Heart of the Gladiator by Lydia Pax
Series: Affairs of the Arena #1
Published by Princeps Publishing on October 15th 2015
Genres: Historical, Romance
Pages: 300
ISBN: 1517542014
Goodreads

His love was rough, but it could not be tamed... or denied.Aeliana hates gladiators. They’re crude, violent, arrogant, and will toss the skirts up of any available woman after a fight. It may be her job to treat their injuries, but she has no interest in being just another conquest.So, when the former gladiator champion Caius arrives in her life, she is stricken by how immediately she falls for him. He's a merciless killer in the arena, not at all her type. But he’s also damnably handsome, built like a god, and turns Aeliana on like nothing she’s felt before.Being with a gladiator is always a bad idea. Even if they’re known the Empire over for the intensity of their bedchamber passions, they have a lifespan about as long as a sword. Aeliana’s convinced that there’s no way that someone who could have any woman in Rome would want to stay with her for long. But his affection, while rough, seems completely genuine. Caius’s return to the arena is shrouded in mystery, but the more Aeliana discovers, the more she falls in love. When his lifetime of violence catches up with them both, Aeliana must decide whether she can afford to bare her heart to a man so effortlessly dangerous. As it becomes obvious that their love shouldn’t be, Caius and Aeliana fight the odds like warriors in the arena.Aeliana's strength will be tested again and again, along with their love. But it is her strength that will win the heart of a gladiator.

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Karen’s Two Cents Worth

I find myself in a conundrum because there are parts of Heart of the Gladiator by Lydia Pax which were really good, but, in other parts, it was just not believable for the third century Roman Empire in which it is set. Heart of the Gladiator is a good book with a thrilling story line filled with political intrigue and life and death struggles in the gladiator arena.  There is also a very nice love story, but I didn’t feel connected to the characters of Aeliana and Caius as a couple.  The two characters needed a few more quiet moments to round out their love story.   I also had a major problem with the writing in a historical romance set in the third century. This problem likely stems from my having a degree in history.  The character, Aeliana, has more information about infection rates and medicine than would have been provided to her at her social level during the third century. It is established that she is from a family of previous higher social standing, but, even with that, her knowledge base is too wide. In the Roman Empire and beyond, knowledge was power, and even an apprentice of advanced years would not have been privy to as much information as Aeliana.  I don’t feel the need to rake the author over the historical coals, but she really should have done more research on the medical practices and the differences in knowledge levels.  I am perplexed by this because the author, according to her biography, has a degree in history.  This is not to cast stones since every history degree is not equal, and I don’t know the focus of her degree. I am not suggesting she make the book a historical treatise, but a few more historical nuances could have enriched the text. For example, the characters’ speech is not of the third century but is purely twenty-first-century language.

The book also needs editing for grammar as does this review, but I am not selling this review to anyone.  Because the author has a degree in English and an M.F.A. in creative writing,  I assume she may have edited the book herself.  This, again, is not stone casting as I truly only want the best for this author, but I suggest she hire an editor to go over the book with her, someone to challenge her and to bring out the gold that I saw sparkle under the surface of her writing.

Pax does have the makings of a good solid writer, but she needs to hone her craft, immerse herself in the era in which she is writing, and make me connect with the characters on an emotional level.   Should you read this book? I read it via Kindle Unlimited, and, yes, if you have the subscription, then read it. I would also purchase it for the ninety-nine cents it is selling for on Amazon.   This is the first book in the Affairs of the Arena series, and I do plan to continue.  If you read my reviews consistently you will know that I believe writing is an art that can always be honed and improved upon, but writers need honest feedback to continue on their journeys as artists.

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