the soldier of raetia
Rome, 10BCE. New soldier Manilus Dardanus applies for a military sponsorship with Cassius Valerian, general of a frontier legion. Idealistic and naive, Dardanus has a lot to learn about the life he’s chosen, and at first the brusque and reticent general seems the least willing candidate to teach him; but gradually a bond forms between this unlikely pair that neither could have imagined. Over one blood-soaked summer in the wild, as Dardanus struggles with coming of age and Valerian wrestles ghosts from his past, battles and betrayals will threaten that fragile bond — and their lives.
a compelling portrait of a rough, complicated man gradually thawing to the idea of loving someone again” –Historical Novels Review
Tags and Warnings: m/m, age gap, angst, hurt/comfort, power dynamics, (very) slow burn; rated R for violence, blood, drinking, swearing, and sex (they're soldiers)
- 2009
- 95,000
- $2.99
- most online bookstores
- ISBN 9781466174153