In AD 107, after a grueling campaign against Rome’s fierce enemy, the kingdom of Dacia, Gaius Fabius returns home in triumph. With the bloody battles over, the commander of the Lucky Fourth Legion now craves life’s simple pleasures: leisurely soaks in fragrant baths, over-flowing cups of wine, and a long holiday at his seaside villa to savor his pleasure slaves. On a whim, he purchases a spirited … spirited young Dacian captive and unwittingly sparks a fresh outbreak of the Dacian war; an intimate struggle between two sworn enemies with love and honor at stake.
Allerix survived the wars against Rome, but now he is a sex slave rather than a victor. Worse, the handsome general who led the destruction of his people now commands his body. When escape appears impossible, Alle struggles to find a way to preserve his dignity and exact vengeance upon the hated Romans. Revenge will be his, that is, if he doesn’t lose his heart to his lusty Roman master.
Dominus is a plot-packed erotic m/m fantasy that transports readers back to ancient Rome during the reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117). This is the first book in an alternate history series—a tumultuous journey filled with forbidden love, humor, sex, friendship, political intrigue, deception and murder.
more
This was a wonderful trip back to the Roman era, where things were very gritty and you’d think that love between a Roman citizen and the slave he acquires simply couldn’t happen. Well it does, and the author’s knowledge of the era only adds to the world building. Such a great book!
I enjoyed being immersed into this story set in ancient Rome at the time of Trajan MUCH MUCH MUCH more than I expected to, and the characters of Gaius Fabius and his pleasure slaves very compelling, especially the newly-acquired Dacian, Alle. This is a story arc that continues over multiple volumes, and I can’t wait to read the rest! Highly recommended!
I listened to the audio of this book, and it was amazingly fun. The story opens in the modern day at an archeological dig as a potential ancient murder scene has just been uncovered. The story then moves to the early 2nd century, where the victorious Commander Gaius Fabius Rufus is celebrating his victory over the Dacians with a rather expensive trophy–a new Dacian pleasure slave. The strength of this story lies in the well-developed characters and their relationships with each other, their masters, and their station in life. Everyone, even Commander Fabius, has a Dominus, and the dangerous business of staying alive in the ancient Roman empire revolves around keeping Dom happy. The book reaches an action-packed climax that had me immediately reaching for book 2.
History is so boring, right? *Loud buzzer* WRONG!!! Try again! You’d be so very glad you did! Writer JP Kenwood just blew my mind all to heck with this incredible glimpse into ancient Roman with Dominus. We are invited to a modern dig featuring archaeologist Charlie Hughes whose colleagues discover two skeletons, forcing the shut-down of the dig site by the government. The writer transports us to ancient Rome with a story of Gaius Fabius Rufus, commander of the Fourth Legion and hero in the campaign again the kingdom of Dacia. Gaius has his heart on one very special war trophy in the form of a beautiful androgynous man name Allerix whom he desires as a sex slave. Dacian Allerix is purchased on the slave market and is sent to Gaius’s seaside villa for his training. To hear this awesome book narrated is a pleasure that I won’t soon forget! Hannibal Hills delivers an INCREDIBLE performance as the characters of Ancient Rome and Nick J. Russo provided a welcomely warm embrace at the very beginning of the book (the voice of the modern archaeologist Charlie Hughes) as I am very familiar with his work. I’m giving this (audio)book five stars because ten stars are not possible.
Oh my God this was brilliant!!! Absolutely fantastic! It kept my attention from the beginning until the end. It made me cry and it made me laugh. It surprised me and I just fell in love with all the characters! It’s such a fantastic book. Interesting plot, intriguing characters and so well written. I listened the audiobook and the narration was excellent! I highly highly recommend it! I’m going to start the second one right away!
Dominus is the first book in a historical Roman series with an overarching plotline. This book is incredible. Set in AD 107, J.P. Kenwood takes the reader on one of the most intense reading journeys I’ve been on in a while. Gaius Fabius is a Roman general potentially in line to be the next Roman emperor. He’s a fierce and powerful warrior with a lusty appetite and dominating spirit, and he is in the market for a new pleasure slave. Allerix is a captured Dacian who just had his world torn apart by the Romans. Enslaved and sold to the general who destroyed his people, Allerix now has to adapt to the life of a Roman pleasure slave while plotting his revenge.
The basic plot of the book sounds simple, but there is nothing simple about this beautiful and intricate book. Dominus (which is the Latin word for master) introduces the reader to the wonderful and erotic world of aristocratic Romans and their pleasure slaves. This book introduces the main characters and sets the stage for more drama and suspense to follow in book two. Luckily, book two is out already, so there’s no real cliffhanger since you can instantly grab up the next book.
It’s hard to put down Dominus, the characters are enthralling, the plot is intriguing, and the sex scenes were erotic and steamy. Plus, you can tell J.P. Kenwood knows the ancient Roman world very well. There are so many well researched little details that make you feel like you are transported back into ancient Rome. It’s an extraordinary experience, especially since the Romans views on life are so different from our modern world. There are no moral qualms about destroying entire countries and enslaving people. And although it can be hard at times to read such cavalier opinions on what we see as atrocities in our contemporary world, it also brings a raw edge of realism and historical accuracy that is fascinating to explore.
The audiobook has a dual narration featuring Hannibal Hills and Nick J. Russo. These men did a fantastic job with the audiobook. I loved their voices and how the voiced each character. There are a multitude of characters, so it was amazing how well they were able to make each character distinct and unique—I had absolutely no trouble following in the audiobook and differentiating each character based upon their voices. The narrators also did a fabulous job with performing the book. There are a lot of scenes with raw emotions that require a certain energy in order to be performed well, and the narrators met that challenge and exceeded all my expectations. The audiobook production was also well done. There were no glitches or mistakes, and there was a wonderful use of music that enhanced the experience without distracting from the book. I was utterly captivated and loved every moment of this audiobook.
I highly recommend this book and I look forward to starting book two.
Forbidden desires
There are just some things peppermint shouldn’t be paired with. I kinda feel bad for Publius but at the same time I don’t. This book makes me wish I lived during ancient Roman times just so I could could watch all the man love, minus the chariot races. Those I would happily miss. Gaius is arrogant but it’s to be expected and Allerix is well, he’s very clever and resourceful. Gaius gets more than he bargained for in more than one way. It makes for some smoking hot power struggles and delightfully sexy battle of wills with some sweet and tender scenes. Also, there’s lots of political intrigue that happens in this world and it’s interesting to seeing all the machinations. Throw in a twist with a mystery that I believe will have far-reaching repercussions and you have a page turner that keeps you glued to the story.