Sunny's Reviews > Mistress of Rome

What the fuck did I just read? Never have I ever been this allured by a book in a severely very long time. This book has everything I could want in a novel: romance, a historical storyline, gladiators, atrocious villains, battle scenes, a Roman setting, and did I mention GLADIATORS?!?!?!



This novel follows multiple characters. You'll even get chapters from the villains. I have this thing where dark themes completely enamor me. Yeah...I'm a sadist. But this novel had my heart pumping from beginning to end with its dark themes. After each scene ended, there would be something else that would put me back on the edge of my seat. Some of the best stories have the most sadistic villains. And Mistress of Rome is one of them. All your top female villains ranging from Dolores Umbridge to a Sarah J Maas villain has NOTHING on this bitch. I've had to pause this book many times because I couldn't handle the intensity.

Thea is a Jewish slave girl who is purchased to serve Lapida, a manipulative heiress who grows to become a sickeningly horrid woman. After Thea falls in love with Arius the Barbarian, the best gladiator Rome has ever seen, they get torn apart due to Lapida's jealousness. Thea, despite being a salve, goes on to become an established singer. Arius is forced to live as a gladiator, constantly participating in brutal and vicious fights he doesn't even want to partake in. And then there's Lapida, who goes on to wreck havoc in literally every way that she can.

Despite the little success Thea has, she unfortunately gets captivated by Emperor Domitian's eyes. His character is severely twisted. He's the type of leader who everyone thinks highly of, but behind closed doors, he's an abusive man who once drove his previous mistress to be so mentally and physically abused she committed suicide. Being the Emperor's mistress, she is now titled the Mistress of Rome. Domitian is utterly captivated by Thea. What's worse, is he loves playing games. Which there's nothing wrong with...as long as you aren't a crazy twisted psycho.

My heart went out for Thea. She's a woman who was constantly passed on from man to man, only end up with the crazy psychotic dude who rules the entire country. And Lapida is ruining the lives of everyone around her, include her sweet as fuck husband who wants nothing but the best for his family. I kid you not...I have never, and I mean NEVER, hated a fictional character more in my ENTIRE life.

If you enjoy ancient historical fiction with a romantic subplot, do keep this novel on your radar. It made me shiver and sweat because I was that nervous.

Trigger Warnings:
➛ Rape
➛ Descriptive violence
➛ Physical and mental abuse