Book picks similar to
Gladiator by David Burke


fantasy
litrpg
progression
one-main-pov-plus-sidepovs

The Traveler


Xander Jade - 2021
    He's an avid outdoorsman and likes to hunt. On one of his trips outdoors, he gets caught up in a storm and wakes up in another reality. One that has magic and fantastical creatures. Trying to cope with his new life, Dominic is given skills to help blend into society. The main item to remember is that females run this world.Disclaimer: The book has harem elements/unconventional relationships, sexual content, cursing, and intended for those 18+.

Zenith Academy 1


Cassius Lange - 2021
    To everyone else, I’m JD—a struggling artist, working my fingers to the bone for my shot with one of the big comic book companies. Oh, and I work nights, managing a dive called Judson’s Bar and Grill. I know, the dream life. Things were boring, disappointing, even. Until one faithful night, when everything changed. Why? Where do I start? First: An odd woman showed up in a booth while I was trying to close for the night. Rude, but on its own, not so weird. She was dressed in a kimono and had a sword in her lap. That part? Getting a little strange. Second: It turns out she’s a mistress at a magical academy and had been looking for me. Right? Please pick up on my sarcasm. Except, she proved it, and with just a few violent swings of her very real sword, ensured I both didn’t have a job any longer, and more or less had to follow her into a scary, glowing portal. Where did it take me? A surreal place called Zenith Academy, and a life I’d only ever dreamt of. There I’ll learn how to cultivate mana and wield magic-like powers. And that is just the beginning. The tower imbues cultivators with visual prompts and game-like stats, making my new life feel like something straight out of a choose your own adventure novel. But it’s not all for nothing. Evidently, they’ve been fighting a war for thousands of years, and I’ve just been drafted. <>

IRON MAGE


Rob Nolan - 2019
     Javron is a blacksmith in the middle of nowhere. No one knows his secret: that he has a gift far greater than the most powerful wizards in the land. He bends metal to his will like a sculptor does clay, and has created the deadliest suit of armor the world has ever known. Javron’s abilities might have remained a secret forever, until two beautiful women walk through his door. They need a special artifact only Javron can create. But they’re being pursued by the Bandit King – a half-orc warlord who rules the Badlands, and who wants both women for his twisted plans. When the two women are threatened, and everything Javron holds dear is endangered, he has to cast off the shroud of secrecy and become the man he was meant to be. He must become… the Iron Mage. Warning: this book contains harem elements, violence, and adult situations.

Courts and Cabals


G.S. D'Moore - 2020
    . . literally. He's surrounded by the supernatural cream of the crop: children of alpha werewolves, banshees with ties to the United Nations, a faerie princess from another realm of reality, and a teenage succubus who might be the scariest, and sexiest, of them all.Everything is going as great as can be for a vanilla human until one misstep lands him in trouble with a noble of the Unseelie Fae. Caught between the wrath of a Fae Court, and the desire of a Succubus Cabal, Cam must fight to survive, and figure out he might not be that normal after all.Warning: Courts and Cabals is for 18+. It contains adult situations, and supernatural creatures that generally treat humans like s#!t. You've been warned.

Meta Marshal Service 1


B.N. Miles - 2020
    Clock in, do paperwork, clock out. He gave up magic, joined the Meta Marshal Service, and just wanted to be left alone.Until a routine prisoner transport went awry and blew up his entire existence.That was when he found Cassie down on her knees in the wreckage, asking him for help.And he knew in that instant: Magic just wouldn't leave him alone.Now he’s on a hunt for an escaped convict and a powerful ancient artifact with the potential to ruin their world for good.Jared better embrace his power, hunt down the bad guy, and keep his girls together, or else he’ll never get that peace and quiet back.Warning: This book contains explicit scenes, some violence, a weird magic system, an overly bubbly shifter girl, and a harem relationship.

Growth Hero


Brent Tyman - 2021
    Out of nowhere, he's whisked away to a fantasy world with game-like stats, monsters that drop loot, gorgeous mages and a Dungeon to explore.With only the clothes on his back and a single skill bestowed upon him, he has to survive this new world and forge a new life for himself.And perhaps work on getting a harem while he’s at it.Authors note: Inspired by light novels, RPG's and mangas. Contains Isekai, light LitRPG/ Gamelit stats, dungeons, magic and a touch of tropes.

The Scarlet Cavern


Michael Dalton - 2020
    But a careless misstep sends him tumbling through a cave into an alien world. There he finds a dying civilization of bizarre human-animal hybrids, filled with effete males and frustrated females who are soon pursuing him for their own ends. For Will has stumbled into this world’s most powerful legend – a legend of the one who will come to reverse its decline – the legend of the Makalang. The Scarlet Cavern is the first book in The Makalang series and contains explicit adult scenes and violence.

Domestic Decay


Anya Merchant - 2021
    Five years have passed, enough time for everything to have changed.He’s changed, even. Gone is the scrawny teenager fiddling with locks in the background. Standing in his place is a young man hardened to an edge by chaos and incarceration. Will's power, his real power, made him into one of the most dangerous men in the entire prison. But now, he’s ready to make another stab at an honest life, ready to make amends to the people that matter most.Jess - Relic. Still the busy matriarch of the household. As Relic, one of the most famous superheroines in the country, she’d been admired and worshipped by the masses. As Jess, she’d always provided for Will in a more domestic role, her beauty taking a backseat to telling bedtime stories and making tuna sandwiches.Rue - Webcam. Once so shy and precocious, now all grown up, filled out. She’d been so close to Will, but that was before she became a teenager, before smartphones and social media and broken promises.Avery - Kestrel. Little miss perfect, now retired from the Crimson Five and working a mundane job. She’s a normal, functioning adult… on the surface.Home at last, and all pent up from prison. It’s time for Will to get to know his household anew. How close is too close?

Wrangler


Hondo Jinx - 2020
    Filled with tough optimism and pioneering spirit, he vows to build the desperate monster girls a sanctuary in the wilderness.There is much to do.Timber to cut. Cabins to build. Game to hunt. Land to plow and plant.Sprites to seed. Children to raise. And a whole bunch of enemies to kill.Warning: This series contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/harem, and a strong male protagonist with the rough and ready attitude of an American frontiersman. Read at your own risk.

The Swordsman


Zack Archer - 2018
    The mythical warrior Beowulf. A harem of hot warrior women and monster girls. Joining forces to take down the bad guys in modern-day Los Angeles. Wait. What? Adam Fraser's coming home from an unsuccessful movie pitch when he nearly collides with Beowulf and a duo of powerful warrior women who’ve been catapulted forward in time by an evil alchemist named Mossheart. Realizing that each can help the other, they set off on an epic journey across Hollywood to track down the alchemist before he accomplishes his ultimate goal: the resurrection of the monster Grendel. What could go wrong? Lots. Tons. A crapload of things could and do go wrong, but along the way, Adam builds his harem, grows in strength and skills, gathers material for an incredible movie, and discovers how to defeat villains and become an expert um…swordsman. Warning: would it surprise you to learn that this book’s intended for those over the age of 18 who like fresh takes on old stories, sexy monster women, shapeshifters, adrenaline-fueled action, cool snarky characters, and lots of haremy (yes, that’s a real word) adult situations? Probably not, so if you like those things, and I’m guessing you do, come and get swung with The Swordsman!

Edge of Eons


Darren Hultberg Jr. - 2019
     In daylight, the realm is ruled by the adepts, a group of mighty cultivators that use their spirits to wield world-bending, mystic power. These adepts live in constant strife, fighting for control of relics that hold the divine powers of ancient gods. In twilight, the realm belongs to the darkbeasts, nightmarish creatures born of a mysterious fog known as the veil. These creatures are drawn to power, hoarding relics in their dungeons and slaying any adepts that dare venture too close. Together, these opposing forces create a grim balance of power, one only survived by those with strength, cunning and a bit of wit. But balance is not easily maintained... Dark forces work from the shadows, putting events into motion that will drive the realm into chaos. Soon, portals begin to open, drawing warriors from other realms to test their mettle on Eon’s battlegrounds. Many perish before reaching their true potential, falling victim to the realm’s many perils. However, the cosmos is a vast sea of souls, and one police officer from earth may prove he has the fighting spirit needed to shake Eon to its very core... ***This is a cultivation novel with xianxia and litrpg elements***

Damsels of Jormia: A Light Novel


Marcus Sloss - 2021
    

Zeal of the Mind and Flesh


Marvin Whiteknight - 2019
    What more could a nerd ask for? When Theodore visited the new animatronic strip club in town, he didn’t expect the elves the facility was famous for to be actual flesh-and-blood elves. And he definitely didn't expect to find an inter-dimensional phone booth tucked away in the back room. But find them he did, and before he knew it he’d been sent to a strange and exotic land. Among The Ten Thousand Worlds, power is free for any with the will and talent to take it. Here, elves practice immortal cultivation, gathering power to increase their personal strength and pursue eternal life. Theo must survive and gather allies, with whom he may just be able to build the greatest clan of all time, all while growing the mysterious power of the game-like interface passed down to him by the alien wizard, and the spaceship he has inherited. Warning: Zeal of the Mind and Flesh is the first novel of a series containing graphic violence, explicit sex, and a harem of magical girls. Read at your own risk. As of 10/19/2019, I’ve finished my edits, and even added a number of new scenes. If you bought the book before that date, re-download the book to get all available content! Contains: Harem, Cultivation, Dungeon core, and GameLit elements.

The Fractured World


David Aries - 2020
     When avid gamer Brandon awakes surrounded by endless snow and countless monsters, he knows his survival odds look slim at best. Not that he’s planning to go down without a fight. Being a self-confessed nerd doesn’t mean he’s going to roll over and die. Brandon’s determined to get himself home and protect whoever he finds upon the way. That includes a couple of stunning alien women who need his help as much as he needs theirs. Enhanced with a strength as foreign to him as The Fractured World itself, it’s up to Brandon to rise to the occasion and show this primitive planet who’s boss. His women are counting on him, and Brandon doesn’t intend to let them down. Warning: The Fractured World contains a harem of alien beauties, plenty of steamy sex, a ton of monster-slaying violence, and a collection of survival tips I wouldn’t rely on in a crisis. You’ve been warned.

Monster Girl in My Closet


Jamie Hawke - 2020
    There I was, simply working to program my visual novel and find my muse, when BAM! Monster girl in my closet. Needless to say, she changed my life. For the better at first, sure. But then there was the hunter, and the crazy lady who spoke of another world where the monsters live. So the adventure began. WARNING: Monster ladies, adult situations, and violence abound.