Book excerpt: An emperor’s concubine and a courageous gladiator succumb to forbidden passion in a historical romance from the author of Captive of Desire. When the virile young Nero first spots the exquisite Acte, illegitimate daughter of Emperor Claudius and a royal household slave, he knows he must have her. But even as Acte finds her deepest desires awakened by the magnificent Nero, she fears his sadistic nature. Though she has been fated to serve as Nero’s carnal playmate when he becomes emperor of Rome, Acte finds the true love she dreams of in Sergio, a handsome gladiator. But in a loveless world where lust and power rule side by side, her secret obsession with Sergio might cost Acte her heart—and both of their lives. “One of the finest and most gifted writers. A master storyteller!” —Romantic Times