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Masters of Rome Series – Colleen McCullough
An epic series about the last years of the Roman republic, struggles between politicians and generals, and the men and women in the centre of all.
The M/M genre was not yet invented when these were published so it’s not really LGBT-centric. This series is all Roman politics and lifestyle and shows you that people were gay even back then. And not just gay, I mean, the wealthy Romans were the sort who slept with everything that moves. Plus they really know how to throw a party.
The main star of this series was obviously Caesar but people need to know Sulla more. He was as golden as Sebastian St. Vincent and twice as debauch. He would have been as famous or notorious as Caesar if Caesar was not in the picture. My interest in this series petered out when it was just all about Caesar and his women.
Rating:
The First Man in Rome – 5 stars
Fortune’s Favorite – 5 stars
The Grass Crown – 5 stars
Caesar’s Women – 4 stars
The October Horse – 4 stars5 Stars – absolutely perfect
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits*haven’t read Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/series/43716-masters-of-rome)
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I think you should aim for the stars – and hopefully avoid ending up in the clouds!
Roxanne McKee -
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Shuuden Elegy – Muno
Reversed Escape (Ch1) “I like you, Senpai.” “Ah, but I’m not gay.” One day, Ryou received a confession from his kouhai, Miki. Despite receiving a blunt answer, Miki did not give up but rather, insisted on following around Ryou everyday, thus starting a game of tag between the two of them. But who is actually chasing who? Alone Again (Ch2) Bright and cheerful, Ayase always finds himself surrounded by people, yet he constantly shows a sad expression. Gloomy and quiet, Tooyama is the only person in the class who noticed this, and is attracted to that side of Ayase. The day Tooyama finally found a chance to talk to Ayase, was when he asked Ayase what he’s so afraid of, leaving Ayase dumbfounded. There’s no way we can be friends after that, Tooyama thought. However, during the following day, Ayase, who has always turned down everyone’s invitation, invited him to go home together. Boundary of Atmosphere (Ch3) After being apart for a few years, Kyousuke was surprised to run into his old friend, Yuu, in town. Just like it had been in the past, Yuu has always been a good friend; kind and calm, his presence feels just as natural as the air. But how could Yuu kiss and invite Kyousuke’s lover to his house so calmly, even after Kyousuke directly confronted him? Red and Blue (Ch4) Since high school is ending anyway, I should just tell him even though I’ve got no shot at having a relationship with him, is what I thought when I confessed to my friend, Aoi. To my surprise, Aoi said “Okay”. Wait, this means Aoi likes me, right? You don’t know?! I’ve always known that Aoi is slow but I didn’t expect him to be this slow about his feelings too… Last Train Elegy (Ch5) I’m meeting you at the terminal station Kenji and Tama first met on a station platform. Tama’s eyes were red from crying after being dumped by his boyfriend and he was curled up like a ball, just like a cat. Under his watchful glare, Kenji actually thought that “love at first sight" really does exist. Even though Kenji falls more and more in love with him every time they meet, Tama still laughs and cries whenever he talks about his ex-boyfriend. Yet, suddenly, he kisses him… “It’s because I like you that I want you to cheer you on.“ "I want you to know that such kindness exists, too.”
Chapter rankings from best to worst: 4, 2, 1, 5, 3