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Blurb: Phaedra, a dutiful daughter of Rome’s most influential senator, has no choice but to marry a man chosen by her father. But a chance encounter with handsome gladiator Valens Secundus sends her pulse racing—and, for the first time, makes her wish she could choose her own fate. They make each other a promise: she’ll insist on having the right to select her next husband, and he’ll do everything within his power to win his freedom.
A gladiatorial champion, Valens has fought his way up from poverty to become a star in the arena. The only two things he craves are his freedom and the luscious Phaedra, both seemingly far out of reach. But four years after their fateful meeting, Phaedra returns to Rome and soon becomes a widow, and Valens answers to no one but himself. They’re finally free to explore their fiery passion—while evading a powerful and wealthy new suitor of Phaedra’s—until Valens must return to the arena one last time. And in order for Phaedra to control her own destiny and claim her love, Valens will need to survive the battle of his life.
Review: Two dissimilar social worlds collide when Valens Secundus, a champion gladiator, and Phaedra, a senator's daughter, meet at her wedding to Senator Marcus. A chance encounter leads to a promise - Valens to secure his freedom and for Phaedra to gain the right to choose her next husband. Both paths are difficult - albeit not impossible - in Rome in the late second century BC.
What follows is a story of the somewhat winding way in which they fulfill both promises and how obstacles keep getting thrown in their way.
The Gladiator's Mistress is a story of rising above circumstances (social, familial, and personal), of obsession, love, and courage.
Good read.
(Blurb and image (c)Jennifer D. Bokal)
