The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw

Description:

 He won his fame--and his freedom--in the gory pits of Rome's Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. "His" slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria. Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he's never known....Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy? And when she's ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?

My Opinion:

This book had me hooked  from the beginning! I absolutely loved the characters; Pelonia and her undying love for God and Caros with his struggle with faith but his undying devotion towards Pelonia. Pelonia knows she was sent to Caros for a reason, and that is to help build his relationship with God. However, no matter what she says to him about God he always shuts it out. Caros doesn't understand how God could forgive someone who has committed so many sins against him, many of them being killing his own people. Pelonia's struggle is falling in love with a man she can never have, because she has vowed that she will never marry anyone who does not share her faith.

 The romance in this book is great and I love how it plays a part in the conflict of the book. I also liked that Pelonia was not the only one playing a role in bringing Caros to Christ. They both meet more Christians through the story, most importantly Quintas, a man who Caros bought at the same time as Pelonia that befriends him. As Caros's relationship with Pelonia grows he desires to know more about her God, and instead of asking Pelonia questions, he seeks out Quintas to learn more.

The one thing I did not like about this book was how it was written. One minute you would be reading Pelonia's thoughts and feelings and next thing you know you're reading Caros's. Normally when I read a book their will always be a break before it switches between people, but in this books case it didn't always do that, which confused me sometimes and I would have to backtrack.

 Rating out of 5 stars (5 being the best): 5