story is breathtaking and made me wish that it would never end. Michelle Styles has found a new fan in me. THE GLADIATOR'S HONOR will be going on my keeper shelves, which I hope in the near future to fill with more of Ms. Styles' books.

Kristal Gorman

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