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Games of Rome

Dominus, Book 2

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Games of Rome

By: JP Kenwood
Narrated by: Hannibal Hills, Nick J. Russo
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About this listen

In this sequel to Dominus, Gaius Fabius Rufus, the victorious general of Rome’s brutal Dacian Wars, finds his loyalties and his affections pulled in different directions. Should he return to Rome and secure his claim to the imperial throne, or remain at his seaside villa and protect his pleasure slave, the fierce Dacian prince, Allerix? Retaliation for the murder of his beloved friend beckons him home, but his desire for justice could put both him and Allerix in mortal danger. As Gaius’s deceptions multiply, another tragedy strikes. Will the Lion of the Lucky IV Legion be forced to sacrifice his besotted heart to achieve his aspirations for supreme power?

Every moment since Allerix’s violent capture has tested the young prince’s fortitude and cunning. If he can kill the triumphant emperor who decimated his Dacian nation, revenge and immortality will be his glorious, everlasting rewards. But to realize his scheme for vengeance, he must deceive the Roman master whom he has grown to adore and admire. Can two former enemies - the conqueror and the conquered - find trust and true love, or are the consequences of war destined to tear them apart? Can Gaius and Allerix survive the perilous games of Rome?

©2015 JP Kenwood/JPK Publishing (P)2020 JP Kenwood/JPK Publishing Royalty Rome War Revenge
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A well-constructed and gripping sequel to Dominus that tugs on your heart strings. The compelling murder mystery is interwoven with action and angst. There’s a romance storyline and plenty of steamy scenes. All superbly narrated by Hannibal Hills. I’m intrigued by the modern day prologues/epilogues narrated by Nick J Russo that link to the past.

A gripping and enjoyable sequel

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This series is really getting into its stride and the audio narration brings it to life even more.

The narrator manages the large cast of characters adroitly. I love his Gaius! I didn’t like his voice for Alle in the first book (I had heard a younger, lighter voice in my head) but am getting used to it. This is my only quibble - otherwise I think the narration is perfect.

Really looking forward to the next book which is my favourite.

Very enjoyable

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Slave narratives are often problematic because unless you’re showing the true horrors of being a slave, there’s a question about the depiction. Were there good masters who treated their slaves well? Possibly. But that didn’t change the fact the person was in bondage. That the horrific power imbalance would always exist. That no matter how comfortable the life of the slave, there would never be true freedom. True enjoyment of life.

Okay, all that being said, this is a work of fiction, and I have to say Ms. Kenwood does depict the harshness of slavery during the Roman empire. Allerix was a Dacian prince, ripped from his homeland that’d been decimated. He’s sold into bondage to Gaius Fabius Rufus. (Can I just say there are plenty of characters, many of whom had multiple names so, at times, it was a struggle to keep up? But this is a book of political intrigue, so I did understand.)

Gaius’ best friend has been murdered and Gaius has promised retribution to the guilty party. Problem is that he doesn’t know who committed the dastardly deed, and even the ghost of his dead friend isn’t a lot of help. Didn’t predict there would be a ghost scene, but I’ve learned to roll when it comes to these books. Oh, and let me mention these are very violent books. One scene in particular was a little traumatizing for me – but it was meant to be. A reminder of the life and times of the Romans. A hint of what might happen to Allerix should his plan to kill the emperor to exact revenge be discovered. The man does almost get derailed by his feelings for Gaius. Those problematic ones I was discussing earlier. But it’s clear the men do care for each other – or at least satisfy each other’s physical needs.

There’s one more book in the series and I’m excited to see how things conclude. Of course I’m hoping Allerix is able to kill the emperor, but I know that will leave him in a terrible position. It’ll likely cost him his life. To him, it’ll totally be worth it.

Finally, you might wonder why there are two narrators. Nick J. Russo narrates the beginning and end of the books as a modern-day archeologist digging up Rome’s history. Hannibal Hills narrates the bulk of the book – the past Rome. I enjoy his narration but occasionally the women are a little irritating. I sometimes wondered if that was the narration or the characterization. Possibly a bit of both. Anyway, not enough to take away from the enjoyment of the book. Can’t wait for the next one to see how this saga ends.

To love your captor

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I was delighted when this second in JP Kenwood's ancient Rome series became available to listen to as the first part was excellent. And I enjoyed this part even more - we really got into the nitty gritty of the saga and I felt we got to know all the characters that bit better. I really liked that as well as the romance we also got a lot of proper politically orientated plot, with lots of excellently researched historical detail.
And once again the two narrators did a stellar job, I particularly enjoyed Hannibal Hills apparently channeling Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell in his characterisation of Gaius's grandmother!
I'm now really looking forward to being able to listen the the third part whenever it's ready.
I would, and have, recommended, this series to other friends to try.

A great continuation of the first book

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Again I'm struck by how true this story feels, I know it's made up but it's such a multifaceted story with all sides included, the good and the bad, so that makes it feel more real. I still find the whole master/slave thing a bit unsetteling, but this is a historical story and that's what it was like at the time. In this book Allerix is also slightly divided on the slave-thing, he of course doesn't like being a slave, but he starts to devellop feelings for Gaius, starting to fall in love. These mixed feelings make the book more interesting and I'l looking forward to seeing where the author will take this in the next book.

Hannibal Hills' narration was good and made it easy to follow the story.

The story continnues...

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