Review: The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O'Connor

The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O’Connor

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Futuristic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

The only thing worse than finding herself in the harem of the hideous fish-man that had bought her, Loren found out, was discovering what he really had in mind. His gladiators, to his mind, needed incentive to fight more savagely and dangling her under their noses, he was certain, was just the thing to inspire them.
What luck to arrive just as the Hirachi—his best and fiercest warriors—went into spawning! And what a terrifying thrill for her to find herself the object of the affections of three seven foot, yellow skinned aliens built like tanks—Kael, Dakaar, and Balen—all at the same time!



Desmond’s Review

Update a classic, Roman gladiator theme with science fiction and add a plucky heroine and Ms. O’Connor stirs the pot with an enthralling story, which moves from page to page, keeping your interest until the end.
A modern day top secret engineering analyst, Loren Hess, working with supposed alien technology becomes too inquisitive and her employer hands her over to the aliens. Loren finds herself dropped into an alien world as sexual bait for arousing gladiators to fight for her ‘services.’ Ms. O’Connor creates a character in Loren, which pops off the page. Along with her companions, Kael and Dakaar, who are from a different alien race and are top gladiators, we travel their journey, understand their motivations, fears and, at times, their desperation.

The combination of the gladiator and inter-galactic, sex trader themes weaves two compelling, visceral images into a story of survival. The sex starts slowly, allowing tension to mount, starting with descriptions of near nakedness for both Loren and her two Hirachi aliens, Kael and Dakaar, through foreplay (interesting sexual encounters through the bars of their prison) to polyamory. As with most of Ms. O’Connor’s characters in the two books I’ve read, the characters accept consensual sexual encounters without reservation and perceive sex as being both recreational, at times, and for procreation.

Using the sex trade and gladiator themes, which are not really that far apart from each other, and creating an escape and survival story keeps you turning the pages. The characters are wonderfully drawn and, once again, Ms. O’Connor has taken an earth female and mated her with overly large aliens, which seems to be the norm in romance novels (romance authors tend to display the male interest with a magnificent fit body, six-pack abdominal muscles and large thick organs. Kael and Dakaar are personifications of these qualities, taken to an extreme).

As I said previously, The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O’Connor is a page turner and, in PDF format, 154 pages, an easy read. The characters are fun, the adventure idealized and with enough spice to make you perspire.

Desmond’s Quote: “Kaitlyn O’Connor has done it again in creating a story, rich in adventure with sexual overtones and robust characters. She has taken the classic escape and survival story and enlivened it with enough spice and flavor to make a delicious meal for your mind and, of course, a damn good read.”

4 Tea Cups!