Book 76: The Gladiator's Honor

NUMBER: 76
TITLE: The Gladiator's Honor
AUTHOR: Michelle Styles
STARTED: October 5, 2006
FINISHED: October 9, 2006
PAGES: 295
GENRE: Romance

FIRST SENTENCE: Who was that man?

SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] A hardened survivor of more than a dozen gladiatorial combats, Valens's raw masculinity fuels many women's sexual fantasies. He is 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, Julia is drawn inexorably toward the forbidden danger he represents. For Valens, Julia is a tantalizing reminder of the life he'd been torn from. To claim her, he must fight one final time--and win!

REASON FOR READING: A romance set in ancient times? I am so there.

THOUGHTS: The only thing this book really had going for it was the setting. And even then, the author failed to bring her book past the whole formulaic, mediocre romance thing. The characters had minimal chemistry, and the plot was overly convoluted. With such a setting as ancient Rome during Julius Ceasar's reign, this book had so much potential. I wanted blood, I wanted action, I wanted expensive costume drama. I got well produced high school play.

MISCELLANEOUS: Oh Russell Crowe...

KEEP/SHARE/CRINGE(?): Onto PBS it goes.
RATING: 5/10 [I didn't particularly like it or dislike it; mixed review]

CR: College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Coeds, Then and Now by Lynn Peril
RN: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

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