This is a fitting conclusion to the Galactic Gladiators main series. Don't start reading here. Most matters get tied up neatly. Sam's a good match for Galen, the love scenes are hot, the relationship believable (if sort of a whirlwind), and the action scenes plentiful and vivid.

I wish I'd had more time with Sam to develop her character further. She was so busy fighting through most of the story and she hadn't appeared much in previous books that I didn't feel like I knew her as well as some of the other heroines. Thankfully, Galen doesn't try to take away any of her agency. He has protective feelings, but knows that those are secondary to what she has to do.

I received a review copy. ( )

Thank you, Anna Hackett! I've been waiting for Galen's story ever since I read the first Galactic Gladiator book. I knew it was going to be a good one, and it really was. Galen and Sam's story was completely awesome, and as much as I may have hated waiting to be able to read it, the build up really helped.

Galen and the House of Galen went to Zaabha to rescue some humans. They were able to get one out, but Sam, as the Champion of Zaabha, and former security chief, was unable to get out. Galen refused to leave her there alone, so he jumped out of the transport and stood by Sam to help fight everyone off so that his gladiators would be able to escape.

Now the Thraxians, who hate Galen with the firey heat of 1000 white hot suns, have their enemy fighting in Zaabha, and they are bound and determined to keep him there and make him miserable, so they have him fighting for hours and hours and hours straight. He can barely keep going, but they keep sending out wave and wave of fighters, many of whom have control disks on their heads, so they aren't under their own control. Finally, they let Sam come out with him, and after having them fight for a little bit, the Thraxians shock them and knock them out. Sam comes to alone, while Galen is off getting tortured. I mean, if you have your mortal enemy right there, the man who has tried to take you down, what else are you going to do? Eventually, Sam and Galen are able to escape and start toward Carthago so that they can get help from House of Galen and all the other gladiator Houses.

I love Sam. She is so tough. She's had to be to survive, but at the same time, she's really vulnerable. She's had to shut off so much of herself to get through her ordeal. She has always tried not to kill her opponents, but that hasn't always been possible, so she carries all those deaths in her head, plus the fact that she was taken by the Thraxians and she can never go home. When she confronts Galen, I just wanted to cheer. She's going to be so good for him and for House of Galen in general.

Now, I can't wait to see what happens next! I think all the main House of Galen fighters are paired up, so we've got the House of Rone to work with. It ought to be interesting to see, and I really don't want to wait, but I guess I will. ( )