Boy, N. R. Walker know how to write!

Listen, writing about slavery is never going to be easy in the modern age and there are some uncomfortable moments in this tome because of that fact. But, NR is so gifted at her craft that she transcends that topic by surrounding her two characters in love, honor, decency, true character growth and, in the end, justice and equality. And this book was OFTEN laugh out loud funny. I did not expect that. And, damn, what an amazing third act. Really a great read. Joel Leslie’s narration is, as always, pitch perfect. 5/5 stars.

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loved it !

Did the story keep me engaged: absolutely
Were there any parts I found annoying: no
Did I feel an emotional connection to the characters: yes
Would I listen to it again: in a heartbeat

This is very different to what I usually expect from NR Walker. I'm no expert on Roman history nor the authenticity or accuracy of her portrayal of the culture and time, and I don't care, this book was awesome. It felt accurate for the place and time and held me there throughout the entire 12+ hours. Realistic characters, great dialogue and action sequences to rival the likes of Ben Hur. I could both see and feel the drama, action, blood and volcano unfold as it was brilliantly performed by Joel Leslie.

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Something very different something very good

When an author steps away from their known brand, it’s always a risk. An author who is known for rom-coms writes a dark thriller filled with mayhem and destruction. An author who writes paranormal horrors writes a fluffy mpreg. It’s a risk to an author, for sure. Jaclyn Osborn wrote ‘Axios’ a few years ago and it was a risk. Taking on two young boys during the time of the Spartans was something outside of her known wheelhouse. Well, ‘Nova Praetorian’ is a risk for N.R. Walker but one I’m hoping she feels panned out. She was nervous about both the writing and releasing of the book, but I’ve seen plenty of readers who’ve gone so far as to leave positive reviews.

Today I’m adding to the pile.

I want to start with Joel Leslie’s narration. He has a wide range of accents, so I was interested to see which direction he would take for this book. His narration for Quintus is exactly as I’d have predicted – imperious and accented with something that came off as a bit British but definitely carried the authority. His voice for Kaeso had me scratching my head until I did a bit of research. The Iberian Peninsula comprises of what is today known as Portugal and Spain. Giving Kaeso a slight accent from what would be that region worked brilliantly (and forced me to look something up on the Internet and any day where I learn something new is a good day). In fact, I learned many new things as the book was obviously well-researched. But that knowledge was slipped in and I never felt overwhelmed by it.

First I’ll say this is an appropriately violent book. People who lived in ancient Roman times often were raised with a thirst for blood. Gladiators often partook in Primus – a fight to the death. I’m not a huge fan of graphic violence but it was completely appropriate for the story and worked well.

Quintus is a man among men. He trains warriors and gladiators so he must always be on the top of him game. He must be able to take down those he trains, best them so to speak. He is sure of himself and, on occasion, a little arrogant. But he needs to keep his wits about him when politics come knocking on his door in the form of Senator Servius. The man all but threatens Quintus, forcing him to leave behind all he’s known and move into protecting the Senator. It is only after the arrangement is agreed upon that Quintus learns Servius’ true plan.

Kaeso is a slave. He was dragged from his home in bucolic and rural Iberia, forced to bear witness to unspeakable violence, then thrown in a ship and brought to Rome as a slave. He shows defiance to the Senator and is ‘given’ to Quintus, forced to wear not one but two collars. As a former free man, he’d never contemplated what it would mean to belong to someone.

An interesting dynamic develops between Quintus and Kaeso. Unlike many Roman slave owners, Quintus treats his slaves well, almost as equals. He respects their autonomy and never takes what is not given. He wants Kaeso desperately, but he’s not willing to make the first move lest Kaeso feel obliged. Well, Kaeso has a mind of his own and, slave or not, he wants Quintus with equal fervor. It takes time, but eventually Quintus takes his ‘rabbit’ and the two men create a bond far stronger than owner/slave.

At the heart of this violent novel of political intrigue is a love story. A beautiful love story. And a story about learning to see things from other people’s perspectives – or, as it is better known, empathy. I fell in love with these men and despaired of them finding their happy ending. They did find it, though, and I was truly enchanted by the ending.

As I said, Joel Leslie did an amazing job narrating this long and powerful audio. If it hadn’t been written by Ms. Walker I might not have ventured to listen to it and it would have been to my detriment. I’m glad I took a chance on this wonderful love story.

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9 people found this helpful

A LISTENING PLEASURE!

I found no fault and several surprises in this ancient historical. Joel Leslie's narrative interpretation of each character is amazing. His voice for the female gladiators was a pitch perfect replication of the Wakandan Royal Guard in the movie, Black Panther. I will be enjoying this purchase again and again!

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Warning! Very engaging !

I cannot stop listening to the story. Such an excellent combination of writing and narration. I don't really write reviews. Only if I LOVE it so. Or if I really am so unhappy. Catch is we really just return the books we don't like. But this one is indeed a keeper. Love it !!

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5 stars 😍

It's review time 🎧

Narrator score🎧 ; joel as always, was marvelous and amazing. loved his performance very much. every voice and nuance just made it right

Level of steam🔥: a very very very hot book with a lot of sexual encounters.... boiling hot

Level of anxiety and sadness0😱😢: I wouldn't call this story at sad story , or a story with anxiety ....though you have a lot of moments of kind of suspense.... that you don't know what will happen but I wouldn't call it anxiety.....

The book itself📖: I don't think I can spell the names of the characters correctly .....and this is one big plus for the author ! because the createability was absolutely fantastic.... I loved it every character brought something else to the story even the little characters.... the women in the book, the warriors we're absolutely amazing... I loved it ,adored it, it was incredible and very very well written as always. this author would never disappoint.... I loved the ending of the book , the completion was amazing a big thumbs up for this one.

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This was...different - in a good way!

I was a bit hesitant to pick up Nova Praetorian when it was first released. I mean I love a good historical romance when I’m in the mood for it, but we’re talking the Victorian era, or maybe a western or two – not the Roman era with gladiators, emperors and slaves. Then again it was a N.R. Walker book. I was torn, I’m not going to lie to you, was undecided for a long time. Then, the audio was released and I was asked if I’d be willing to review it. So I decided to go for it – for better or worse. You have to push limits every now and then – how else will you know if you missed out on something?

In a way this book was everything I expected it to be – and more, but also less – if that makes any sense to you. The era fascinated me, I loved the political intrigues, the plotting and planning. I also loved the characters. They were full of flavour and colour (and collars) strong wills and minds to take on any fight. Homophobia seemed to be a non-issue, which was really nice. On the other hand, the use of slaves and the treatment of the same dimmed any romantic feeling I could have had for this time period.

The first half or maybe two-thirds, it’s hard to tell with audios, of the book felt kind of repetitive to me. Nothing much happened, it was the same thing over and over again, with some minor variations. Train, bathe, eat dinner, hate on Servius and fuck – rinse and repeat. Did I mention fuck yet? The amount of on page sex scenes stalled the forward movement of an otherwise great story. They added words and pages to the story, but nothing else.

But the last part of the book was great! It was intense, with a lot of twists and turns and violence. Faint-hearted might want to be prepared for a lot of gruesomeness and details. It’s not overly done or OTT, it fits the era and anything less wouldn’t have been credible. And in the end, we got that sweet happily ever after Walker is so famous for delivering.

This was a Joel Leslie I didn’t quite recognise. His narration wasn’t as flawless and on point as it usually is. With forgotten re-takes and repeated sentences along with hesitations over the (many) unfamiliar words it wasn’t as effortless as it could have been. It wasn’t a bad narration by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve come to expect more from him than what he delivered in this book.

At its core Nova Praetorian is a love story between a Roman man who trains gladiators for a living and a slave ordered to become a trained fighter against his will. I’m glad that I gave this book a chance, gave this adventure a chance. It’s a story I recommend anyone who’s a fan of a lot of action (of all kinds) with their romance.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

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4 people found this helpful

All Hail author NR Walker!

5 Blue Roses
5 Blue Flames

A truly stunning audiobook. The plot was absolutely well planned, researched and executed.
This gladiator romance was such a treat. I love the promiscuity of the Romans. They know how to have a good time.

Narrator Joel Leslie carried me into a world of slavery and gladiators, from Roman guards to traitorous senators. I lost myself in ancient times of Roman social hierarchy and the misguided belief that there is honor in dying in the arenas.
Two men's love from two opposite worlds survives blackmail, a military coup, and a natural disaster of legendary proportions.

I definitely recommend this audiobook if you like action-packed historical romances.

Happy Listening.

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Exceptional💫💫💫💫💫

This novel is full of tragedy, love, humor, heartbreak, and redemption..... definitely a 5 star novel of substance that has been paired with a 5 star narrator. It is a book that I will listen to several more times over the years, it was just that good. M/M romance and triumph, easily worth a credit.
Who can resist a HEA?

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Gratitude Ms. Walker, for this story.

How funny- it was exactly a year ago today that I finished reading Nova Praetorian, and here I am just having finished the audiobook!
I still wish Gratitude was an acceptable form of saying thank you, but I think if I used it I’d probably get more than a few weird looks.
I don’t think there’s anything Ms. Walker could write that I wouldn’t read. Okay, I can think of one or 2 tropes that I’d have to say no thank you to (no Gratitude?), if she went that way, but so far I have loved every single book of hers. I love the variety she writes- yes, they’re all romances at heart, but each one is so unique. And Nova Praetorian is a perfect example of that. A gay romance set in the time of the Gladiators, where the 2 mcs don’t die? Yes, please! I really liked Quintus and Kaeso, they were both such endearing characters in their own ways. I liked that Kaeso didn’t back down from Quintus, even with the perceived class differences between them. He kept his man on his toes! And I really loved how Quintus didn’t let anyone disparage Kaeso, because of that collar around his neck.

I forgot how on edge I got towards the end of the book! It’s a slow build towards the denouement, but definitely worth it!

Joel Leslie was once again brilliant. Not only in the way he gave voice to each character, but in the way he was able to signify the different social structures, just in the way he spoke. He always goes beyond in his performances.

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1 person found this helpful