My Spartan Hellion

by

Nadia Aidan

When a spirited, Carthaginian slave and a noble Spartan general are thrust together, passion flourishes between the unlikely pair. But is passion enough to weather the turmoil of treachery, war and murder brewing in Ancient Sparta?

  BB&W: Why did you choose an interracial theme for your novel, My Spartan Hellion?

NA: The answer to that question isn’t a simple one for me. In recent years American society has become more comfortable with interracial pairings thanks to successful television and film writers, like Shonda Rhimes the creator of Scandal and Kriss Turner, the writer of the breakout film, Something New.

The expansion of interracial relationships in television and film came about at the same time we began to see more fiction works featuring relationships with interracial themes, and I have no doubt this was due in part because of the changing of the times. Before, when most people thought of an interracial relationship it was generally a black man with a white woman, which I think speaks to more open mindsets and changing norms in general, which is great, but for some reason it took much longer for mainstream society to embrace relationships between white men and black women.

So when I began writing in 2007, before we began to see these images of black female/white male relationships on primetime television and in blockbuster movies, I know this particular interracial dynamic was one I really wanted to feature and ultimately explore because it wasn’t very popular at the time, and I didn’t understand why. As a romance writer, I truly believe love is colorblind, or at least it should be, and that’s what I wanted to address in the stories I penned. And as far as why I chose an interracial theme specifically for my book, My Spartan Hellion, is because in the interracial genre, there are very few historical works, even fewer set during the time period of antiquity, and when there are stories with multicultural elements, they are generally set in Ancient Egypt. As a writer, but also an avid reader, I wanted to tell a story that few would ever consider, but one that could have easily existed—the relationship between a Carthaginian woman and a Spartan soldier. With the cross-cultural contact between Carthage and Greece, I would like to think that at some point in history there was a Thanos and Lamia who survived through the harshness that was life during war, to find love.

BB&W: What is your opinion on interracial romance in erotic romance?

NA: I love it and I celebrate it; and not just interracial romance involving black women and white men, but all interracial and multicultural pairings. I love reading stories featuring Asian women and black men, or Latina women and white men, it really doesn’t matter. I enjoy learning about another culture, and relating to different heroines, because in my reading of various IR themed romance stories, I’ve found the challenges interracial couples face, while not the same, they are often similar. As far as interracial romance in erotic romance? The steamier the better! LOL! While my preference has always been erotic romance, at the end of the day, the heat level is really the only distinction. Whether erotic or sweet, interracial romance is just like all other romances— it a story about two people’s journey to finding love, which no matter the race of the characters or the heat rating of the book, I think anyone who has ever been in love can relate to that.

BB&W: What is your opinion on interracial romance in general?

NA: Well since I write about it, then naturally I have a positive opinion. My attitude and perspective regarding interracial romance; however, I know is driven by my own personal life as well. I’ve been involved in serious, long term interracial relationships in the past; and I am currently in an interracial relationship. Although, I acknowledge and recognize that my boyfriend and I are of two different races, we have never allowed race to become an issue in our relationship. That is not to say that race isn’t important or that it doesn’t matter, but we have more immediate issues to deal with in our relationship—like whose turn is it to do the dishes tonight! I joke, but the point I’m trying to make is one I try to make in subtle ways when I create my characters. If you remove the interracial component, at the end of the day, you have just another ordinary man and woman dealing with the same issues as every other couple.

Synopsis:

Ripped from her home and forced into slavery, Lamia escapes from one master only to find herself the prisoner of another—handsome Spartan general, Thanos Aristaeus. Lamia vows never to surrender to Thanos, who openly desires her body. Yet, she never imagines he will also threaten to steal her heart.

General Thanos Aristaeus couldn’t have anticipated that his brief trip to Athens would yield him a spirited Carthaginian beauty…who despises his very existence. Lamia defies him at every turn, but Thanos soon learns that lurking beneath the surface of her vehement denials of him is desire—a desire which she fails to disguise and is equally matched by his own passion for her.

Unable to deny the scorching attraction between them, the pair find themselves embroiled in a heated affair, one that is doomed to meet a bitter end when faced with the political turmoil brewing in Ancient Greece.

Torn between their two worlds, Thanos and Lamia must ultimately decide if they are willing to sacrifice everything for a love they never imagined they would find.

Treachery, war and murder—can an unexpected and unlikely love flourish when faced with such obstacles? Lamia and Thanos are about to find out.

Excerpt:

The scorching waves of the desert heat crashed down upon her, choking her, and Lamia wiped at the sweat trickling along her brow as the blistering sun battered them mercilessly. They would travel south toward Sparta, the journey taking at least half a fortnight, if they were lucky.

Already her muscles ached and she released a soft groan as she shifted in the saddle, tensing when her buttocks brushed against Thanos.

“Relax,” he murmured close to her ear, the deep timbre of his voice washing over her like a gentle breeze. She shivered when his warm breath feathered across the sensitive skin along the side of her neck, coaxing tiny goose bumps from her heated flesh.

“I am fine,” she gritted out, but she was far from it. Her backside was sore, her back hurt, and her muscles throbbed with pain from holding herself so rigid.

He chuckled, the husky rumble resonating through her entire body as it seemingly crossed the narrow space between them to enfold her in its intimate warmth.

“I do not bite,” he said with laughter in his voice.

Lamia whipped her head around to glare at him. “I said I was fine.”

By the gods, he was handsome when he smiled. The harsh planes of his face softened and his piercing eyes danced with merriment as he stared down at her. Afraid that her eyes would betray her, she twisted her head back around.

He tightened his hold on his reins, enclosing her in his embrace. And when he leaned forward, his chest brushed against her back.

She stifled a moan and her eyelids drifted shut when she felt her body hum to life, her nipples budding so tight the sensation was almost painful as they hardened to stiff peaks. Yesterve, she’d noticed him as a man—his handsomeness, his virility. Yet at the same time she’d been so consumed by her fate that she’d brushed her awareness of him aside.

But ever since earlier that dawn in her tent…his wet physique, the droplets of water that clung to his hair roughened skin. She swallowed at the memory. Thanos was just so blatantly masculine that it was hard not to be affected by him—it was hard to be around him and still pretend that she did not notice, especially when his body was pressed to hers.

“Move back and relax against me,” he said firmly, his warm breath fanning the tiny hairs behind her ear.

She shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to have his strong arms wrap any tighter around her, so that with each step of his horse, his solid chest would rub against her back and the insistent press of his cock would nudge the swells of her ass, just as it was doing now—

“Do it, Lamia.”

“No.”

He dropped the reins, and she gasped when his hand snaked out to splay across her belly, to gently but firmly scoot her back, so that she rested against the hard wall of his body.

“Stop that, Spartan,” she snapped, struggling to lean forward, but it was useless. He had trapped her with his large frame.

“You are the most stubborn woman I know,” he shot back, his voice strained with exasperation. “Your back will be sore by dusk if you remain so rigid. Relax against me. We have a long journey ahead and you will ache all over before it is done. It is foolish to start off in pain,” he argued.

She silently fumed but said nothing. She hated that he was right. But more than that she hated how the tender folds of her womanhood were now warm and swollen, the slick, wet juices of her blossoming body, now pooling between her thighs. She let out a ragged breath, trying to fight back a moan while her gaze desperately roamed over the expanse of land that lay ahead of them. There was no way she would survive a fortnight with her body pressed against Thanos’ the entire time. She needed to concentrate on plans to escape—and the sooner the better, because her body threatened to ignite into flames with the slightest touch.

It was shameful, it was shocking and it terrified her, the power this Spartan now wielded over her without any effort.

Yes, it was imperative she escape him, and fast, for she could only imagine what would come of her if he were to do more than just touch…

About Nadia:

I am an avid reader, a fitness enthusiast, and I love debating politics. Currently, I live in Las Vegas NV where I work as a full-time professor and write whenever I have the chance. I am a multi-published author of multicultural erotic romance across many genres, from historical, to fantasy, to sci-fi and contemporary. Recently, I’ve been moving more towards penning erotica, but always with multicultural elements, and not surprisingly, I still haven’t strayed far from my romance roots!

Feel free to connect with me at [email protected] or visit my website www.nadiaaidan.com

I love hearing from all of you!

Available: https://www.totallybound.com/my-spartan-hellion

Author Site: https://www.nadiaaidan.com