Liberty by Kim Iverson Headlee *Review and Giveaway

Liberty

by Kim Iverson Headlee

They hailed her “Liberty,” but she was free only to obey—or die.

Betrayed by her father and sold as payment of a Roman tax debt to fight in Londinium’s arena, gladiatrix-slave Rhyddes feels like a wild beast in a gilded cage. Celtic warrior blood flows in her veins, but Roman masters own her body. She clings to her vow that no man shall claim her soul, though Marcus Calpurnius Aquila, son of the Roman governor, makes her yearn for a love she believes impossible.

Groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps and trapped in a politically advantageous betrothal, Aquila prefers the purity of combat on the amphitheater sands to the sinister intrigues of imperial politics, and the raw power and athletic grace of the flame-haired Libertas to the adoring deference of Rome’s noblewomen.

 

When a plot to overthrow Caesar ensnares them as pawns in the dark design, Aquila must choose between the Celtic slave who has won his heart and the empire to which they both owe allegiance. Knowing the opposite of obedience is death, the only liberty offered to any slave, Rhyddes must embrace her arena name—and the love of a man willing to sacrifice everything to forge a future with her.

 

JAMIL OF TANIS, Egyptian by birth and a Roman citizen by right of having survived two decades of compulsory military service, including a stint as a centurion of the Praetorian Guard, flicked his horsetail whisk, much as its original bearer had done, to chase off flies as he strode past Londinium’s wharves toward the slave market. Lord Ra shone strong and bright on this, the nineteenth day of July by the Romans’ reckoning, and the first day of the Egyptian new year.

 

Word on the street buzzed that a ship had arrived with captives from northern Britannia. As owner of Villa Britanniae, Londinium’s gladiatorial school, and the gladiators’ principal trainer, Jamil kept a constant watch for promising candidates. And on such a propitious day as this, he hoped the goddess Maat would deign to be generous.

 

Years ago, while fighting to quell the Picti uprising that had convinced Hadrian’s successor, Emperor Antoninus Pius, to build a second wall across northern Britannia, Jamil had observed fierce women warriors swelling the barbarians’ ranks. Perhaps some had been captured at long last. Female gladiators had become quite the rage across the empire, and not always for their fighting skills.

 

But even if Jamil could add a gladiatrix to his collection and she became the provincial champion, he had no wish to take her to Rome. There, death awaited him.

 

Rhyddes is a young woman who is sold by her abusive father as a Roman tax debt. She is sold as a slave to the arena where she is trained as a Gladiatrix. After learning to live by one rule obey or die she becomes the best. Although she learns to live by these Roman rules she holds on to her Celtic heritage.
Aquila is a Roman nobleman groomed by his father to further his career but Aquila loves the freedom of fighting in the arena. He soon becomes enamoured with Rhyddes but she rebukes his advances. However after spending time together they realise that their feelings are true but they can never be together.
When they find themselves involved in a plan to kill Caesar they must decide what they want their future to be.

I was a little hesitate when I started reading because of the setting but after reading the first chapter I was engrossed. Rhyddes is a true warrior woman; she becomes a formidable fighter but also keeps her inner strength to the end. She is a perfect blend of strength and vulnerability.
Aquila is expected to follow his father’s plan stop fighting, get married and begin a political career but sometimes the Gods have other plans. I liked the growth of Aquila’s character throughout the book.
I really enjoyed the plot with fantastic descriptions of the arena action as well as the relationships Rhyddes makes. One of my favourite relationships was between Rhyddes and Jamil it has tenderness in a harsh setting.

It is well written and draws you in from the beginning, with great description and beautiful relationship I would recommend it. 4 fangs.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-twentieth century—seem to be sticking around for a while yet.

 

Kim is a Seattle native and a direct descendent of twentieth-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Lydia escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim’s novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband’s ancestor, the seventh-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.

 

For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, and other novels under her imprint, Pendragon Cove Press. She has been a published novelist since 1999, beginning with the original edition of Dawnflight (Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0671020412).

 

YouTube video interview: http://youtu.be/DV5iKrEIROk

 

FOLLOW KIM:

ABOUT.ME PAGE – https://about.me/kimheadlee

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Headlee/e/B001KE2LK2

AUTHORGRAPH AUTHOR PAGE – https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/KimHeadlee

WEBSITE  – http://kimheadlee.com

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/KimIversonHeadlee

Street Team “Kim’s All-Stars” – https://www.facebook.com/groups/705479912880602/

TWITTER – https://twitter.com/KimHeadlee

GOOGLE+ – https://plus.google.com/+KimHeadlee

PINTEREST – http://www.pinterest.com/kimheadlee/

LINKEDIN – http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimheadlee/

BLOG – http://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com

TRIBERR PROFILE – http://triberr.com/KimHeadlee

ARTHURVERSE TRIBERR TRIBE – http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=61110

GOODREADS – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/845537.Kim_Headlee

NEWSLETTER

YOUTUBE CHANNEL – http://www.youtube.com/user/gyanhumara

 

TWEET MESSAGE FOR TWITTER BLAST

Please RT LIBERTY by @KimHeadlee ancient Rome historical romance $0.99 #Giveaway http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQCXLUE

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQCXLUE

Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OQCXLUE

Kindle CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00OQCXLUE

Kindle AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00OQCXLUE

AMAZON PAPERBACK – http://www.amazon.com/dp/0990505545

BARNES & NOBLE PAPERBACK – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liberty-kim-iverson-headlee/1120850556?ean=9780990505549

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liberty-kim-iverson-headlee/1120850556

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=_VRiCAAAQBAJ

Inktera (Page Foundry): http://www.inktera.com/store/title/51ee3025-035a-4b2a-9439-a6f470fe23a9

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id947768951

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/liberty-38

Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/249011006/Liberty

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/498417

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23636999-liberty

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY

Kim will be awarding an autographed print copy of LIBERTY (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a set of 5 autographed LIBERTY note cards (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn host. Additionally, Goddess Fish Productions will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.

Advertisement