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Bowing to Love: The Noble and the Gladiator
From popular Boys' Love author Saki Aida comes a romance novel between a beautiful aristocrat and the gladiator he falls for!Lucianus is a noble who believes that love is nothing more than a waste of time and energy. That is, until the day he's saved by the handsome and powerful gladiator, Dominatus. Suddenly, wasting time doesn't seem like such a bad idea--with the right company. Unable to confess the overwhelming feelings he has for his savior, Lucianus pays for a night of pleasure with Dominatus, triggering a series of sexy trysts between them. Lucianus craves the other man yet fears that, if their relationship is discovered, the vast gulf between their social standings could cause trouble.
But when Dominatus is pitted against a gladiator favored by the emperor, he leaps into battle without hesitation, knowing the fight could cost him his life. Will Dominatus emerge victorious, or will love be lost to the sands of the arena before Lucianus can bare his heart?
But when Dominatus is pitted against a gladiator favored by the emperor, he leaps into battle without hesitation, knowing the fight could cost him his life. Will Dominatus emerge victorious, or will love be lost to the sands of the arena before Lucianus can bare his heart?
242 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2025
7 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Saki Aida
25 books56 followersSaki Aida（英田 サキ）is Boys Love (BL) author of Japan.
Birthday: January 3, Zodiac signs: Capricorn, Blood type: AB. Born in Osaka, Japan.
Saki Aida was one of the disciples of Azusa Nakajima (Another pen name of Kaoru Kurimoto ) Kaoru Kurimoto is very famous author of "The Guin Saga series", and at the same time she is known as a Boys Love author in Japan. In addition, she contributed as a founder of the genre of the Boys Love novel.
There is a possibility that pirated editions are included in this page. Because, there are pirated editions and illegal download sites of Japanese books in overseas. This has very serious problem in Japan. If you like this author, stop reading by illegal means for the author's copyright.
Birthday: January 3, Zodiac signs: Capricorn, Blood type: AB. Born in Osaka, Japan.
Saki Aida was one of the disciples of Azusa Nakajima (Another pen name of Kaoru Kurimoto ) Kaoru Kurimoto is very famous author of "The Guin Saga series", and at the same time she is known as a Boys Love author in Japan. In addition, she contributed as a founder of the genre of the Boys Love novel.
There is a possibility that pirated editions are included in this page. Because, there are pirated editions and illegal download sites of Japanese books in overseas. This has very serious problem in Japan. If you like this author, stop reading by illegal means for the author's copyright.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 10, 2025
The plot here is so thin that you could use it as saran wrap.
November 1, 2025
I preordered the Captive Prince-alike BL light novel because I was super intrigued LOL. It was very entertaining and I finished it in two days. However, the book is 70% smut and I honestly wished it was longer so that all the relationship development and plot points could be better fleshed out. There were so many interesting events that were totally glossed over or recounted in a single page... I would've loved to read them as actual full length chapters.
And when I say this is a Captive Prince-alike I am not joking. I love that CS Pacat was inspired by BL and now her books have inspired a BL lol. I won't go in depth on their similarities to avoid spoilers, but this novel is like a popcorn reimagining of capri except with 200% more smut, an explicitly Roman setting, no dark subject matter, and the characters only vaguely hate each other through misunderstandings before immediately falling into bed. It is honestly nothing to write home about except for how steamy it is, and I legitimately only picked it up because I love the capri vibes. That said, Saki Aida is a very well-known BL novelist so I want to check out her other works. Maybe her longer-running series are better!
And when I say this is a Captive Prince-alike I am not joking. I love that CS Pacat was inspired by BL and now her books have inspired a BL lol. I won't go in depth on their similarities to avoid spoilers, but this novel is like a popcorn reimagining of capri except with 200% more smut, an explicitly Roman setting, no dark subject matter, and the characters only vaguely hate each other through misunderstandings before immediately falling into bed. It is honestly nothing to write home about except for how steamy it is, and I legitimately only picked it up because I love the capri vibes. That said, Saki Aida is a very well-known BL novelist so I want to check out her other works. Maybe her longer-running series are better!
November 29, 2025
The story was nice and simple. Enjoyable dynamic between a bratty noble and a calm but slightly overwhelmed gladiator.
Everything happens rather fast, which didn't have to be. You don't need to dismantle the whole empire within 233 pages.
The illustrations are wonderful with great character designs for the main characters.
But-
I find myself mourning the times when mangaka and authors put real research into their historical settings. Think of Black Butler or even many old-school Shōnen Ai works, where creators genuinely tried to understand the period they were writing about.
So when I picked up this novel, I’ll admit I was hoping for that same attention to historical detail. Instead, I was immediately deflated when the story introduced a fake empire with fake neighboring states, sidestepping any real engagement with the era it was supposedly inspired by. I don’t mind fictional worlds, but sometimes I really do miss the care and curiosity that once shaped historical fiction and manga alike.
Everything happens rather fast, which didn't have to be. You don't need to dismantle the whole empire within 233 pages.
The illustrations are wonderful with great character designs for the main characters.
But-
I find myself mourning the times when mangaka and authors put real research into their historical settings. Think of Black Butler or even many old-school Shōnen Ai works, where creators genuinely tried to understand the period they were writing about.
So when I picked up this novel, I’ll admit I was hoping for that same attention to historical detail. Instead, I was immediately deflated when the story introduced a fake empire with fake neighboring states, sidestepping any real engagement with the era it was supposedly inspired by. I don’t mind fictional worlds, but sometimes I really do miss the care and curiosity that once shaped historical fiction and manga alike.
December 5, 2025
I wasn't exactly expecting literature, but the plot was still disappointingly thin. Mainly from Lucianus, who hardly did anything the entire book other than weep and lust after Dominatus.
Dominatus had an interesting backstory - more work was definitely put into fleshing him out. He's been a gladiator for some time, and a free man for several years, choosing to remain in the arena rather than retiring. This leaves him free to wander around the city and rescue handsome nobles like Lucianus from ruffians. (Which happens enough times that it starts to get sort of tiring. I'm not big on damsels in distress tropes.)
He's attracted to Lucianus at first sight, for two main reasons: Lucianus is startlingly beautiful, and also a noble in more than just name. Unbeknownst to Lucianus, Dominatus had seen him buying a young boy from a slaver to rescue him from a brothel, and had been impressed enough by his actions to follow him and rescue him from the brothel owner's thugs.
This is...kind of the only proactive thing Lucianus does in the entire novel. And we literally never see this boy again, even though he was supposed to become a slave in Lucianus's household. "I don't like slavery," Lucianus thinks to himself, but has no plans to use his birthright to become a senator and attempt to change anything. He just reads books all day (fair) and lives off his father's wealth and treats his household's slaves reasonably well.
And then he meets Dominatus, gets a bit obsessed with him, and decides after about two days and a single conversation that he's in love with him.
Misunderstandings are as thick as mud here, with Lucianus breaking his heart because he feels he can only buy Dominatus's body without ever receiving his love. Then even when they flee the city together, swearing devotion to each other, they easily fall into mutual despair as they assume the other person is no longer interested in them.
Which is a bit fair, because they still hardly know each other. And Lucianus is absolutely in no way fit to be going into exile with his burly gladiator boyfriend.
Dominatus had a lot of concrete motivations: as the former prince of a fallen nation, he remained a gladiator so he could eventually face the emperor's favorite, a soldier-turned-gladiator who had killed his entire family. This led to him being labeled as a traitor, and he followed the expected route of seeking refuge with Lucianus's uncle, a famed general who marched back to the capitol and overthrew the corrupt emperor and his bought-off senate.
All interesting stuff...but these significant plot threads were drowning in mediocre smut and Lucianus's dead weight. For both the pivotal gladiator battle and the rebellion, Lucianus just stays at home and lies in bed or reads books until he finds out Dominatus succeeded. I get why; he wouldn't have been especially effective on the battlefield. But even if you're not skilled with a sword, you can still be a strategist or a politician.
Then when the emperor is overthrown and Lucianus's uncle is setting up a new senate and a democracy, what do Lucianus and Dominatus do? Dominatus turns down an offer to become a centurion in order to........be Lucianus's house husband, I guess? There's literally no discussion beyond that of what he would do with his life, although he'd certainly be wildly bored if all he did was tend to a pampered noble. And dos Lucianus step up to become a part of the new democracy, putting forth ideas about abolishing slavery or anything else he's read in his multitude of books? Nope! We just close out on them swearing again that they love each other.
This could've been a really interested story if it'd simply leaned more into the plot that was there, mostly ignored but intriguing enough to be fleshed out. And if the relationship development had been grounded in much more than physical attraction. I can't fault Lucianus's uncle for assuming their attraction would burn out before too long.
Dominatus had an interesting backstory - more work was definitely put into fleshing him out. He's been a gladiator for some time, and a free man for several years, choosing to remain in the arena rather than retiring. This leaves him free to wander around the city and rescue handsome nobles like Lucianus from ruffians. (Which happens enough times that it starts to get sort of tiring. I'm not big on damsels in distress tropes.)
He's attracted to Lucianus at first sight, for two main reasons: Lucianus is startlingly beautiful, and also a noble in more than just name. Unbeknownst to Lucianus, Dominatus had seen him buying a young boy from a slaver to rescue him from a brothel, and had been impressed enough by his actions to follow him and rescue him from the brothel owner's thugs.
This is...kind of the only proactive thing Lucianus does in the entire novel. And we literally never see this boy again, even though he was supposed to become a slave in Lucianus's household. "I don't like slavery," Lucianus thinks to himself, but has no plans to use his birthright to become a senator and attempt to change anything. He just reads books all day (fair) and lives off his father's wealth and treats his household's slaves reasonably well.
And then he meets Dominatus, gets a bit obsessed with him, and decides after about two days and a single conversation that he's in love with him.
Misunderstandings are as thick as mud here, with Lucianus breaking his heart because he feels he can only buy Dominatus's body without ever receiving his love. Then even when they flee the city together, swearing devotion to each other, they easily fall into mutual despair as they assume the other person is no longer interested in them.
Which is a bit fair, because they still hardly know each other. And Lucianus is absolutely in no way fit to be going into exile with his burly gladiator boyfriend.
Dominatus had a lot of concrete motivations: as the former prince of a fallen nation, he remained a gladiator so he could eventually face the emperor's favorite, a soldier-turned-gladiator who had killed his entire family. This led to him being labeled as a traitor, and he followed the expected route of seeking refuge with Lucianus's uncle, a famed general who marched back to the capitol and overthrew the corrupt emperor and his bought-off senate.
All interesting stuff...but these significant plot threads were drowning in mediocre smut and Lucianus's dead weight. For both the pivotal gladiator battle and the rebellion, Lucianus just stays at home and lies in bed or reads books until he finds out Dominatus succeeded. I get why; he wouldn't have been especially effective on the battlefield. But even if you're not skilled with a sword, you can still be a strategist or a politician.
Then when the emperor is overthrown and Lucianus's uncle is setting up a new senate and a democracy, what do Lucianus and Dominatus do? Dominatus turns down an offer to become a centurion in order to........be Lucianus's house husband, I guess? There's literally no discussion beyond that of what he would do with his life, although he'd certainly be wildly bored if all he did was tend to a pampered noble. And dos Lucianus step up to become a part of the new democracy, putting forth ideas about abolishing slavery or anything else he's read in his multitude of books? Nope! We just close out on them swearing again that they love each other.
This could've been a really interested story if it'd simply leaned more into the plot that was there, mostly ignored but intriguing enough to be fleshed out. And if the relationship development had been grounded in much more than physical attraction. I can't fault Lucianus's uncle for assuming their attraction would burn out before too long.
December 8, 2025
It was an interesting discovery.
I didn't know what to expect of this book and honestly? I enjoyed my reading. In the first part there's a lot of smut (which is normal since they're in a transactional relationship, those morons that cannot communicate) and the second part is really fast paced.
Overall it was a good reading for me, the phrasing was sometimes awkward (like comparing your partner opening your legs to feeling like a baby whose diaper was changed) but I finished this book with a smile on my face, so I'll keep it!
I didn't know what to expect of this book and honestly? I enjoyed my reading. In the first part there's a lot of smut (which is normal since they're in a transactional relationship, those morons that cannot communicate) and the second part is really fast paced.
Overall it was a good reading for me, the phrasing was sometimes awkward (like comparing your partner opening your legs to feeling like a baby whose diaper was changed) but I finished this book with a smile on my face, so I'll keep it!
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November 18, 2025Spoiler-Included Reviews:
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November 25, 2025
I feel like it was overall a bit boring for me, but when it started to get interesting it stepped back like it was scared to do interesting things with its characters :/
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December 11, 2025huh…
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews