Book Review: The Gladiator’s Master by Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe

Title: The Gladiator’s Master (Amazon)
Author: Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe
Genre: M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: September 2011 by Carina Press

When Roman politician Caelius inherits a stable of gladiators, there is one who captures his attention above the others...one whose eyes gleam with hate, pride and desire.

Forced into slavery by Roman greed, Gaidres can barely conceal his contempt toward his new Dominus. Gaidres has a plan: kill Caelius and end the lineage of the Roman family that enslaved him. For his plan to succeed, he must make a show of respect and obedience--even when called on to service his master's desires.

Gaidres is shocked to learn that in the confines of his quarters, Caelius doesn't want to dominate his slave, but to be taken by him. The sex is explosive as they break society's taboos and, to Gaidres's dismay, they form a tenuous relationship. Even when Caelius learns of Gaidres's plans for revenge, he knows he can't live without his perfect lover. Is he willing to risk it all to tame his gladiator's heart?

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Unique MM novel with a nuanced romance and a setting that is so well described it was nearly visual. Highly recommend this for MM fans.

The Set Up: Roman politician Caelius inherits his uncle’s long neglected ludus (gladiator stable) and upon meeting the gladiators, one prideful gladiator catches his eye. Gaidres was forced into slavery when his entire village was destroyed by Romans and he’s sworn vengeance on all Roman’s. While the men’s attraction is explosive, Gaidres expects Caelius to dominate him, little knowing Caelius desires to submit. But this relationship is taboo and someone is out to make sure Gaidres doesn’t rise above his slave’s station.

Why I Read this Book: I adore MM historical romance and I hunt it out but mostly because I’m a fan of Starz’s Spartacus series.

What I Liked: The relationship between Gaidres and Caelius is so nuanced. This isn’t a simple erotic romance—which I loved! Yes, the sex is omnipresent but these men form a tenuous relationship against all odds in ancient Rome when slaves lived and died at the whim of fickle masters. Gaidres was a complicate character, full of anger, hate and self-denial. It was painful to read about his old life being destroyed but it really set up his character and why he treated Caelius as he did. Caelius was so different than most Roman masters, which is how this relationship could even begin, and the novel did an outstanding job of showing how Caelius became symbiotic with his slaves and treated them as human. The tenderness and depth of emotion in this romance is exactly why I read romance and I think other readers will love it as well.

What I Also Liked: The writing is so descriptive! The authors did a great job of bringing to live ancient Rome. I bet the authors did a lot of research on the time period and it shows. For instance, apparently people in ancient Rome after a bath, men would rub oil over their skin and scrape it away with a strigil, a smooth, slightly curved stick. I’d seen this in Spartacus but didn’t know the purpose. These authors do a great job of bringing this world to life. Given the violent TV show, I was worried this book would be gory but they told a great story with minimal violence which really worked for me.

What I Didn’t Like: I was ready to hit Gaidres upside the head for how long he kept Caelius at an emotional distance. I was so ready for the emotional denouement by the time it happened!

IMO: Anyone liking unique settings with a nuanced MM romance will love this book as I did.

J9’s Rating: