My Wicked Gladiators

The Gladiators #1

by Lauren Hawkeye

Alba has spent her entire life pleasing others. As an upper-class woman in Ancient Rome, that is her place in life. But when her husband, Lucius, the owner of a prestigious gladiatorial school, uses her body as a bargaining tool to increase his fortunes, she is faced with doing as he demands—or finding herself on the street. Forced to lie with masked gladiators chosen by Lucius, Alba is surprised to discover pleasure in being powerless. Only in the forbidden arms of Caius and Marcus does she find comfort, however temporary it may be. But with Lucius' demands looming and the threat of death for her gladiators ever present, will Alba's fleeting pleasures be enough? Or will she finally grab hold of her own desires, no matter the consequences?

Genres: Historical, Romance, Erotica, Menage, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 15, 2012

About the author

Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson never imagined that she'd wind up telling stories for a living... though when she looks back, it's easy to see that she's the only one who is surprised. Always "the kid who read all the time", Lauren made up stories about her favorite characters once she'd finished a book... and once spent an entire year narrating her own life internally. No, really. But where she was just plain odd before publication, now she can at least claim to have an artistic temperament.

Lauren lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband, toddler, pit bull and idiot cat, though they do not live in an igloo, nor do they drive a dogsled. In her nonexistent spare time Lauren can be found knitting (her husband claims that her snobby yarn collection is exorbitant), reading anything she can get her hands on, or sweating her way through spin class. She loves to hear from her readers!

Reviews

[Autumn Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Summary:
Alba is the Domina or mistress of her home, but really defers to her husband for all things. This obedience has left her feeling lonely and unhappy. Her husband often finds comfort in their slaves and doesn't come to her anymore. Alba and her husband, Lucius run a Gladiator school, where they train men to fight. Because of her loneliness and feeling of being abandoned, she begins to have interest in the Champion Gladiator of the compound. One day, the opportunity arises in which she and the Champion, Marcus, have an encounter. Since she is the mistress of the house, she demands he satisfy her needs. She never expected to have the chance to meet with him again, but her husband has other plans.

As their familia funds begin to deteriorate, Lucius makes a deal that will secure his family. The problem is, the contributor wants to give his money to a family that has children. Lucius always believed that Alba was the problem, but because his infidelity hasn't produced an heir, the problem seems to be his. So, Lucius comes up with the idea to "mate" Alba with the Champion Gladiators.

Even though Alba is thrilled with the possibility of being with Marcus again, she's furious that he is breeding her out without her consent. On the first night of "mating", she's unsure whether or not the Champion that has been sent to her is Marcus or not, because he is wearing a mask. After that time, she meets Caius. It turns out that Caius is her masked mate.

As Alba's feelings for both men grow, she discovers that they too have a relationship based on years of friendship. Alba tries to figure out how she can fit into their lives and bring them the same happiness they bring into her life. Will there be room for her? How can they all be happy together with the threat of Lucius' deceitful ways?

My Take:
Alright, here are the straight out facts, if you don't like erotica or sexy romance novels, stop reading. There's no point. This is one HOT book from start to finish. However, as you can see from my summary, there is a story there as well. I could have gone on more about the actual events of the story, but I don't want to give too much away.

It's been a long time since I've read a historical romance. I love history, but have never been to keen on historical romance. So, why did I read this you ask? Well, I do like Roman history, so that was one reason. I mean, did you all watch ROME??? LOVED IT! The other reason, honestly...one of my best friend's, Andrea at The Bookish Babe, got this book as well and skimmed through it one day. She said it was hotter than anything she'd ever read. That sold me right then and there. So, Andrea and I decided to read this book together. We tend to provide moral support for each other.

So, what makes this story great? I really did like the actual story behind all the sex. The sex had a purpose. That might sound silly, but it's true. Alba was meant to have a baby, so she needed to have sex. It's true that in Roman society at that time, that sex was freely performed anywhere, anytime, but Alba did have standards for crying out loud. I mean, wouldn't you want to have the hottest Gladiators in the compound? WORD

Here's my breakdown on the characters. I loved Alba right away. I felt kind of bad for her. If she had been a woman in today's society, she wouldn't have taken crap from that husband of hers. HATED Lucius. He was a total sleaze. I never trusted him, but you aren't meant to. You aren't supposed to like him. I also detested his personal "guard". YUK! Now for my boys, yes, MY boys. I would take them both and cherish them forever. *who said that?* I fell pretty fast for Marcus. Here's why....he's a ROMAN GOLDEN GOD! Marcus is also the strong, silent type, that actually has a brain. I like and need that in man. Not to mention that he follows instruction well, if you know what I'm sayin'. Then, there is Caius. He's the other ROMAN GOLDEN GOD, but with a sense of humor. He's a bit more carefree, but man is he sexy.

On to the smexy. I feel that the best way to describe my thoughts on the sex, is for me to give you a list of instructions.
Items to have on hand while reading this book:
1. An ice bucket or be close to a freezer.
2. Some type of alcoholic bevy.
3. A change of panties.
4. Something or someone to relieve the......tension.
5. Ice, ice, and more ice.
6. Your cell phone to phone a friend.
7. Have the option of leaving the room to sneak in some "alone time".
8. Don't read this while taking your kids to the park, dr's, or waiting in line at the school.
9. Give yourself at least 20 minutes before operating a vehicle.
10. Read with a partner, so you can gush about all the sexy parts.

Why do I give this advice? I give you this advice as a warning. You will be in, what I like to call a "Gladiator Haze". You will not understand anyone or anything around you while reading this book. You will feel faint, light headed, beyond turned-on, and completely unable to understand life as you know it. This story will stay in your mind for days. I'm blushing just thinking about all the steamy scenes.

I leave you with this. Keep your eyes out for the following scenes:
1. Alba bath
2. balcony
3. sconces
4. candlelight by the sea
5. bathtub at the inn

Is your mind racing yet? Well, it should be. If you like erotic romance, don't walk, RUN to get this book.

[Riverina Romantics · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Warning – this review will be on the bipolar side. After 24 hours to sit and think about it, I’m still jumping all over the place with my thoughts. **

I requested to read this book for very obvious reasons...the cover for starters. The simple fact Gladiator has an ‘s’ after it (cause frankly what’s better than one Gladiator...damn straight, two Gladiators) and lastly, it is published by Avon so I thought it would be top quality.

Because I want to talk about so many different aspects of this book I am going to stop myself from jumping all over the shop by doing it in point form:

~ First page, first paragraph I was cringing. The book is written in first person, and I am NOT a fan of first person. In honesty I wouldn’t have requested it if I would have known. I find it sterile and too restrictive and I continued to feel this way for a large chunk of the book, but by the end I didn’t notice it at all. The story itself kept me occupied enough not to even remember my dislike of it.

~ This story made me mad. Not just a little frustrated, but bat shit crazy, heart palpitations, nasty ass mood for the rest of the day - mad. And no it wasn’t from bad writing, it was from the authors ability to make the worst villains known to man. I HATED Alba’s husband, I HATED Justinus, I HATED Hilaria and I’m a lover not a hater. I detested these characters so much I pictured myself tying them to a bed and stabbing them with a blunt fork until they slowly bled to death. They were horrible and I don’t think I have ever hated villainous characters so much.

It darkened my mood and made me appreciate fluffy romance books where the protagonists skip through the park holding hands.

Lauren Hawkeye hands down writes truly awesome assholes. Even though I hate being angry, I couldn’t help but appreciate how emotional Lauren made me about these characters.

~ The historical voice of this story was...floorless. I’m not one of those readers that takes a historical book and goes through marking off and double checking if the wording is right – but to me, this book was extremely well written in regard to the historical voice. From start to finish I was transported back in time. Yet another aspect that Lauren Hawkeye was entirely convincing on.

~ The Gladiators *sigh*, okay, as bastardly (and that is a kind word considering) as the villains were, the Gladiators were the opposite. I LURVED them – yep to the point where I’m spelling love the wrong was and putting it in capital letters. Lay me on the marble floor and hop aboard gentlemen, I am ready for a ride. They were gggrrrooowwlll worthy. They were the perfect mix of aggressive strength and ruggedly handsome good looks, and their personalities were just as dreamy. They were dominating, possessive (in the best quantities), protective, gentlemanly, loving, caring, you name it, they had it.

~ The sex. Yes, the sex definitely rates a mention. It was scorching my panties hot. There was no vanilla here ladies, it was double choc chip with peppermint swirls, sprinkles, nuts, whipped cream and berries. It was kinky but it classy (from the point of view of someone who reads a lot of erotic romance). However it may not be for the erotic virgins. It contained ménage scenes, anal sex, near rape, gay sex...and I am sure I have missed more than I’ve listed.



So the reason for my bipolar/seesaw review is that I started this book on the wrong foot. I didn’t like the writing in first person, add to that the anger this story wrung from me and I would rate it a 2 out of 5. I don’t enjoy stories that make me mad and have the ability to change my mood for an entire day.

However if I rated my love for the gladiators and the kinky, naughty sex scenes, I would give it an impressive 5 out of 5. They truly were THAT perfect to me.

And I can’t go without giving the author points for her flawless writing. She is a remarkably talented author so in the end I have decided to give it 4 out of 5 with a sliding scale for various different reasons as I pointed out.

If you aren’t against feeling the need to stab everyone in sight over emotions brought out in a book – this may be a 5 out of 5 read for you.

[Vanessa theJeepDiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale is told first person point of view, Alba’s point of view specifically. When readers first meet Alba she is a contently married woman living the life that one would expect of an upper class Roman female. Her husband owns one of Rome’s better Ludas (gladiator school.) I point out that she is content with the way things are. She feels they could be better, but she knows that things could always be worse. I am still shocked at the difference in the woman at the beginning of this book to the woman at the end.

When her husband and his physician approach her about her lack of baring a child she soon starts to see her husband as a different person. She also starts to see that changes need to be made in her life, but she is not in any position to see to any of those changes. Her position is dictated by her husband, even if he makes her feel like a common whore.

I loved Alba. She is seeing things in a completely different light than she ever has before. She knows that her husband is not the man he presents himself to be. He is greedy and manipulative. He is often cruel and she begins to feel as though she is just another of his possessions. His continued poor treatment of her only reiterates this fact repeatedly. The only comforts she has are her stolen moments with her two gladiators. The fact that a female in this time period began taking charge of her life was exhilarating.

As with any first person point of view I was left wanting more of Marcus and Caius. They know their place in this life and don’t hope for a change in their status. They are happy to have the moments with Alba that they are given, or the times they are stolen.

This is an erotic romance, there are numerous sex scenes. Some of the scenes include male on male, light bondage, voyeurism, paid sex, and anal. Alba’s time with her gladiators is very hot. Her gladiators care deeply for her. Their attention to her and her pleasures are exquisite. The time she gets to spend with Marcus and Caius makes it so easy to understand why she made the sacrifices she eventually makes to get her happiness.

[Tee Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm trying to think of the right words to write a review for this book, but the only thing that's coming to mind is HOLY SMOKING HOT ROMANS!!! Honestly, I was not expecting this book to be non-stop steaminess and blow me away, but Lauren Hawkeye did just that!

Wicked Gladiators is the story of Alba, an upper-class woman in ancient Rome. Her husband, the arrogant and inattentive owner of the gladiator training school, freely does as he pleases while expecting her to simply be his obedient and respectable wife. Alba is lonely and fed up with her husband's lack of any feelings for her, and decides on a whim to help herself to one of their gladiators. The gorgeous, incredibly strong and gifted fighter Marcus makes her feel things she's only dreamt of, and afterwards Alba can't get him and their time together off her mind. But Lucius, desperate for the money they need, has made an agreement that leaves Alba's body at the mercy of one of her husband's gladiators. Alba is consumed by her feelings, both physical and emotional, for Marcus and Caius. In her world, she has no power and the gladiators she loves could be taken from her at any moment, but Alba is determined to find freedom for all 3 of them.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this story; it starts out with a very steamy scene, and my first impression was that it was really sexy but the character development was going to fall flat. So I braced myself for a smut book with lots of sex and not much else, and boy was I wrong!! While Alba comes across as a snotty rich wife at first, she is actually just an under-appreciated woman who is desperate to feel loved and find pleasure for herself. She isn't cold and demanding of the slaves and gladiators they house like other women of her stature would be, and I found myself worried for her as she was taking risks to be with the men she loved. She was strong, sweet, and intelligent, and deserved better than the treatment her useless husband gave her. Marcus and Caius, oh sweet lord these boys just had me panting and fanning myself as I tried to calm my racing heart!! They were just dripping in sex appeal and raw manliness that makes you weak in the knees, and I absolutely loved the way they were Alba's sensual dreams come true!! And as I saw more of them throughout the story, their protectiveness and love for her just kicked their delish factor up tenfold!! *faints*

The plot and setting that Hawkeye created for this story were addicting, too, I was completely intrigued by the way these people lived. She took time with details, which made the whole setting seem very realistic. The descriptions of their home, the gladiator's housing, the lives of the slaves, and the societal norms of the time all kept with the Ancient Roman era. I was really impressed with how well this was written; instead of the story suffering from the use of so many steamy scenes, I think they actually balanced each other out and actually benefited from each other in this book. There was definitely an air of sensuality throughout the whole story, it seemed like at any point someone was either horny as hell or finding pleasure, and it was usually on display. The Ancient Rome setting was a neat twist; the old chauvinistic, almost animal-like view on sex that was used in the story had my heart racing!! Everyone was pretty much uninhibited when it came to their bodies, especially the gladiators, and HOLY crap was it hot!!!

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the m/m aspect of this story, but I actually liked how it played out with these characters. It's not usually something that I have interest in reading about, but the way Hawkeye made me really fall for these guys first, along with the whole sexually-charged atmosphere, made it really sexy. Marcus, Caius, and Alba together oddly somehow made the perfect relationship and completed each other. I really loved the way Wicked Gladiators ended, I think it was just right for these characters and fit the story perfectly. Definitely recommend this to any more adventurous romance novel fans out there!!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

KcLu's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

My Wicked Gladiators is the first book that I have read by Lauren Hawkeye, and to say it held me hostage would be an understatement!! This is one of those great books that you are willing to miss sleep for. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next!

Alba is the wife of the pater familias, and they run a ludus (a training facility for the gladiators they own). She is very bored with her life, but her one joy is watching the gladiators train. Two of them have caught her eye, but she can do nothing about it. According to the Roman traditions the wife may sleep with any slave she wants except the gladiators, because they must store up their seed to fight better. This doesn’t stop her from seducing Marcus, the champion of their gladiators, and having her way with him in her bath. (LAWD … all I can say about that encounter is HAWT!!!) She feels very guilty about forcing Marcus to sleep with her and betraying her husband, UNTIL her husband comes to her with his new plan to save the lodus from running out of money. He is trying to secure the patronage of Baldurus, one of the wealthiest men in the city, but Baldurus wants them to have a child before he will sign off on anything. Alba has thought she couldn’t have children come to find out the problem was Lucius, her husband. He forces her to lie with one of the gladiators until she conceives a child. Needless to say she is pissed about that!! Through this though she finds pleasure in being powerless to not only Marcus but to Caius too, she comes to care for both of them and them her. Can she have a life with her gladiators away from the bindings of Rome??

I hope I was able to tell you enough without giving away too much of the story. There is so much to love about this book!! Oh goodness these gladiators are hot as hell!! The loves scenes are smoking hot!! This book is told completely from Alba’s point of view please don’t turn it away because of that! You would be missing out on a true gem!!

[Crystal _ Reading Between the Wines Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 Stars

Travel back in time to ancient Rome and the time of Gladiators with Lauren Hawkeyes dark and delicious novel, My Wicked Gladiators!

Alba is wed to Lucius, owner of a school for champion Gladiators. A tolerant and dutiful wife she always does what is expected of her from her husband, even though he ignores her. A certain Gladiator has caught her eye though; dark, strong and handsome Alba can’t resist his allure. When her husband leaves for business she summons him to her bath chamber knowing that he cannot refuse her. Alba is blissfully sated afterwards but riddled with guilt…until her husband confides that they are in danger of losing everything unless she can bare a child. Formulating a heartless plan for her to breed with one of his Gladiators, Lucian forces Alba to submit. Hoping beyond hope that the Gladiator chosen to breed with her is her Gladiator, Alba is surprised by the pleasure she finds in the masked man’s arms. Disgusted by her husband’s greed and manipulations Alba’s only joy is her time with her Gladiators but when their happiness together is threaten will Alba find the courage to stand up to Lucian and leave all she has behind to save it?

What’s better than a sexy Gladiator willing to fulfill all your fantasies? Two sexy Gladiators of course!

Told in the first person from Alba, though maybe not happy with her lot she is content – a dutiful and docile wife. Soon into the story her attitude begins to change though, first when her husband refuses her which inspires her to seek out the Gladiator Marcus. Alba still believes that Lucian truly loves her though despite his lack of affections. When Lucian coerces her into having sex with a stranger though so that she can become pregnant for the sake of wealth Alba begins to see the truth of the man she married. Lucius, talk about a man that you wanted to strangle. I give Alba props for holding her tongue and it makes me appreciate living in the time we are in, because I couldn’t put up with what she did.

Dark, gritty and sometimes depressing readers journey with Alba as she discovers the strong sensual woman inside of her in a world of politics, greed, sexual depravity and bloodshed. Her story sucked me right in! As Alba sneaks in visits with Marcus she discovers a whole new side of her; one discovery is that she likes to be bound. *waggles eyebrows* But she also starts to develop feelings for the Gladiator that is forced to breed with her, Caius, who is fun and gentle. However, Marcus and Caius already have a loving relationship together and Alba suffers several doubts about herself because of it. Lauren Hawkeye weaves the four different relationships wonderfully and provides scorching scenes that will get your blood firing. And though I really (really, really, really) enjoyed the sexual chemistry and the pages sizzling in my hands I wish more emotion was sprinkled between the sex. There wasn’t a lot of communication between Alba, Caius and Marcus and though understandable with the times and having to steal moments together it affected my ability to connect with the trio until near the end. I really enjoyed watching Alba grow throughout the story though; the woman we meet at the beginning is drastically different than the one we say goodbye to at the end.

A unique and extremely hot erotic romance there are numerous sex scenes and in true Roman fashion they're conducted publicly and frequently in varying styles. With M/M, M/F and M/F/M relationships as well as some light BDSM, prostitution in a sense and anal My Wicked Gladiator definitely has enough to keep erotica fans entertained. Also a plus, there is a helpful glossary of terms at the end. With a seemingly impossible HEA the story will keep you turning the pages and on the edge hoping for just that. My Wicked Gladiators was an enjoyable read that I am glad I picked up.

*A recommended Ménage read!

[Ronda Tutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gladiator Delicious!

Holy Smokes Batman! LOL  I thought the book cover was hot, (MAN!) that was until I read the story - I mean forget about being just hot, no, I'm talking body quivering with shattering orgasm hot.  The story captivated me with the culture of the Roman times between the classes of slavery and how they gained their freedom through fighting which I loved the snippets of action in the book but also how women were treated during this time like they were possessions and in truth you could actually say they were almost slaves themselves in a way since they belong to their husbands and basically had no rights.  

The female character Alba" "won my heart over as her eyes opened up to what a cruel and deceitful man her husband "Lucius" really was.  She finally woke up to find out what true love really was and I was rooting her on as she found love and pleasure in the arms of the two gladiators Marcus and Caius. I also admired her because of the way she treated all slaves in general with respect and the fact that she finally found the courage to stand up to her husband Lucius and beat him at his own game by turning the tables on him in the end.    

What is great about great stories like this is that there is always the evil villians and the heroic hero's who save the day and in this case I have to say that I literally felt like jumping in the story to help kick some serious ass.  I didnt know I could actually hate someone so much as I did Lucius right hand slave Justinus - I mean the guy was a sneaky snake who would sell his own mother to get ahead.  Another person I hated was the high society rich bitch  Hilaria who was a major slut and would probably screw her dog in public if given the chance.  

[image error]However, the best part of this story was the two wonderful charming gladiators Marcus and Caius.  Yes they were lovers before Alba and boy was it hot to read about the passion between them but when Alba was added to the equation the whole book ignited into a scorching torch of pleasure as both men worshiped her body so get ready for some one on one, some anal action, some sucking, blowing, Light BDSM, and my favorite 69 position while be hammered from behind.

I am truly a new and big fan of this author and look forward to reading more of her works.  With that said if you are looking for a hot menage than I highly recommend this awesome book.

Lastly I would like to give a  big thanks to my friend Jodie at Riverina Romantics for having this on her site and turning me on to this great read, those girls there read some great hot romances.  

Excellent Read!

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alba and Lucius have been married for a number of years. Lucius paid attention to his wife for the first few years they were married, but when their unions failed to produce a child, he deems she's barren and seeks his pleasure in the house slaves.

In order to ensure his family is able to maintain the status quo, Lucius negotiates an alliance with another wealthy Roman. His stipulation, he will not enter into the agreement unless Lucius is able to get his wife, Alba, with child. Due to the family physician's assumption that it is Lucius who is barren and not Alba. Because the alliance is important, Lucius decides he will mate Alba with a gladiator of his choosing in hopes that she will become pregnant.

Alba doesn't like being treated as a possession, but she secretly hopes that she will be mated with one of the two gladiators that she's attracted to. While she agrees to the terms Lucius set for her matings, she soon finds herself looking forward to her mating days with her lovely gladiator, Caius. But he isn't the only one that Alba wants. She has also been with Marcus and longs to have a relationship with both men.

This was an interesting story, because it had me wondering if women in Ancient Rome would actually have the type of freedom that Alba had in this story or would be able to dictate the change in her life the way Alba did.

Sex is rampant in the book, but that shouldn't be surprising considering the time period. Men with women, men with men, women with women, it was pretty much a free for all. However it was slightly disturbing to me the way certain women of the upper class would treat the male slaves. I don't know why them being used sexually should have surprised me, but it did bother me (especially since I don't like to see anyone being used like that if they don't want it).

If you ever wondered what life would be like for a woman during ancient Roman times, this book could give you a good idea. Overall it's an enjoyable read, although it did drag in places.

[Frankie Ness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest and say that I can't finish this book! I think it's only 200 pages (per Amazon) but it's the slowest 17 chapters of my life! The plot is 1-star but the sex part is 5. This gave me impressions of that Showtime series, Spartacus, with Gladiators in Ancient Rome setting. But while Spartacus has a solid plot made even more exciting by all those nekked men & their amorous activities with their Domina, My Wicked Gladiators' plot is as dry as sand.

In a nutshell, Alba is caught in a loveless marriage with Lucius. They have a several Gladiators and they need patronage but for them to get it, Alba must have a child first. Lucius is sterile so they sought the help of a Gladiator to plant his seed in Alba's belly. And they lived happily ever after!

This is one of those sexy/erotic books that have two parts, the sex and the plot, sadly this has too much sex and the plot didn't complement all the steam. Don't get me wrong, I love Mommy Porn as much as the next girl but I guess I want mine to still have a story. I want to live vicariously through the heroine, empathize with her dilemma, BE her on the duration of the story. Sadly the emotional intensity is almost nonexistent in this. If I want straight up porn, I'll just hit up one of those porn sites and get my fill.

Now the sex parts are VERY, VERY HOT! You might as well skip the dry confrontations between Lucius & Alba and fast forward to the latter's encounters with her Gladiators. This book has M/M, F/M 3 way in every shape or form. There's bondage, voyeurism and the basics on Mommy Porn.

Would I recommend this? Yes for all the sexy scenes but I'll give you a head's up that the plot needs a lot of work too!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russell Crow left women swooning when he donned gladiator garb to fight for his life and his rights. In this new novel from Mrs. Hawkeye you can get another gladiator fix. Only this one comes with a lot more steam and a lot more sex. When wannabe gladiators sell them selves to a Ludus they expect to be bruised and bloodied and possibly die. But none expect to act as a stud service to the Domina. After years of fruitless efforts to conceive a child, Domina Alba is forced by her husband to mate with a gladiator of his choosing. Alba hopes its Marcus. A gladiator she has lusted after, but can not have. But then again Caius would not be horrible. Alba is not looking foreword to these mating sessions, but will do what it takes for her family and Ludus. She never expected to fall in love with her gladiators, or come to hate her uncaring husband. This novel is full on steamy sex that once you pick up, it will be hard to put down. This erotic novel is not repetitive like so many can be. It depicts scenes of male\male, female\male and threesomes. This is for those who like erotica and graphic scenes and language. Overall this is a very thoroughly enjoyable book and I hope this author continues in this genera.

[Limecello · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Ancient Rome with a nerditude that is almost startling. Accordingly, I wanted to love this book so much. Unfortunately, I could not. Sure it's sexy, but the heroine is blithely oblivious. To the point of being stupid, IMO. I don't know if people really can't put two and two together but there were so many "reveals" at the end I found obvious.
Perhaps I got nitpicky because there were so many factual errors.
Beyond that there were plot and character holes. And worse, it felt like an episode (or season) of Spartacus. In fact, it felt like that's where the author got not only her inspiration, but her research. [This is not good, and I say this as someone who owns the first season.]

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this - that a woman in Ancient Rome could find love with two gladiators was certainly appealing. Unfortunately, I found the characterization to be rather one dimensional.

Alba is in an unhappy marriage and without children. Her husband is looking for a patron for his ludus (Gladiator school). The patron, who has many children, wants to see a family, so Alba's husband mates her with one of the gladiators.

While the sex was quite steamy and I enjoyed the aspects of Roman life, this was somewhat disappointing.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a book like this one. It was one of those books I stumbled upon in the ebook sale page. I thought to myself, "why not take a chance?" I was surprised at how the characters came out very strongly and how the story just carried me to the next page. I was rooting for certain characters and hoping they would find their redemption and their happy ending.

Sure the sexy scenes were sexy but for me the story really was something more.

[Jenna ✨DNF Queen✨Here, Sometimes... · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stupid name for what turned out yo be quite a decent book. Felt cheated by the very minimal mm interaction though given how important their relationship was to the story.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alba is the lonely, unloved wife of Lucius, owner of a gladiator training facility. She is attracted to one of the gladiators but knows it is impossible to pursue. Lucius is in desperate need of a sponsor to support his facility but the potential patron wants a family man. Lucius determines to get Alba with child using his gladiators as a sire. But the simple transaction Lucius envisions leads to more than he anticipates. This erotic tale of a Roman wife and 2 gladiators was a more nuanced story than most.

[Amber Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

in light of pride month im happy to have found a novel centered around rome and the amcient era-a time i can scarcely find a good historical romance on. whats more to have a strong independant-bisexual heroine who enters a nicely portrayed polyamorous relationship with our starpping Gladiators. The lack of sugar coating over the actual behavoir of the higher classes and the treatment of the sexual activity is nice as well. the book was very entertaining.

[Drasko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historical research for this book is obviously done from TV serials and has more holes then a Swiss cheese. Plot is a thin as a paper and handling a sex scenes competently is not enough to earn a more stars.

[Kylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this I was iffy about starting it. But it hooked me in after the first couple of pages. It made me want to read what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the book thoroughly. It made me think of what it would really be like to be in the Roman time.

Overall, Good book!

[The_Book_Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on TBQ's Book

Palace


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Sex. Lies. Power. Blood. Orgies. Gladiators. Ah, the fun times of Ancient Rome! :)



My Wicked Gladiators is definitely not the book for the faint of heart. The sex is very explicit, involves some rough play, menage action, as well as some m/m scenes. To be honest, it's not usually the sort of book that I go for. But I was intrigued by the setting (Ancient Rome) and the cover is simply to die for. So I took a leap, stepped out of my comfort zone. And I'm glad I did. Because even though, yes, I had a few small problems with the book, over all I really enjoyed Lauren Hawkeye's newest release, and I will be looking for her other books!



This book is a bit unusual because instead of being told from the third person POV, it's from the first person—the heroine, Alba. And while I think having it told purely from her POV was needed to show how much she changed over the course of the book, how she was fighting to get her own freedom and desires fulfilled---I do wish that we had at least seen a few scenes from the “heroes” POV. Instead, Marcus and Caius came across as very flat and seemed more like the sex-toys for Alba that the rest of society saw them as. I didn't like this, as I wanted to like Marcus and Caius, and I wanted to know a bit more about their relationship with each other, their past lives and their characters. Instead, we see only the little bit that Alba learns about them.



Obviously the time period that My Wicked Gladiators is set in wasn't the best time for romance and free will. Slavery was rampant, screwing everyone around you purely because you could was common place, and the class levels in the society were very strict. Sticking true to the time and the way that things we run creates a slight problem for many readers today. How can we read about such blatant abuse and slurs—in a romance novel, no less? But I think, even though I don't approve of the way things went back then, Hawkeye did a wonderful job at bringing it to life.



The mistress of the house does not run away with her slaves, her gladiators, nor does she treat her slave girl like a best friend. And yet Alba did both of these things. At the beginning of the book, Alba was like any other well-off Roman wife; she listened to her husband without complaining, lay about letting everyone take care of her, and let others control her life, especially what was expected of her. But as the story continued, she quickly starts to change. She doesn't love her husband, hates what he's become. She'll do anything to leave him, to run away and live her own life, where it's not expected that she treat her own friend like a slave. I was glad to see her change, and happy to watch her finally get control over her own life. She showed a lot of courage and strength by doing this, and I can well imagine how hard that would be, especially during this time when women had no real power and were expected to answer to their husband and master.






4 STARS! Extremely sexy and honest to the point of being a bit rough to read, My Wicked Gladiators is a great historical read, and one that is unlike most of the others on the market. If you don't mind erotica, including some m/m sex scenes, and want something new to read, I highly suggest picking up this one! I know I wouldn't want to live in this time period, but reading about it is really quite interesting, and since it's not a common setting for romance/erotic novels, I enjoyed reading something new. I will be looking for more books by this author, as well as more books similar to this one—though I would prefer that it be in the usual 3rd person POV so I can feel more of a connection to all of the characters, not just the one. :)

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a big fan of the tv show Spartacus I was immediately drawn to this story and as the pages were turning I became even more immersed in the world and characters Ms. Hawkeye created. From the descriptions of the city, the clothing, and the social and political hierarchies, the images conveyed were extremely realistic and drew me in even deeper and made for an extremely satisfying read.

Alba has always been a dutiful wife but has slowly come to realize that her life and marriage isn't as satisfying as she thought. When her husband is thought to be sterile, and with their fortunes in dire need of an heir, he devises a plan that has her getting up close and personal with sexy gladiator Caius in hopes of conceiving. As if this isn't emotionally difficult enough, Alba's feeling sexually and emotionally drawn to yet another gladiator, their ludus' champion Marcus. These two men have made her feel more cherished and fulfilled than she's ever felt before. As she sees her husband Lucius becoming more uncaring of her and others in his household, she knows she needs to make a change and take what society says she shouldn't have.

As this story is written in the first person we get to know Alba quite well and seeing her go from meek and dutiful to assertive was very satisfying. She was a lonely woman with no real friends in their social circle because she detested their superficiality and their poor treatment of the slaves. The only people she opened up to were her personal slave Drusilla and her two gladiators/lovers. I can understand why then she'd sacrifice everything for this small group of people who were more of a family to her than her own husband and relatives.

I enjoyed the characters of Caius and Marcus but didn't feel as connected to them because we never get to know their inner thoughts. Their both loyal and strong and have different and highly appealing characteristics to meet all of Alba's emotional needs as well as their own when they're together. Drusilla too is a likable character and as her story progressed I felt emotionally drained. There are plenty of unlikable characters as well. Lucius is a manipulative, uncaring man who will do anything for money. His secrets make him even more reckless and I wish his ending would've been more punishing. A noble woman, Hilaria, is anything but. She's truly vile and twisted and I cringed everytime she came on the scene. She would've been a perfect match for Lucius.

The tv show Spartacus definitely influenced this story in small and subtle ways. A character from the show is spoken of as well as what befalls him. Spartacus' rebellion is mentioned and easily invoked images from the tv show as well. There's lots of sex and violence in this story which isn't surprising considering the time period. There's m/m, m/f, and m/f/m as well, with each of these sexual interludes being extremely graphic and steamy.

This was an entertaining story with loads of action and romance. While the first person perspective doesn't allow for full insight into all the characters, I was still fully invested in their outcomes. The ending of the story, while extremely satisfying, doesn't seem too plausible to me but with the happiness of my favorite characters at stake I'm not going to quibble. Ms. Hawkeye has created an entertaining story and if she decides to revisit this world again I'll definitely be along for the ride.

[Mistress of the Dark Path · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alba has led a fairly happy and luxurious life in ancient Rome with her husband Lucious, but things are about to take a turn. After years of being unable to conceive, the couple has grown apart. Not only this, but she discovers her husband isn't the good man she thought he was. Lucious is unable to give her the children she wants, and as it turns out, he suddenly needs her to get pregnant in order to satisfy a potential patron. A patron who could help them to keep running the expensive Gladiator School that funds their fine lifestyle. The only answer is for Alba to sleep with a gladiator of her husband's choosing who can help her conceive and she isn't given a choice in the matter. Unfortunately, she has already had her eye on one in particular due to the lonliness she had been feeling and now she desires no other. How can she be married to one man, sleep with another on her husband's orders, and pine for the one she wants the most?

From the start I was drawn into the setting. What's not to like about a woman who has the attention of not one but two gladiators in ancient Rome? If only there were more books written in this setting. Despite it being more along the lines of erotica than romance, it does have a love story and a plot. Neither were as deep as you might find in some novels, but there was enough that it wasn't all lust-filled scenes. Readers will get a taste of the culture, history and lifestyles from this period, along with some of the politics and violence. It should be noted that those who are more bashful and conservative should stay away. There are m/m, m/f, m/f/m, and a brief f/f scene, along with some exhibition. I thought it was very well done, but we all have our own reading preferences to consider.

I must admit the author kept me guessing the whole time on how things were going to work out with the gladiators. It seemed like a hopeless situation, yet I had to believe it would end on a happy note. There were some exciting moments, along with pain-filled ones, but it all added depth and built momentum for what would eventually occur. There were even a few surprising twists. Every character had at least some developement, and I felt it was enough for the genre it was written. Alba even spent a considerable amount of time contemplating the plight of slaves and the treatment they received by those who controlled them. She was freeborn herself, but didn't like the concept of any one person being better than others. It explained a lot of her actions as the book progressed.

All I can say is if you're looking for an erotica novel with more depth than most and an exciting setting that is sadly underused, this may be the one for you. My Wicked Gladiators has the excitement of ancient Rome, the passion of impossible love, and the suspense to keep you turning the pages. I enjoyed every minute of it and wish I could find more like it.

[Amanda Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the first few pages this books screamed "SPARTACUS!!!!!" to me. I'm not talking Kirk Douglas in a 1960's loin cloth. I'm talking the mcRaunch fest that is Starz Network's Spartacus, the show that started out being campy and laughingly awful and somehow evolved into a gory and pornographic masterpiece. RIP Andy Whitfield. Though Spartacus himself doesn't make an appearance, his activities in overthrowing his Dominus is mentioned and plays a part in Ms. Hawkeye's book.

Alba is the wife of an upper class Roman Dominus, Lucius. When Lucius is presented with a business opportunity he can't refuse, he approaches Alba with an arrangement to help make it happen. She has to get pregnant. Lucius is sterile, so he tells her that he will pick one of his gladiators to do the deed. She's horrified. At first. You see, Alba has had a thing for their star gladiator, Marcus. When he returns her interest in the minimal way he can, she begins to obsess. She has no idea who her husband has chosen, as he comes to her wearing a mask. When her relationship with her husband begins to thaw (and really it had been for awhile), Alba fantasizes about a life with her gladiator, or at this point gladiators, plural. She's figured out her stud-for-hire is either Marcus or their second best, Caius. When Alba realizes that Marcus & Caius are actually an item, she's confused and fascinated. When word of a gladiator revolt reaches her estate, her husband forces her to their sea side home, and sends both Marcus and Caius with her for protection. I'm sure you can imagine where this is going.

To anyone that isn't familiar with Spartacus, the blatant sexuality and gore of My Wicked Gladiators would have shocked you at first. The rest of us would have just shrugged and continued on, popcorn in hand. This is a super raunchy book. If you're looking for vanilla, go elsewhere. This is some serious Rocky Road crazytrain. The only thing lacking here was BDSM, and given time it probably would have gone there eventually.

I enjoyed this book the way one enjoys a super sweet dessert wine - sparingly and slowly. Ms. Hawkeye takes the time to use the correct latin names for just about everything, and the historical aspect is a lot of fun. The raunch aspect can be a bit overwhelming if you let it, which is why I had to wade through slowly. The only thing that didn't really work as well for me was the first person narrative. The story is told from Alba's perspective, and though it works, I feel like we could've perhaps gotten more out of a a third person narrator.

If you're looking for a guilty pleasure read that will sweep you to another time, this is the one for you.

My Wicked Gladiators by Lauren Hawkeye

Rating: B-

Romance: 2/5 Raunch: 5/5

[MARQUETTA · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Wicked Gladiators is a sexy and sensual read. Told from Alba's point of view, you are experiencing her journey from neglected wife to a strong, sexual woman who wants more than what her marriage is offering.

Alba is in a emotionless and sexless marriage. She knows that her husband, Lucius, satisfies his sexual appetites with the slaves instead of her. It is expected that she do the same but Alba can't imagine having sex with a slave except for a certain gladiator, Marcus. In a moment of weakness, Alba gives into her desires and wants more. But her appetite for Marcus is derailed when Lucius, trying to broker a deal with a prominent man, mates Alba with one of his gladiators. Alba is horrified at the decision her husband has made but when she experiences Caius's first touch, she can't help but want more.

Have a fan nearby because this book is smoking hot. Alba is a woman who is conflicted about her wants and needs. She wants to be the dutiful wife but thanks to her neglectful and greedy human, she slowly comes to the realization that she should be selfish, and do what she wants. She is attracted equally to Marcus and Caius and wants them both - separate and together. The story takes place in Ancient Rome so there is an abundance of sexual freedom; male-male, female-female, male-male-female. Even though there are plenty of sex scenes with Alba/Marcus or Alba/Caius, I would say the hottest of all the sexing was the male-male. I wish there was more!

The majority of the story was engaging and entertaining. Some parts dragged and a couple of times, I wanted to get out of Alba's head. I wanted to know more about Marcus and Caius. I loved the journey that Alba took. She became the master of her destiny and I think Lucius got what he deserved. He was a horrible husband from beginning to end.

There aren't many erotic historical romances that take place in Ancient Rome so if you're looking for something different, yet sexy, I recommend this book.

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Wicked Gladiators by Lauren Hawkeye

*ARC Supplied by Publisher*



This book if filled with all the sorts of sexual practices you may expect from this time-period in Rome. M/F/M, M/M, masturbation, dominant-submissive play, voyeurism, group sex etc. Coarse language is used that I must admit I was a bit surprised about since I didn’t think that these types of words had come into use yet during this time period. But I have to trust the author to have done her research if she is going to be doing Historical Fiction.

The story in a nutshell, and I have to admit there really wasn’t much story and even less action to move the plot along, just pretty much the sex and that’s about it. Alba (this story is written in her point of view) seems to be pretty bored with her life even if she won’t admit it (or at least the author doesn’t come out and say it). Her attention has turned to one of her husband’s Gladiators; Lucius runs a training school for Gladiators, and she orders one of them to have sex with her. Soon she learns that she is to mate with a gladiator of her husbands choosing so she can get pregnant since her husband cannot do the job. (it is quite complicated). Eventually Alba begins to love both of her Gladiators, who also love each other, and tries to find a way to be with both of them.

Naturally this being a ‘romance’ it does give us a happily ever after. The historical aspects are quite interesting. The sex scenes, while steamy have been drawn out almost to the point of frustration and the road to their HEA was a tiny bit boring and somewhat unbelievable. The descriptions of life were lush and interesting, but the characters were not ones that had a lot of depth.

[D. L. Foley | My Last Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating 3 stars.

Things I liked:
-the writing style
-the gladiators
-the setting

Things I think could have been executed better/differently:
-there was steamy sex and attraction but no real relationship building or romance. Their relationship was about sex, which I don’t mind sexual content, but I prefer it to be paired with relationship building.
-more developed character growth for Alba and sooner
-for those wanting it, there were not many gladiator battles.

General Thoughts: I enjoyed it well enough. There were things I liked and things I really didn’t like. But overall, I left feeling it was an okay, enjoyable read.

This is not one for the faint of heart when it comes to steam or erotic materials, as the advisory indicates, it has a lot.

It’s also first person POV through Alba alone.

Steam Meter: This one is quite steamy! It includes a lot of sexual content and adult content at that! It contains ménage/polyamorous scenes, MM scenes, MM and female scenes, and MFM scenes. It has some light bondage themes. Anal sex scenes. And some nonconsensual sex where the wealthier characters get to order the gladiators to engage in sexual content with them. While we later find out Alba the main character did have consent for a scene, for some we are led to believe that she didn’t have consent.

And while Alba ends up consenting, there are also scenes that she did not consent to and was forced into.
Sex without affirmative consent =sexual assault/rape.

So reader advisory there.

Romantic Tropes
-polyamorous (more than RH, that fits better)
-ancient Rome
-forbidden love
-ménage
-insta-lust

[Shopgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started losing credibility for me when the timeline of events became fogged and it seemed that the heroine thought she was already "showing" just days after getting pregnant, and she wasn't sure which gladiator was the baby's father even though she only slept with one of them since her last courses. I found the ending too easy and unbelievable to buy into, and the further into the book I got, the more I started rolling my eyes about things Alba said or did. She was so blind to the obvious throughout the book and that started to grate on me.

I really enjoyed the character of Hilaria though; fascinating psychology and very well written.

I had no idea this an erotic romance when I bought it (all I saw was Rome! and said, "Jump onto my kindle!"). While I didn't mind the graphic sex, there was a ton of it in there, and after a while it became tedious to read yet another scene. I think I'll stick to normal historical romance from now on. (note: the frequency of the sex didn't play into my rating. A book shouldn't be penalized for following the requirements of its genre.)

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is first and for most HOT. I was wondering how the the cover scene was going to be managed after I started the book but I am sure glad it happened. Mainly, I thought the plot was a little lacking, especially the ending but...I saw the twist coming from a mile away. I also though a TON about Spartacus the TV show as I read this book and I just couldn't help it. I tried not to, but I did it and you will too if you saw the show. Not necessarily a bad thing but it was hard to separate the story lines.

Oh, so on the steam. The sensuality in this book is over the top sexy, sensual, and almost touchable. I loved the way Ms. Hawkeye did her descriptions, it was detailed without be gratuitous as well as perfectly censored to leave some things to the reader's imagination.

I loved this book and I hope to see more by this author. If you are a fan of Saskia Walker, this might be an excellent book for you.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply put, I really liked this book! I thought it was really well written and yes I would recommend it to my friends. Well, of those I think might like this kind of genre, anyway.
This is the first book I've read by Mrs. Hawkeye and I think she did a very good job in setting the characters and storytelling. While I'm not into history very much I still felt like I was transported to that time and place and can understand the actions and dialogue of the characters. The "hawt" scenes were enough to get the blood boiling and they weren't scenes that were too unbelievable as with a couple of other books that I've read by different authors.
Overall it left me wanting to read more by this author. Well done, Mrs. Hawkeye! Well done!!

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alba is a dutiful, if bored, young Roman wife. But when her childlessness threatens what is left of the family fortune, her husband forces her to lie with one of their top gladiators.

She wasn't supposed to enjoy it. And she certainly wasn't supposed to go on to further erotic adventures.

Marcus and Caius, the top gladiators in the ludum, are brothers-in-arms, and lovers in bed. The sex scenes - between the two of them, between Alba & Marcus, Alba & Caius, and among the three of them, together, are sizzling hot. The historical details, especially about the clothing, felt authentic, though I haven't studied up on that period.

Still, I didn't see how there could possibly be a HEA, but Spartacus helped them out, even if he didn't know he was helping.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new, and interesting setting in Ancient Rome. Alba is living the life of an upper-class woman with a husband who is more interested in his gladiatorial school than his wife. When it becomes apparent they need a child to advance his causes and he realizes he’s barren and it’s decided that Alba will lie with some of his chosen warriors to produce a child. With intrigue, lies, and passion Alba must learn what she really wants from her life and what is her best bet, the life she leads with her husband or possible a new life with the gladiators with introduce her to the passion she never knew she needed. This was a new time period for me so I would have liked more of an epilogue to see how Alba fairs but otherwise a good read.