Hadrian: MM Spicy Historical Romance Emperor Hadrian

by Harlowe Savage

Until Hadrian met Antinous, not a day went by that he didn't feel the sting of loneliness that had plagued him for most of his life. Even surrounded by people, Emperor Hadrian spent his days keeping everyone at arms length. However, one day, when someone wholly unexpected stumbled into his life, suddenly the walls he'd spent years building up began coming down. Something about Antinous forced him to let down his guard and think about what he truly wanted, finally allowing him to have the romance of a lifetime.



A love that transcends all boundaries.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2024

About the author

Harlowe Savage is a queer author dedicated to creating stories that depict queer romances with the same amount of spice and passion that readers get from their straight counterparts. She firmly believes that the gap between the amount of LGBTQIA+ erotica and heterosexual erotica in the mainstream is far too large and intends to rectify this through normalizing queer romance novels and increasing accessibility of the genre.

Reviews

[Gale MR · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are opening this book to find historical accuracy, save yourself some time. I chose to read it because I was tempted to see an unconventional fiction interpretation that makes very liberal use of real historical figures, events and settings, refracted through the author's imagination and with a decidedly queer flavor. And my expectations were completely met - light, entertaining and thought-provoking, this melancholic romantic story is filled with longing and loneliness. Because people rarely think about what and who exactly is behind the mask of an emperor, king or other position of power. And they are indeed people of flesh and blood, but dressed with the heaviness and responsibilities of their higher rank and the pressure of societal expectations.
This romantic story has the flavor of campfires, the weariness of countless days and nights on the road, the hardships of soldier life, the taste of loneliness when you are surrounded by so many people and there is no one to actually talk to. It's not about all the smut and all the spice, it's about finding a companion, someone who brings peace of mind, the comfort of shared silence, or the pleasure of quiet conversation under a starry sky. Despite the vast difference between their social standing, Hadrian and Antinous connect instantly on a purely human level. And so it begins - unconventional and bittersweet romance, I really enjoyed reading.

[Zeke · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I'm a big nerd for the ancient Roman Empire, particularly the period of the Pax Romana and the late empire. I have always found the story of Hadrian and Antinous fascinating, and as a gay transman, I was excited to read their story from a romantically fictionalized perspective by a queer author.

However, this book is extremely poorly written. It almost feels more like an outline/skeleton draft of a manuscript, rather than a completed novella. There is very little set dressing, and any dialogue or characters present other than Hadrian or Antinous seem to only exist to help churn through "tedium" to get to the next sex scene.

I could overlook the author's eagerness to get to the deed, but the biggest disappointment for me was the dialogue. The lovers often call each other "baby," and when they aren't sleeping together, they're having conversations in a sort of quippy romcom style of speech. Early on, Antinous reveals to Hadrian that he's never had "a boyfriend," a term which took me entirely out of what little immersion I had.

I really wanted to like this book!

The final nail in the coffin was a scene in which Hadrian and Antinous are present for the revealing of a statue of Hadrian, and his manhood is depicted as small, which Antinous finds amusing. In response, Hadrian, the 45+ year old emperor of Rome, says to Antinous:

"Not the time, babe."

[Malinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a much different read than I have come to expect from Harlowe. Not only was there warranted tension but the characters were far more fleshed out than they have been in Alexander or Emperor Ai.

A marked improvement in writing from her two previous works. Really solid work. As always, the spicy scenes are some of the best parts of the book. However, I was rather delighted with the venture into more fantastical themes and elements. As a huge fan of Greek mythology, I was delightfully surprised.

What a relief not to anticipate (somewhat, I am familiar with Hadrian and Antinous’ story) where the story was going next. Yes, artistic liberties were taken, but any historical inaccuracies were not as glaringly obvious as they have been in other works.

This also features a bittersweet, albeit happy ending which I enjoyed.

[AbigailReadzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the third book in this series, as someone who predominantly reads contemporary romance I really enjoyed my introduction into historical romance through this book as well as the other two.

This story was unique and interesting to follow and I believe others regardless of them being a seasoned historical romance fan or new to the genre like myself will enjoy them.

It was fun to see the progress and growth of our MMCs relationship throughout the book as well as the perspective of what a true relationship would be like under those circumstances and in that era of time.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read and I have enjoyed the other two books from this author as well.

[Ιωάννα Σερίφη · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice spice book that I enjoyed and a somewhat nice love story. But other than that it was not historically accurate and that took away the 2 stars.

[Maggie]

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