Books like 'Blood of a Gladiator'
Readers who enjoyed Blood of a Gladiator by Ashley Gardner also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance action / adventure mystery europe urban south-europe italy historical-fiction ancient-civilization
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Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFor the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond is once again in France, leading an army against England... -
Storm and Silence by Robert Thier
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFreedom—that is what Lilly Linton wants most in life. Not marriage, not a brood of squalling brats, and certainly not love, thank you very much!But freedom is a rare commodity in 19th-century London, where girls are expected to spend their lives sitting at home, fully occupied with looking pretty... -
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 90 ratingsFor nineteen-year-old Edmond Dantes, life is sweet. Soon to be captain of his own sip, he is also about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But suddenly everything turns sour. On the joyous day of his wedding he is arrested and—without a fair trial—condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If! The charges? Faked! Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies... -
Caprice and Rondo by Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJanuary 1474, in the deep cold of an ice-bound Danzig: a man is spending a frivolous winter not facing up to his responsibilities ... It is the merchant Niccolo, diviner, soldier, banker to Kings; shunned by all who know him after revelations of hismurderous mischief-making...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book classics female-author -
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These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a sweeping and captivating tale of one woman’s journey to the lush vineyards of Tuscany—and into the mysteries of a tragic family secret.If Fiona has learned anything in life, it’s how to keep a secret—even from the father who raised her... -
The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThere’s Often a Fine Line Between a Criminal and a Saint Constable Jackson Forge intends to make the world safer, or at least the streets of Victorian London. But that’s Kit Turner’s domain, a swindler who runs a crew that acquires money the old-fashioned way—conning the rich to give to the poor... -
Murder on the Golden Arrow by Magda Alexander
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s a bright young woman to do when her brother becomes the main suspect in a murder? Why, solve the case, of course.England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a salad fork and a fish one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home... -
Time of a Highlander by Katy Baker
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA woman thrown into the past. A Highland warrior with a dark secret. And a deadly enemy stalking them both. Georgina Smyth’s life is falling apart. Her business is going under, she’s in danger of losing her home, and she’s run out of ideas. So when a strange old woman offers her a dream job, she suspects it’s too good to be true. She’s right...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization europe historical-fiction action-adventure adult book british-isles fae -
Miss Delightful by Grace Burrowes
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMiss Dorcas Delancey, vicar’s daughter and advocate for the less fortunate, has been guarding her heart from fortune hunters and fashionable fribbles for years. She’s completely unprepared for Alasdhair MacKay, former officer and all around grouch, to steal that heart... -
Wagers of a Duke's Daughter by Samantha Holt
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsShe wanted adventure. He’s about to give her that and so much more...Lady Demeter Fallon cannot help but want more from life. Now almost a spinster, she’s spent so long in the shadows of her sisters that the desire to do something exciting is nearly driving her mad. Which might explain what she’s doing when he finds her.. -
To Write a Wrong by Jen Turano
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMiss Daphne Beekman is a mystery writer by day, inquiry agent by night. Known for her ability to puzzle out plots, she happily works behind the scenes for the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, staying well away from danger. However, when Mr... -
Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt is year twenty-five of the Yuantai Era of the Great Zhou Empire. The renowned Marquis of Jingning, commander of the Beiyan Cavalry, Fu Shen is injured on the battlefield at the northern border. Returning with a broken leg to the capital, Fu Shen learns that the emperor has conferred a marriage for him—with another man...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ancient-civilization crime romance historical lgbtq fiction fantasy -
Death at Brighton Pavilion by Ashley Gardner, Jennifer Ashley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Captain Gabriel Lacey finds himself standing over a dead body in Brighton Pavilion, bloody sword in hand and no memory of how he got there, he immediately fears he is a murderer. The dead man is Colonel Hamilton Isherwood, a man Lacey clashed with after the battle of Salamanca in Spain seven years before... -
The Prince of Spies by Elizabeth Camden
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLuke Delacroix has the reputation of a charming man-about-town in Gilded Age Washington, D.C. In reality, he is secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission is to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction urban 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook book christian -
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A Deadly Affair by Carla Simpson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLondon 1889 — Murder, mystery, and two people in a most unlikely partnership.She's an unconventional lady who has traveled the world, practices the art of self defense most excellently, and has an interesting tattoo in, ahem... a very unusual place...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime romance mystery historical fiction law-enforcement industrial-era -
An Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIn the sordid streets of Victorian London, unwanted desire flares between two bitter enemies brought together by a deadly secret. Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud... -
When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRegency England, August 1812. Sebastian's plans to escape the heat of London for a honeymoon are shattered when the murdered body of Hero's good friend, Gabrielle Tennyson, is discovered drifting in a battered boat at the site of a long-vanished castle known as Camlet Moat...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction urban action-adventure adult amateur-sleuth arthurian -
What Darkness Brings by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe death of a notorious London diamond merchant draws aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his new wife Hero into a sordid world of greed, desperation, and the occult, when the husband of Sebastian’s former lover Kat Boleyn is accused of the murder...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction urban action-adventure adult amateur-sleuth audiobook -
The Pearl Thief by Fiona McIntosh
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeverine Kassel is asked by the Louvre in 1963 to aid the British Museum with curating its antique jewellery, her specialty. Her London colleagues find her distant and mysterious; her cool beauty the topic of conversations around its quiet halls. No one could imagine that she is a desperately damaged woman, hiding her trauma behind her chic, French image... -
Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris, К.С. Харрис
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn 1811 London, murder stalks the city's elite as the sons of prominent families are found in public places, with their bodies mutilated and strange objects stuffed in their mouths, and Sebastian St. Cyr takes time out from his shaky relationship with actress Kat Boleyn to track down the killer...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction urban action-adventure adult amateur-sleuth audiobook -
Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHero Jarvis, reform-minded daughter of the Prince Regent's cousin, enlists Sebastian St. Cyr's help in investigating the brutal murders of eight prostitutes...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction urban action-adventure adult amateur-sleuth audiobook -
Highland Bear by Celeste Barclay
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA gentle giant during peace, a bear on the battlefield... Blake Sinclair is fresh from the battlefield having fought alongside his father, Magnus, and his uncles and cousins. Sent to accompany Sir Andrew of Moray back to Stirling, Blake intends to avail himself of the various entertainments the town offers... -
Up from the Sea by Amanda Dykes
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDeep in a New England forest, an ancient tree stands at the center of a tale passed down through the generations. So much so, that the residents of Ansel-by-the-Sea, Maine, no longer know what is truth and what is fable. A woman fleeing in the night, rumors of treason, revolution, retribution . . -
Golden Terrace, Vol. 2 by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs the bond between Fu Shen and Yan Xiaohan deepens, the looming threat above the empire of Great Zhou remains omnipresent. After the settlement of the Kuangshan Academy case, Yan Xiaohan accompanies Prince Qi southward to Jingchu. However, an unexpected storm traps Prince Qi’s party inside a mysterious temple and leads Yan Xiaohan into a hidden lion’s den...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ancient-civilization romance lgbtq historical fiction fantasy mlm -
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The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe highly awaited new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The German Midwife.Venice, 1943The world is at war, and Stella Jilani is leading a double life. By day she works in the lion’s den as a typist for the Reich; by night, she risks her life as a messenger for the Italian resistance...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction italy south-europe urban 20th-century action-adventure -
Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWHEN A MASKED MAN . . .Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won't back down . . -
The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFor fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family—by the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again—tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II... -
The Footman by A. O'Connor
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the country mansions of 1930s Ireland, to the decadence of 1940s wartime Paris to the courtrooms of London in modern times.What the Footman saw . . .In 1930s Ireland, Joe Grady becomes the footman at the stately home Cliffenden, owned by the glamorous Fullerton family... -
Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called “unforgettable” and a “must-read,” comes another gripping time-slip novel about hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people who resisted evil in their own extraordinary way...Categorized as:
europe historical-fiction urban 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook austria -
My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn prehistoric Alaska, an Aleut girl, unwanted and abused, changes the destiny of her tribe.Gray Bird wanted only sons. His daughter, Kiin, would have been killed at birth to make way for a male heir if not for the tribal chief, Kayugh, who claimed the infant as a future wife for one of his two young sons...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction action-adventure adult book family fiction historical -
A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEdinburgh, Scotland. March 1832. Kiera and Gage have been eagerly awaiting their bundle of joy but trouble has been brewing in the form of the roguish criminal Bonnie Brock Kincaid. A new book and subsequent play features some of Kincaid's daringly heinous exploits, although he swears he had nothing to do with it or the characters which are obvious representations of Kiera and Gage... -
Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the national bestselling author of Daughters of Rome and Mistress of Rome comes a tale of love, power, and intrigue spanning the wilds of the Empire to the seven hills of Rome. Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its zenith under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither Trajan nor his reign can last forever..Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction roman-empire action-adventure adult audiobook book drama -
The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA captivating story of estranged sisters reunited by a devastating war and the race to save their mother’s lifeParis, 1944Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smoke screen. An unwilling darling to the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege also has its advantages—such as going undetected as an ally to undercover British officer Captain Max Ryan as part of the resistance... -
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsVeronica Speedwell navigates a dark world of scandal and murder in this new adventure from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author Deanna Raybourn.Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy... -
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La spia del mare by Virginia De Winter
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVenezia, 1741. Cordelia Sheffield è una spia inglese, bella, intelligente e letale. Cassandra Giustinian invece è una nobile veneziana dalla grazia incantevole, colpita da una misteriosa malattia. Nessuno sa che sono gemelle, che dividono un'unica vita e l'amore per lo stesso uomo: lo splendido Cassian d'Armer, una spia del Doge, tormentato da un passato di guerra e violenza... -
Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm--and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor?Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband's arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood... -
Forgetting the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsVirginia Whitebridge is trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage. The law says her husband can have whatever he wants from her—so he's taken her inheritance. And he tried to kill her. After a close escape, Virginia feels protected for the first time in forever, thanks to the Scottish Highlands and the Highlander Magnus Sinclair...Categorized as:
europe historical-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book british-isles fiction -
The Baron's Bounty by Elizabeth Rose
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIsobel MacEwen is sent as her cousin Catherine's proxy to marry Conlin de Braose, Baron of the Cinque Ports. But several months before she leaves Scotland, and on the same night that the baron's ship is docked in port, she is a witness to the murder of their Scottish king. Or almost a witness. From her hiding place on that stormy night, she only sees the murderer's shoes as he walks by... -
The Viking Prince by Sarah Woodbury
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMay 1148. All Dublin is shocked by the murder of a prominent merchant, but only Prince Godfrid knows that the dead man was also a co-conspirator in his brother's plan to take the throne of Dublin. With death stalking his every move, Godfrid must call upon new friends and old to find the killer--and with their help uncover a conspiracy stretching beyond Dublin's walls to every kingdom in Ireland...Categorized as:
historical-fiction crime mystery cozy action-adventure historical law-enforcement fiction -
Fire on the Hill by Gretta Curran Browne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAlthough presented here as a novel, FIRE ON THE HILL is a true story based on recorded facts. Michael Dwyer was born, cradled and then grew from boy to man under the shade of the Wicklow Hills. He knows every inch of them, knows all their secrets: the river streams to quench a man’s thirst, the wild game to keep away hunger, the wood in excess to burn, and the sheltering caves... -
The Call of the Sea by Sian Ann Bessey
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Viking Historical RomanceOn the eve of her betrothal to a nobleman she’s never met, Rhiannon seeks comfort on the shores of the sea she loves so well. But instead of offering peace to her uneasy heart, the ocean heralds doom with the arrival of dreaded Viking ships. A vicious raid leads to the death of her beloved father and leaves Rhiannon’s life in tatters...Categorized as:
europe historical-fiction action-adventure book christian fiction historical medieval -
A Veil Removed by Michelle Cox
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMurder is never far from this sexy couple . . . even during the holidays! Their honeymoon abruptly ended by the untimely death of Alcott Howard, Clive and Henrietta return to Highbury, where Clive discovers all is not as it should be... -
The Wind Dancer/Storm Winds by Iris Johansen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwice the thrills—in one captivating volumePublished together for the first time, from #1 New York Times best-selling author Iris Johansen comes a gripping pair of historical thrillers that push the boundaries of intrigue, suspense, and danger...Categorized as:
crime historical-fiction abuse action-adventure adult anthologies fiction historical -
City of Schemes by Victoria Thompson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElizabeth Miles is preparing for her wedding to Gideon Bates, when a menacing shadow from her past threatens to destroy the life she has built for herself in this all-new Counterfeit Lady Novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson.The Great War is over, and Elizabeth and Gideon are busily planning their wedding and welcoming home old friends now discharged from the army... -
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KIDNAPPED BY A ROGUE by Margaret Mallory
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTHE DOUGLAS LEGACY The Douglas sisters, beauties all, are used as pawns in their family’s bitter struggle to control the Scottish Crown. But when a Douglas lass is in danger, she’ll find she’s been left to face it alone. KIDNAPPED BY A ROGUE After her brother’s dramatic fall from power and banishment for treason, Lady Margaret’s husband threw her out to save himself...Categorized as:
europe historical-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book british-isles fiction -
A Body in Berkeley Square by Ashley Gardner
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLondon, 1817. A Bow Street Runner summons Captain Gabriel Lacey to a Berkeley Square ballroom where a young dandy has been found stabbed to death during a society ball. The prime suspect: Lacey’s former commander, Colonel Brandon... -
Jackdaw by K.J. Charles
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIf you stop running, you fall. Jonah Pastern is a magician, a liar, a windwalker, a professional thief…and for six months, he was the love of police constable Ben Spenser’s life. His betrayal left Ben jailed, ruined, alone, and looking for revenge. Ben is determined to make Jonah pay. But he can’t seem to forget what they once shared, and Jonah refuses to let him... -
On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsLady Georgiana Rannoch juggles secret missions from the Queen, her beau, and her mother in this mystery in the Royal Spyness series.When royal sleuth Georgie Rannoch receives a letter from her dearest friend Belinda, who's in an Italian villa awaiting the birth of her illegitimate baby, she yearns to run to her side...Categorized as:
crime europe historical-fiction italy south-europe 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsA woman who defies her time. Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man—why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumored assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery... -
Peerless: Wu Shuang (Novel) Vol. 3 by Meng Xi Shi
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA RACE AGAINST TIMEAfter the long journey to the Western Khaganate, Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao find their diplomatic efforts stymied when they are accused of murdering a Göktürk prince. Thinking on his feet, Cui Buqu requests a single day to crack the case and clear their names...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ancient-civilization romance fantasy lgbtq historical mystery fiction
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