They stood amid the bones of an ancient arena, owner and gladiator, striking a deal where death was the prize.

The Black Hearth by Eddy Rose is a dark fantasy romance that blends the brutal spectacle of Gladiator with the grimdark mystery of The Witcher—then sets it on fire with a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers arc. If you crave a mature, ruthless heroine, a quiet, haunted gladiator, and a world dripping with blood and ruin, don’t wait—join my newsletter to get early access to news, updates, and ARC opportunities.

Meet the Author

Eddy Rose

Eddy Rose writes grimdark fantasy filled with gladiators, grit, and romance. Her characters are morally grey, complex humans with emotional depth, strong character development, and often a fatal lack of social skills.

A psychologist by day and author by night, she builds brutal worlds filled with deadly arenas, rich lore, and her own hand-drawn maps.

Based on the Gold Coast, Queensland (at least in theory), Eddy is famously hard to find unless you’re her husband or son, but she’s deeply fond of her reader community and will shamelessly spoil them with free short stories and maps through her newsletter.

Follow Eddy on social media

In a place of blood and sand, the arena offers what he never sought.

A Taste of Blade and Roar, a Twilight of Blood short story, is out now. Grab your free copy here.


In the blood-soaked pit of the Switchblade Arena, survival is a spectacle, and death is entertainment.

The King’s newest gladiator, a young purebred beast raised for the arenas, must earn his place in the merciless head trainer’s team by surviving an impossible fight—a Slayer’s Pit. But as he steps onto the shifting sands, he discovers the arena offers far more than blood and death. What he finds there will shape the beast destined to become the Lion of Zarall.

A Taste of Blood and Roar is a Twilight of Blood short story and a prequel to Lion of Zarall.

  • November updates and wrap up

    November updates and wrap up

    We’re getting to the end of the year and I’m feeling it in my bones. Here are my November updates; I found out that I’ve been nominated for the IGWA Awards in not one but two categories: And somehow I’ve progressed to round 3. If you’d like to support Lion and Beast in Round 3,

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  • October updates and wrap up

    October updates and wrap up

    Yes, I know, I missed September, but here I am for October updates. October was too good not to talk about. The month started strong with the release of my newest short story, A Taste of Rhythm and Courage (ATORAC). It was a short and sweet (or quick and dirty, depending on where your mind

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  • Take a gladiator to your library

    Libraries have always been special to me. Back in uni, I worked as a library assistant. I loved the routine of it; reshelving books, labelling new arrivals… When life got tough, the library was my sanctuary. I loved the quiet peace of it. Even now, whenever I visit campus, I make a point of stopping

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  • Beast against Cyclone Alfred

    Beast against Cyclone Alfred

    I wanna talk about the behind the scenes of the Fire Breath scene. If you’ve read Beast of Zarall, you know exactly what I mean. But if you haven’t read it yet, don’t worry nothing here can spoil that scene. Fire Breath is one of the most breathtaking, tension-filled moments in the book—and based on

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  • Cover Reveal: A Taste of Rhythm and Courage

    Here it is — the cover for my next release, A Taste of Rhythm and Courage. This little story has been sitting in my heart for months, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you. It’s short, sharp, and bittersweet (because of course it is — you know me by now). A Taste

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