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Roman Equestrian #1
Venator
Britannia, AD 59.
Decimus is a long-serving senior centurion who dreams of retirement in Rome. Luciana is a Cornovii princess devoted to the freedom and survival of her tribe. Connected only by a passion for horsemanship, the pair could not be more ill-matched. After a deadly conflict thrusts these enemies together, each is determined to fight their desires and triumph over the other. Who will ultimately control the other's heart?
But Decimus and Luciana are not the only ones on the hunt for supremacy; a desperate struggle over the province is beginning to simmer to a boil. There are whispers of mysterious Druids fomenting unrest among the western British tribes, whose inter-tribal divisions threaten to subsume them. The future of the Roman legions in the province is suddenly thrown into doubt as casualties begin to mount. Decimus and Luciana find themselves entangled within a web of characters, Briton and Roman, playing with Britannia's destiny to serve their own ends. The hunt for power is on, where only one side can emerge triumphant. But just who among these hunters will end up hunted?
Fans of Anya Seton's The Mistletoe and Sword, Stephen A. McKay's The Druid, and Simon Scarrow's Eagles of the Empire Series will be utterly swept away by this emotional charged page-turner about two people captured by mutual passions and embroiled in the destiny of Rome and Britain, as well as their own.
Decimus is a long-serving senior centurion who dreams of retirement in Rome. Luciana is a Cornovii princess devoted to the freedom and survival of her tribe. Connected only by a passion for horsemanship, the pair could not be more ill-matched. After a deadly conflict thrusts these enemies together, each is determined to fight their desires and triumph over the other. Who will ultimately control the other's heart?
But Decimus and Luciana are not the only ones on the hunt for supremacy; a desperate struggle over the province is beginning to simmer to a boil. There are whispers of mysterious Druids fomenting unrest among the western British tribes, whose inter-tribal divisions threaten to subsume them. The future of the Roman legions in the province is suddenly thrown into doubt as casualties begin to mount. Decimus and Luciana find themselves entangled within a web of characters, Briton and Roman, playing with Britannia's destiny to serve their own ends. The hunt for power is on, where only one side can emerge triumphant. But just who among these hunters will end up hunted?
Fans of Anya Seton's The Mistletoe and Sword, Stephen A. McKay's The Druid, and Simon Scarrow's Eagles of the Empire Series will be utterly swept away by this emotional charged page-turner about two people captured by mutual passions and embroiled in the destiny of Rome and Britain, as well as their own.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
338 pages, Paperback
Published July 16, 2024
3 people are currently reading
2359 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Swink
2 books21 followersA.M. Swink, the author of the award-winning Roman Equestrian series, grew up in Dayton, Ohio, obsessed with two things: books and horses. After a childhood of reading, writing, showing, and riding, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky to complete three degrees and work as a college professor of reading and writing.
She’s travelled extensively around Europe, exploring ancient sites and artefacts relating to the Iron Age and Roman era. She is fascinated by our connection to the past and the ancestral tether that draws us back into the mists of time.
She’s travelled extensively around Europe, exploring ancient sites and artefacts relating to the Iron Age and Roman era. She is fascinated by our connection to the past and the ancestral tether that draws us back into the mists of time.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 4, 2025
In first-century Britannia, after their people are incriminated for murdering a Roman patrol, Luciana and her family must prepare to defend the tribe. Centurion Decimus dreams of returning to Rome. He’s close to retirement, and a successful battle against the Cornovii tribe may be his last hurdle. The orders are clear: leave no defender alive; imprison the women and children.
Once captured, Luciana hatches a plan and offers herself to Decimus. Yet dangers arise, some from feelings of jealousy and others from greed, which lurk in Luciana’s and Decimus’s shadows. The biggest danger, though, is their growing attraction towards each other. Can Luciana control her heart to free her people from captivity?
The historical details are captivating. I savored each element skillfully woven into the narrative. One note: At this time, eye-rolling wasn’t an expression as we use it today, and there’s lots of it; this made the characters feel less mature than their ages (Luciana being in her thirties). Otherwise, Swink brings to life battle tactics, soldiering attire, the grit of hand-to-hand combat, and, as with all war, battlefields and their gore. While driven by their growing desires, Swink also takes time to develop Decimus and Luciana in shared interests. Though readers should note there are graphic BDSM details.
The ending comes unexpectedly with many loose threads (the imprisoned tribe, Cassia’s plotting, the Silures’ attack, salacious Titianus, the Druid threat) left dangling. For me, doing something with Luciana’s tribe would have at the least resolved the longest-standing plot thread and Luciana’s entire motivation. As is, I was left underwhelmed. However, I relished the period details and the characters. While the second half is a spicy enemies-to-lovers cauldron boiling over, the first half is an enrapturing collision of cultures and character development that will leave readers breathless.
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
Once captured, Luciana hatches a plan and offers herself to Decimus. Yet dangers arise, some from feelings of jealousy and others from greed, which lurk in Luciana’s and Decimus’s shadows. The biggest danger, though, is their growing attraction towards each other. Can Luciana control her heart to free her people from captivity?
The historical details are captivating. I savored each element skillfully woven into the narrative. One note: At this time, eye-rolling wasn’t an expression as we use it today, and there’s lots of it; this made the characters feel less mature than their ages (Luciana being in her thirties). Otherwise, Swink brings to life battle tactics, soldiering attire, the grit of hand-to-hand combat, and, as with all war, battlefields and their gore. While driven by their growing desires, Swink also takes time to develop Decimus and Luciana in shared interests. Though readers should note there are graphic BDSM details.
The ending comes unexpectedly with many loose threads (the imprisoned tribe, Cassia’s plotting, the Silures’ attack, salacious Titianus, the Druid threat) left dangling. For me, doing something with Luciana’s tribe would have at the least resolved the longest-standing plot thread and Luciana’s entire motivation. As is, I was left underwhelmed. However, I relished the period details and the characters. While the second half is a spicy enemies-to-lovers cauldron boiling over, the first half is an enrapturing collision of cultures and character development that will leave readers breathless.
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...
August 16, 2024
Venator by A.M. Swink is a historical fiction romance set during the first Roman occupation of Britain. It follows the paths of a senior Roman Centurion and a Britannic princess from the Cornovii tribe of central-western Britain. Events occurred, though I will leave details out to avoid spoilers, and the reader finds themself in an enemies to lovers trope.
The trope is not, in my opinion, played out well. There are occasional reminders that there is a revenge subplot, but it is one-sided with the other player not only unconcerned about an enemy in their midst, but happily ignorant to the fact.
The big reveal falls very flat. The plot twist is more of a plot slight bend. The action is long expected. The ending is anti-climactic. Where more action, and I do not mean the between-the-sheets kind, would have solidified a newly forged relationship, the story just…ends. Maybe this is part of a series of books, but the ending could still have been better presented.
One thing I did appreciate about the book is the time-period used. Ancient Britain is one of my two favorite historical areas to study. The era is well-presented by Swink. Obviously, some events had to be moved to meet the needs of the story, but a couple of them we don’t have an exact date for, anyhow. A year or two makes very little difference when talking fictionally about 2,000 years ago. The tribes described existed, as did their common language. Additionally, it was not unheard of for tribes friendly to Rome to have children learn Latin and other Roman culture.
Readers should be aware that there is a rather graphic depiction of BDSM in the story. Otherwise, sex is described as in other, similar books. Likewise, those adverse to gore should avoid this book. Keeping in the timeframe and the weapons to hand, battle results, as described, are not pretty.
I give this book three out of five stars. The story fell rather short of expectations following the many pages of build-up. The build-up, though, is not bad. Due to the BDSM, I could not recommend the book to my readership at large. The fair historical accuracy, though, does speak to readers who can overlook a single scene in the overall story and do not mind some gory details.
The trope is not, in my opinion, played out well. There are occasional reminders that there is a revenge subplot, but it is one-sided with the other player not only unconcerned about an enemy in their midst, but happily ignorant to the fact.
The big reveal falls very flat. The plot twist is more of a plot slight bend. The action is long expected. The ending is anti-climactic. Where more action, and I do not mean the between-the-sheets kind, would have solidified a newly forged relationship, the story just…ends. Maybe this is part of a series of books, but the ending could still have been better presented.
One thing I did appreciate about the book is the time-period used. Ancient Britain is one of my two favorite historical areas to study. The era is well-presented by Swink. Obviously, some events had to be moved to meet the needs of the story, but a couple of them we don’t have an exact date for, anyhow. A year or two makes very little difference when talking fictionally about 2,000 years ago. The tribes described existed, as did their common language. Additionally, it was not unheard of for tribes friendly to Rome to have children learn Latin and other Roman culture.
Readers should be aware that there is a rather graphic depiction of BDSM in the story. Otherwise, sex is described as in other, similar books. Likewise, those adverse to gore should avoid this book. Keeping in the timeframe and the weapons to hand, battle results, as described, are not pretty.
I give this book three out of five stars. The story fell rather short of expectations following the many pages of build-up. The build-up, though, is not bad. Due to the BDSM, I could not recommend the book to my readership at large. The fair historical accuracy, though, does speak to readers who can overlook a single scene in the overall story and do not mind some gory details.
August 25, 2025
Venator is an enemies to lovers novel taking place in Roman Britain in the 1st century. The author focuses her novel on the Roman centurion, Decimus, and Luciana, a British woman whose tribe was conquered by the Romans. The two find themselves drawn together first by their appreciation and love of horses, but later by the physical attraction they feel for each other.
Swink did an admirable job researching Roman military terminology in what seems to be her debut novel. The depth of her knowledge of this era really brought it to life for me, and I thought I was already pretty knowledgeable!! The story's arc, starting when Luciana's tribe is friendly with the Romans to, after a devastating plot, when Luciana becomes the slave of Decimus, is well thought out. I loved the path the two POV characters took, learning to love and appreciate each other more and more through many challenges and obstacles.
A wonderful debut novel and a truly enjoyalbe read!
Swink did an admirable job researching Roman military terminology in what seems to be her debut novel. The depth of her knowledge of this era really brought it to life for me, and I thought I was already pretty knowledgeable!! The story's arc, starting when Luciana's tribe is friendly with the Romans to, after a devastating plot, when Luciana becomes the slave of Decimus, is well thought out. I loved the path the two POV characters took, learning to love and appreciate each other more and more through many challenges and obstacles.
A wonderful debut novel and a truly enjoyalbe read!
July 21, 2024
History has never been so steamy! Some people associate ancient history with dry dissertations, but AM Swink’s debut novel, Venator, couldn’t be further from that. Not only is it a wonderfully deep and inviting character study of a Roman centurion and the fierce Celtic woman he loves, it’s also impeccably researched and full of edge-of-your-seat action sequences as well. The dialogue is well constructed and the settings are vividly brought to life. Highly recommended.
January 4, 2025
I will preface this by saying that I don't read much fiction and this isn't an era I'd normally be interested in. But, a friend recommended Venator and I'm glad she did! This is a good read and a well-told story. Swink did a great job of bringing us into a well-crafted world. Appreciation for the history and culture of the ancient Romans and Britans is evident throughout while also telling a compelling story. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and look forward to #2.
February 10, 2025
Swink penned an exciting enemies -to-lovers tale in the sadly underrepresented world of ancient historical romance. Even better, she did so with a keen eye for historical details. The battle scenes were wonderfully exciting and bloody, and the chemistry between the main characters was fire. Eagerly looking forward to the next installment to find out what these two star-crossed lovers will do next!
December 24, 2024
As a classicist, as a horse girl, and as a reader... This book was a unicorn for me! It combined so much of what I love and am passionate about. I'm so happy to have discovered A.M. Swink and her Roman Equestrian series, and I'm eager for the next book.
Swink paints a realistic and believable environment in 1st century CE Roman Britain that is clearly well-researched. I was especially pleased with the inclusion of horses in the book and the research on ancient equestrianism that was highlighted throughout.
There is definitely spice in this book (A+ in my opinion!), as well as violence, language, and so on... Which makes it all the more believable, and all the more fun to read for adult audiences!
Even if you're not a big fan of romance, I still believe that if you have an interest in the ancient Roman world (and Roman Britain in particular), then you'll enjoy this book and should give it a chance.
I was only slow to read due to travel, general life business, and a spot of illness!
Swink paints a realistic and believable environment in 1st century CE Roman Britain that is clearly well-researched. I was especially pleased with the inclusion of horses in the book and the research on ancient equestrianism that was highlighted throughout.
There is definitely spice in this book (A+ in my opinion!), as well as violence, language, and so on... Which makes it all the more believable, and all the more fun to read for adult audiences!
Even if you're not a big fan of romance, I still believe that if you have an interest in the ancient Roman world (and Roman Britain in particular), then you'll enjoy this book and should give it a chance.
I was only slow to read due to travel, general life business, and a spot of illness!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews