The Order A secret society of courageous women from across the vast Roman Empire, they are slaves and gladiators, noblewomen and priestesses, known to each other as the Keepers of the Oath. Trained in the arts of seduction and battle, deception and espionage, they are as deadly as they are beautiful, as dangerous as they are alluring. Their oath is to The Order, their duty is to The Empire.
The Winged Serpent
Aurora rose to fame and gained her freedom as a gladiatrix in the arena and is now a prominent member of The Order of Hesperia—a secret alliance of female spies and assassins. When she is given a very dangerous mission she believes it will be as easy as all her other assignments, but she is wrong.
Cyrus is one of the most legendary gladiators within The Empire, yet he remains a slave. When rumors spread of a plot to assassinate his master, Claudius Norbanus, Cyrus is enlisted by him as both his master’s spy and personal guard. If he succeeds in catching the assassin, Cyrus will gain his freedom.
When Aurora joins Claudius’ household as a gladiatorial slave, Cyrus is less than thrilled. The last thing he needs is a woman who matches his skills and stirs his passions. When Aurora enters Claudius’ household, the last thing she expects is to be drawn to Cyrus, a man who barely treats her with polite disdain. With every measure of her will, she denies the passion growing between them, masking it with animosity; because the last thing she needs is to desire a man such as Cyrus, who is honorable and loyal to his master.
Long days and nights spent in a ludus battling their attraction come to wear upon them until their resentment gives way to something more. Yet their affair is destined to meet a bitter end, for unbeknownst to them they are also enemies with cross purposes…
Nadia Aidan is a multi-published author who writes interracial and multicultural erotic romance across all genres. She lives, works and writes on the West Coast of the United States. Under her real name, Nadia holds a Ph.D in Political Science and by day she works as an Assistant Professor.
In addition to writing erotic and sensual romances, Nadia enjoys reading other authors, playing flag football, studying muay thai, working out, listening to music, scuba diving and target shooting. Her other interests include collecting Top Cow comics, especially Witchblade and Tomb Raider. She loves professional football and soccer. Her favorite teams are the Washington Redskins and Manchester United, respectively.
Nadia loves strong, assertive heroines, which is why she’s an enduring fan of Fight Girls, Xena, Buffy, American Gladiators (new and old) and Le Femme Nikita!
This was a lovely historical romance which drew me in almost immediate. The strong h character was well created and allowed the reader to understand her strengths and fustrastion at her weakness. The problem with the version I read was the lack of layout editing and it became a distraction for me. Nadia' writing style draws the reader into the H and h's life and into their world, I felt I was there with them, this was probably why the editing issues distracted me so. The ending felt very rushed to get to the HEA. However, I felt this was a standalone story, and the need to want to read more is due to the authors mature writing style. I will look out for the series and keep my eye out for this indie author.
This book is set during the reign of the Roman Empire, and tells a story set around two strong M&F characters lost and captured in the world of the gladiators - pledges/promises/oaths lead to a deadly path...a path where the power of love can still reach.
The one unfortunate thing about this book was the formatting issues which the author should, without hesitation, fix because this book is too good a read to have such a flaw (I read on a Kindle). Apart from that, it was an terrific. It is a strong alpha female based story, which I absolutely love. Nadia's writing style really allows the reader to get into the story and characters, each of which was well developed and had a purpose. I wasn't 100% sold on the sample, but took a chance and was very glad I did.
An enjoyable read. I love historical romances – especially ancient history, with a black female main character, we definitely need more of these type of books.
I have a special spot for warrior untamed heroin. 1st book of this writer i have read and i say i'm not disappointed. I watched Spartacus and I understand the titles that been used in the book. The Heroin is tough, badass, strong will, beautiful and she had all the quality of heroin should possessed. Her heart is tender at the same time but that's only make the heroin more real. Hero is badass too but sometimes stupid (when it's come to honor) but ii understand that it's only makes him more honorable. Overall this book is real gud.
The love story of Aurora and Cyrus was simply beautiful. Despite many obstacles their love was so deep and intense I felt it to my core. There was action, drama, wit and sadness. This would have been a five star book but the formatting was AWFUL with my Kindle. There were extra blank pages throughout the book which made it appear longer than it really was. This author is a great writer and wonderful storyteller though. Can't wait to read more by Ms Aidan.
I was very surprised with how much I liked this book. The formatting issues are annoying, but it did not rip me out of the story at all. If you like action, strong women, ancient history, secret societies, and treachery, then you'll love this book.