Twisted Blade in the Arena [Paperback]

The Roman Empire, AD 108: Rich and poor alike revel in the bloody thrills of gladiatorial combat staged in arenas across the empire. The entertainments are big business???and as ever, money attracts shady operators out for a quick buck.Safely back from emperor Trajan???s tour of his province of Egypt, friends and lovers Rufio and Quintus are plunged into the dangerously murky world of match-fixing when Quintus falls for a young gladiator on the rise, whom he is encouraged to sponsor???for Attilius is not all he seems???Juggling between his ever more complex sex life and his family business duties, Rufio fights to save Quintus, his only love, from the clutches of doomed infatuation, while coping with the fallout of his friend???s arranged marriage and the corrupt machinations within the World Gladiator Federation.Blood in the arena, tested love, naked ambition???all fuse into a twisting, hot, illustrated tale of gay passion amid the splendor and squalor that is Rome at the apex of its power. Praise for Deadly Circus of Desire: Boys of Imperial Rome #1 :???It is a joy to read a novel so steeped in history that does not shy away from offering a genuine and unapologetically gay love story. The prose provides an exquisite expertise that informs of daily Roman life???the details of street food vendors, the layouts of and conduct within whorehouses, the interaction of slaves and freemen and the aristocracy, the minutiae that precedes the chariot races, all add scholarly authenticity to the lives of fictional character who interact with historical figures. While all this detail validates the environment, it never once detracts from the story of a budding romance between Rufio and Quintus. This is the pair of young men whose likenesses grace the book???s illustrations. Zack never fails to delight with image after image offering a visual glimpse into the lives of the heroes and the seemingly endless shenanigans they get into, and clothing they get out of.??? ??? Rick Russel˜