Broken by the Gladiator


Book Description

"A champion gladiator doesn't feel love. How could he? His only passion is to win the next fight. Then the one after. And again." Cassian I'm trained to kill for the amusement of others. Slave. Fighter. Beast. Emotions are a weakness so I have none, except anger and hate. Anything else is a distraction that could get me killed. Still, I can't refuse the order when my owner's wife secretly summons me to her chambers, time and time again. She's poison, feeding off my rage for her own sick pleasures. I hate her, so how does she keep finding the cracks and opening them up, working her way into my heart? There's only one way this relationship can go, and that's down. When we are apart we're broken, but together? We will crash and burn. Livia I'm Domina of the Atticus ludus where we train gladiators to compete for victory. Wealthy. Attractive. Powerful husband. It appears I have it all. I wish I could make myself feel that way but I'm numb, too damaged to care for anything. The only time I feel alive is when I'm with my husband's champion gladiator. He might be my slave, but there's no taming the savage lust inside him. And I love nothing more than poking that darkness until he unleashes it upon me. My whole life I've been taught one thing - break them down. So how is it possible that a gladiator could be the one to break the ice around my heart? It's disgusting for a woman of my rank to sleep with a man like him. His touch should feel repulsive, his gaze upon me should make my skin crawl. But he's mine. And I want more. Author's Note: DARK romance - insert all the content warnings here!! This little read contains blood and action, and steamy scenes between characters battling with dominance issues. Expect a lot of heat and darkness, because romance isn't always sweet. 2nd Edition June 19 - previously published as Breaking the Gladiator. The Captive Collection A collection of dark and steamy reads spanning different genres. Each is a complete standalone, but they do have one thing in common - they're centered around a dark and angsty enemies-to-lovers / forbidden romance captive situation, and, most importantly, they all contain an alpha bad boy or anti-hero who always gets his woman.




Breaking the Gladiator


Book Description

A tale of forbidden love - passion, deceit, blood, anger and hope. Will it all come crashing down around them? Or will love find a way to conquer the hate instilled in them all? Who will be left standing when a gladiator falls for his Domina? Cassian I'm trained to kill... for the amusement of others. Slave. Fighter. Beast. Emotions are a weakness, so I have none; except anger and hate. All the good ones were beaten and starved out of me long ago. I barely even feel pain anymore. But when she touches me? Feelings thrash to the surface, and in my world those are dangerous. She's poison, feeding off my rage for her own sick pleasures. I hate her. She keeps finding cracks and opening them up, squeezing herself inside my chest. She's going to get me killed. Livia I'm Domina of the Atticus ludus, where we train gladiators to compete for victory. Wealthy. Attractive. Powerful husband. It appears I have it all... and I wish I could make myself feel that way. But I'm numb. Too broken to even care. The only time I feel alive is when I'm with my husband's champion gladiator. My slave. In the arena, and the bedroom. It's disgusting for a woman of my rank to sleep with a man like him. He's a dirty, worthless animal. His touch should feel repulsive. His gaze upon me should make my skin crawl. But he's mine. And I want more. Note to readers: Dark Romance!! This novella contains blood and action, and steamy romance between characters battling with dominance and consent issues. Expect a lot of heat and darkness. Because romance isn't always sweet. "I didn't know what to expect out of a gladiator romance, but I can't imagine it being any better than this." -- Jessica, Chatterbooks Book Blog "Dark and twisted, fiery hot and bloody, but I couldn't get enough!" -- Ana, The Stars Listen




See You Later, Gladiator #9


Book Description

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their styles! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.




Spartacus, the Gladiator


Book Description

“Gritty, passionate and violent . . . a real page-turner and a damn good read. It brings Spartacus—and ancient Rome—to vivid, colorful life.” —Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire Sink your teeth into the gritty, powerful tale of Spartacus, The Gladiator, a historical thriller that will grip you from the first page to the very last. Written by bestselling novelist Ben Kane, this epic journey delves into the life of Spartacus—from Roman auxiliary and slave to revered gladiator and a symbol of defiance against the most potent army of the era. Step onto the unforgiving sands of the gladiatorial arena and experience the brutality and raw energy of combat at its most primal. Witness the audacious bid for freedom led by Spartacus and his band of gladiators as they risk everything to break free from their shackles and challenge their oppressors—the mighty, ever-expanding Roman Empire. Spartacus’s tale isn’t just a story of rebellion; it’s an exploration of humanity, resilience, love, and sacrifice, set against the historic grandeur of ancient Rome. Charged with emotion and vivid color, this novel will transport you back in time to the underbelly of the Roman Empire—a journey that’s as thrilling as it is enlightening. Enjoy a fresh perspective of the legend that is Spartacus, one that goes deeper than ever before, uncovering the man at the heart of the myth. “You’ll swear you hear the thunder of the Coliseum and the roar of the lions in the pit!” —James Rollins “A compulsive, relentless story, vividly recounted in muscular prose.” —The Daily Telegraph (UK) “Powerful . . . The quest for freedom against overwhelming odds is just the beginning.” —Library Journal




Gladiator


Book Description

Aggressive, explosive, and boasting awesome athletic ability, Dan Clark rose to tremendous fame as Nitro on American Gladiators. He quickly emerged as the most popular cast member and became a reality television superstar. But a twenty-year affair with steroids led to a life of pissing blood, smuggling drugs, destroying hotel rooms, getting arrested, growing breasts, and lying bloodied in the street after a vicious fight with his best friend. This is Clark's riveting, fiercely candid account of his life, career, and steroid addiction. From an upbringing defined by tragedy and a difficult search for identity to tales of performing center stage at Madison Square Garden and bedding Playboy Bunnies and porn stars, Clark explores the price of fame, the pressure of stardom, and how the whole steroid-fueled fantasy finally imploded. What began in high school as a way to speed up recovery from injury rapidly turned into an all-consuming addiction. With selfdeprecating humor and a trove of incredible stories, Clark provides an eye-opening report on the dangers of steroids both obvious and hidden -- and offers his thoughts on why steroid use remains a persistent problem today. More than just a pulpy exposé, Gladiator is a triumphant story of self-discovery and redemption.




Gladiator Fight for Freedom


Book Description

Eleven-year-old Marcus is forced to train and fight as a gladiator in this fast-paced action-adventure set in Ancient Rome.




Gladiator


Book Description

Gladiator, first published in 1930, tells the story of Hugo Danner, who is given superhuman speed, endurance, strength, and intelligence by his father as an experiment in creating a better human. We follow Hugo throughout his life viewed from his perspective, from childhood, when Hugo first discovers he’s different from others, to adulthood, as Hugo tries to find a positive outlet for his abilities around the time of the first World War. Gladiator has been made into a 1938 comedy movie, and is thought to be the inspiration for the Superman comic books—though this has not been confirmed.




Those About to Die


Book Description

The basis for the new Peacock television series: The classic, in-depth account of the ancient Romans’ obsession with the bloody and brutal gladiatorial games. “If you can imagine a superior American sports writer suddenly being transported back in time to cover the ancient Roman games, you will have some idea of the flavor and zest of [Those About to Die],” said the Los Angeles Times about Daniel P. Mannix’s century-by-century—and nearly moment-by-moment—narrative of the Roman Empire’s national institution. Putting the games in the context of Rome’s rise and dramatic fall, Mannix captures all the history, planning, and savage pageantry that went into creating the first spectator sports. The games began in 238 BC as nearly county fair–like entertainment, with trick riding, acrobats, trained animals, chariot racing, and athletic events. The contests then evolved into slave fights thanks to wealthy patricians Marcus and Decimus Brutus, who wanted to give their father an unforgettable funeral by reviving an old tradition. What the brothers wrought, Rome devoured, demanding even greater violence to satisfy the bloodlust of the crowd. Architectural wonders in themselves, massive arenas like Circus Maximus and the Colosseum were built, able to host sea battle reenactments on actual water. Successful gladiators found fame, fortune—and freedom. But as Rome began to fall in the fifth century, so did the games, devolving into nothing more than pointless massacres. In the end, millions of humans and animals were sacrificed in barbaric displays. What were once ceremonies given in honor of gods met an inglorious fate, yet they still captivate the imagination of people today.




Emperors and Gladiators


Book Description

Of all aspects of Roman culture, the gladiatorial contests for which the Romans built their amphitheatres are at once the most fascinating and the most difficult for us to come to terms with. They have been seen variously as sacrifices to the gods or, at funerals, to the souls of the deceased; as a mechanism for introducing young Romans to the horrors of fighting; and as a direct substitute for warfare after the imposition of peace. In this original and authoritative study, Thomas Wiedemann argues that gladiators were part of the mythical struggle of order and civilisation against the forces of nature, barbarism and law breaking, representing the possibility of a return to new life from the point of death; that Christian Romans rejected gladiatorial games not on humanitarian grounds, but because they were a rival representation of a possible resurrection.




The Gladiator


Book Description

In Harry Turtledove's The Gladiator, the Soviet Union won the Cold War. The Russians were a little smarter than they were in our own world, and the United States was a little dumber and a lot less resolute. Now, more than a century later, the world's gone Communist, and capitalism is a bad word. For Gianfranco and his friend Annarita, a couple of teenagers growing up in Milan, life in a heavily regimented, surveillance-rich command economy is just plain dreary. The eventual withering-away of the state doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. Annarita's a hard-working student and a member of the Young Socialists' League. Gianfranco is a lot less motivated--but on the other hand, his father's a Party apparatchik. The biggest excitement in their lives is a wargame shop called The Gladiator, which runs tournaments, and stocks marvelous complex games you can't find anywhere else. Then, abruptly, the shop is shut down. Someone's figured out that The Gladiator's games are teaching counterrevolutionary capitalist principles. The Security Police are searching high and low for the shop's proprietors, who've not only vanished into thin air, but have left behind sets of fingerprints that aren't in the records of any government on earth. Only one staffer is left: Gianfranco and Annarita's friend Eduardo. He's on the run, and he comes to them in secret with an astonishing story: he's a time trader from our own timeline, accidentally left behind when the store was evacuated. The only way Eduardo can get home to his own timeline is if Gianfranco and Annarita can help him reach one of the other time trader sites in this world--and the Security Police will be on their tails all the way there. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.