Gladiator School by Ben Elliott

This story has explicit noncon and consensual sex.  Paris is sold to be a sex slave to the school but talks the owner into letting him attend the Gladiator School where he becomes a skilled fighter.  He wins enough to buy his freedom but continues fighting.  His personal relationships are equally focused on where loss seems to happen to him more than happiness.

From the blurb:

Men of Violence…Men of Lust…the GLADIATORS were legendary as the sexual athletes of their age

78 A.D. Paris, a seventeen-year-old runaway, is loved for his beauty by the wealthy young Egyptian Lucius and by Publius, a member of the Praetorian Guard. Although he is the son of a free man, Paris is sold to the gladiator school of Pompeii by Lucius' father, the ambitious merchant Diogenes. As a sex slave to the hulking warriors of the arena - more beasts than men - Paris is forced to submit to their sadistic lusts. Only by satisfying them will he gain the chance to train as a gladiator himself and win his freedom.

Having matured into a skilful fighter, Paris is transferred to the Ludus Magnus, the great gladiator school of Rome, where he becomes one of the mightiest champions of the amphitheatre. But here, in an age of sexual excess unequalled in the history of the world, Paris is drawn into the wild and violent life-style of a leading gladiator and risks losing everything he has fought for, including the man he really loves.

Gladiator School is MM+ - the ‘plus’ is searing hot gay SM erotica.

This is the first ebook version of this internationally best-selling erotic LGBTQ novel which was first traditionally published by Zipper Books in 2000.

Reedkaye's Review:

Gladiator School is the first story I’ve read by this author. I believe that it should be stated that this includes explicit noncon force and explicit consensual intimacy so people with triggers will be warned.  I don’t have those triggers but I can feel for those that do and stumble into something unexpected. I’m using words that I think won’t get turned down so they are probably not as strong as should be.

This story starts by Paris running away hoping to claim his freedom. Due to being captured he ends up meeting Lucius, son of his captor and they find themselves falling for the other. When Lucius’ dad finds out he sells Paris to a gladiator school. Paris is there to be a slave to the gladiator’s and faces his choices until he is able to attend the school and become a skilled gladiator. 

While he is being schooled, he meets Publius a member of the Praetorian Guard.  With the attraction between Publius and Paris, Paris is given special privilege and with Publius’s help becomes a skilled fighter. As Publius is promoted and sent to Rome, Paris is allowed to follow and perform for the Emperor. He wins enough to buy his freedom but decides to continue fighting while buying a home with Publius. Then things start to make Paris unsatisfied. And his life takes a turn for the worse.  

There is so much more to this story. There is a lot of emotion between what happens between and to the characters. This is so out of the normal of what I usually read but I enjoyed the story because the author is so good at describing the characters and surroundings that I easily could picture this happening.  

Rating: 4 Stars

Gladiator School is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.