Review: I LOVED every moment of this spectacular short!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2014
Story Rating ~ 5 StarsHero Rating ~ 5 StarsHeroine Rating ~ 5 StarsRomance Rating ~ 5 StarsAction Rating ~ 5 StarsHeat Level ~ 3 StarsEnding ~ 5 StarsOverall Rating ~ 5 StarsI have always LOVED stories about the Gods and Gladiators, so when this book was offered up, I grabbed it and I’m SO HAPPY I DID! Gods and Gladiators was one of the best short romances I have read in a long time. This book yanked me in from page one and never let go.Ares, the God of War, watched the games at the Roman Coliseum and he could not believe what he saw. To him, what was taking place at these games was not war, but nothing more than violent entertainment. Eris, the Goddess of Chaos, was also watching and came up with a game idea. She wanted Ares to venture down there and show them what real power was. This appealed to Ares, so he took on a human form and went down to the coliseum. Once there, he sees Eirana, a slave girl. He notices her courage and is instantly attracted to her, and then does something that shocked me.This romance is NOT for the faint of heart. There are MANY gory scenes that take place during the battles that occur throughout the book. The action scenes were so well written, that I could really envision all the killings and beheadings. The blood was definitely flowing, spurting and drenching the ground.The longer Ares remained in human form, his feelings started to be more human. Ares was falling in love with Eirana and he would do anything to protect her and keep her safe.I LOVED both Ares and Eirana’s characters; I definitely saw why they were drawn to each other. Both of them put other's safety first and they had courage, strength and honor.Since this was a short read, we only got one heated love scene. It fit perfectly into the story and was tastefully written.Gods and Gladiators also pulled me in emotionally. I shed a few tears while reading and was completely invested in these characters and the story line. Just when I thought Ares and Eirana would be parted forever, the story took a turn and ended in the best possible way.Overall I thought this was an excellent story. There was nothing I would change and I feel the author did a spectacular job writing a well rounded story, especially considering the fact that it was short. I’m definitely going to check out more of Jaye Shield's romances in the very near future.I HIGHLY recommend Gods and Gladiators to EVERYONE who loves a short romance that is packed with realistic fighting scenes, and a theme that love conquers all.