Aussie Book Review: The Last Gladiatrix by Eva Scott

Book reviews

12 Apr

The Last Gladiatrix by Eva ScottebookReview copy provided by publisher/ netgalleyEscape Publishing, April 2013 Synopsis-In the dust and death of the Collosseum, a slave fights for freedom, a soldier fights for his life, and they both fight for the love that has been forbidden.Captured and enslaved by a Roman legion, Xanthe never expects to end up training for the Colosseum floor, but every night after the day’s march, she is put through her paces by a Roman solider who challenges her, tests her, and excites her.Titus is drawn to Xanthe, her fire and her spirit, so he breaks one of his rules and brings notice on himself, offering to train her as a gladiatrix to spare her a courtesan’s role. But training her, working with her, soon becomes too much. Titus knows the penalty for taking property that does not belong to him, but how long can he resist? Review- The Last Gladiatrix is a jam-packed novella by Australian author Eva Scott set in ancient Rome. Xanthe is captured by a Roman legion to be trained for a gladiator dual. She is under the close supervision of Titus, a soldier under the directive of the legion who is responsible to train her. Their close contact sparks an attraction between the duelling pair and the boundaries between captor and captured become blurry. They become caught up in an intense affair, but when the higher powers become aware of the situation both Xanthe and Titus must fight for their lives, literally.The romance development between Xanthe and Titus happens quite quickly which isn't unusual a novella-length romance and given the fast-paced and stressful situation they find themselves in it isn't too unrealistic to believe they would connect quickly. Xanthe is a strong heroine and I liked her immediately whereas Titus has a softer side that is also endearing.What the author does well is set the scene, provide rich historical detail and setting with the conflict for the characters made clear at the outset. I really enjoyed this short novel and it's one I'd have liked to have read as a full-length novel. Eva Scott has quite a few stories being released in 2013 and I'd be interested in checking out more of what she's written. The Last Gladiatrix is a historical novella with a rich setting and strong, likeable characters. A quick, satisfying read from Escape Publishing.