House of Phineas

By D.J. Manly

In Book 2 of Gladiators, Gold is sold and he and Samson are parted.

Gold begins a new life at the House of Phineas, where he lives a more luxurious life, gets to fight again in the arena, and is subjected to many erotic adventures.

Although he lusts after a slave who is denied him, his heart belongs to Samson, whom he believes he will never see again.

Then Simeon, his former master, who laments his loss of Gold, sets up a contest for him to fight his own champion, Samson.

Will Gold be able to kill his own heart in the arena?

Reader Advisory: This book contains some BDSM and ménage à trois scenes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Nov 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9780857153494

D.J. Manly

D.J. Manly is first and foremost a writer, but is also a college professor, a small business operator and a sociologist who works as a consultant on research projects. D.J. is a proud Canadian who lives in French Canada, and speaks both English and French. Human rights are a great concern, and D.J. longs for a peaceful world free of sexism, racism, and homophobia. D.J. writes for the pure love of writing, and always with the reader in mind. If D.J. doesn't enjoy reading it, it won't be written. Great characters, great sex and a great love are the elements you’ll find in D.J’s work. There is nothing quite as exciting as beautiful men falling in love. Come taste D.J’s work, but be careful, you may become as addicted to reading it, as D.J. is to writing it. One reviewer said of Manly’s work that reading it can give you “…third degree burns in an air conditioned room…” I think that says it all.

Reviews for House of Phineas

[silversurfer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Book 2 of Gladiators, Gold is sold and he and Samson are parted.Gold begins a new life at the House of Phineas, where he lives a more luxurious life, gets to fight again in the arena, and is subjected to many erotic adventures.Although he lusts after a slave who is denied him, his heart belongs to Samson, whom he believes he will never see again.Then Simeon, his former master, who laments his loss of Gold, sets up a contest for him to fight his own champion, Samson.Will Gold be able to kill his own heart in the arena?

[serenayates · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This second book of the Gladiator series is no less amazing than the first. It contains the same vivid descriptions of the environment, the detailed look at the way people lived at the time, and the (as far as I can tell) historically accurate background of how society and politics worked. I thought the first volume was hard to read in places, because it was so heartrending, and the characters' desperation almost leapt off the pages. This second one, though, left me emotionally drained due to the depths of depravity some of the secondary characters sank into. What scared me most was the knowledge that many people today are no different, given the chance.

Gold’s life as a slave and gladiator was bad before, but now that he's been transferred to another house, ruled by Phineas, it gets worse. He is separated from Samson, whom he loves deeply, with no hope of ever seeing him again. Other than having to fight him in the arena, which tears Gold apart. On top of which, his new master is more cruel than the last. While Phineas treats his gladiators with a little more physical comfort, his psychological and sexual games are far more cruel than Simeon's. I have no idea how Gold can stand the torture, but it makes very clear that he is a survivor of amazing physical and psychological strength.

Samson is the one left behind, also with no real hope of ever seeing the man he loves again. His feelings for Gold are his biggest weakness, and even though he is attracted to other men, deep-down he knows they can never replace Gold. It makes the upcoming battle in the arena a scenario he will do anything to try to prevent.

This series is thoroughly recommended for people who like historical novels, and everyone who has an interest in understanding how human nature works under adverse conditions. While I look forward to reading the next volume, I know it won't be any easier to get through. Not that this will stop me from plunging right into it, since I can't wait to see what happens and if, indeed, the ending will be as happy as I still hope it is.



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review at Queer Magazine Online.

[Estarianne · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I liked the first book well enough. This book just went over the edge from erotica to sleaze. It also seemed that the author uses the word "rape" a lot but doesn't really know what it means.