#erotic #historical #romance #romans #druids

Adult content 18+

TOP READ

A huge welcome to Christina Phillips. I’ve been reading Christina’s books for years beginning with this sizzling erotic historical romance series which is full of powerful alpha men and strong women. I’m therefore SO excited to welcome her today! Christina has put herself in the hot seat so that I can quiz her on the series. ❤

Book Blurb

When a Druid priestess falls for her Roman captor she’s torn between her duty to her goddess and her love for the enemy…

When Druid priestess Nimue is injured and enslaved by the hated Roman Legion she’s determined to escape and complete her covert mission for her beloved goddess, to eradicate the invaders from her land.

But the tough warrior who captures her is far from the brutal barbarian she expects. Instead, Tacitus turns all her prejudices inside out, and it’s hard to remember he’s her enemy when she craves his touch more than her next breath. Her first loyalty is to her goddess, and she can’t afford to forget it.

Tacitus is enchanted by the fiery beauty who shows no fear and challenges him at every turn. Though enslaving her goes against his heart, it’s the only way he can protect her. As a fragile trust grows between them, he believes they can have a future together. But when he discovers the depth of her betrayal, his loyalties are torn between his heritage and a woman who could destroy everything he’s ever believed in.

Previously published as BETRAYED in 2013

Enslaved is the third book in The Druid Chronicles, but it wasn’t until Nimue appeared right near the end of Captive that I knew I had to write her story. All I knew about her was she worshipped the Moon Goddess, Arianrhod, and when she ran off on her mission I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. Although Enslaved, like all the books, is a standalone, it begins at the moment when Nimue left Morwyn in Captive.

Read Chapter One

Buy Links

iBooks   |   Amazon   | B&N   |   Kobo

#1 Forbidden –   iBooks   |   Amazon   |   B&N   |  ARe  |  Kobo

#2 Captive   –    iBooks  |  Amazon   |   B & N   |   Kobo

#3 Enslaved

#4 Tainted – Release date 7th November 2016 

My Review ~5 stars

A Beautiful and Passionate Meeting Of Soul Mates

Enslaved is an erotic historical romance, set in Roman Britain. It describes a beautiful and passionate love between two sworn enemies, Tacitus, a Roman Tribune and Nimue, a priestess from the Druid nobility, whom the Romans are pledged to eradicate. It is a fantastic addition to the author’s Roman/Druid Series and can be read as a stand alone.

Enslaved takes place in Cymru, in 51 A.D, where the Romans are committed to quashing rebellion. Whilst on an important mission for Caratacus, the Briton King, Druid priestess Nimue is injured and captured. Tacitus is entranced by her beauty and demeanor. To prevent her being treated as a spoil of war to be sold to the highest bidder, he purchases her as his slave, lest any other man seeks to possess her.

Tacitus ensures that Nimue has the best medical care while she recuperates and gives her more freedoms than a slave is due. Initially Nimue is unaware that Tacitus owns her and does not comprehend why she is not held with the other prisoners. There is a strong sexual chemistry between them and as passion ignites, Nimue decides to take advantage of what his body has to offer, whilst biding her time until her recovery so that she can complete her mission for the Briton King.

Nimue is angry and mortified when she comprehends her lowly status, which she regards as being little more than a whore. However, she cannot prevent herself falling in love with Tacitus, enemy of the Druids, who would turn her over for torture and cruxifiction if he knew of her true heritage. She knows that she is coveted by other officers in the legion and realises that Tacitus spoke the truth when he said that he enslaved her for her own safety. However, her promise to Caratacus and her birthright dictate that she must betray him and this is heartbreaking. Nimue also has a task to carry out for her goddess, linked to a sacred bluestone, which her people hold in high esteem. I was so drawn into the world that the author created that I lay awake at night fretting about what would happen to Nimue and Tacitus and whether they would get their HEA!

Nimue is a fantastic heroine, not only brave but also possessing great knowledge as she is an acolyte to the goddess Arianrhod. She seeks guidance and enlightenment in some mystical scenes which take place throughout the novel. She is also a skilled healer and archer. She is loyal to her people and wants to free them from the indignities she sees them suffer. She knows that Tacitus will view her actions as the ultimate betrayal and also what will happen to her if she fails. She also carries a secret burden and heartbreak from her past.

Tacitus is a wonderful hero, masterful and passionate. A complex and honourable individual, he does not always conform to Roman views. He has never taken a slave and will not force himself on a woman. Tacitus is entranced by Nimue, who is open and confident in her sexuality and is amused that she, a slave, gives him orders. He strives to understand her customs and beliefs. However, what will he do when he discovers that she is not just a Celt, but a Druid who communes with the gods, let alone one who is hell bent on betraying his trust?

The author creates a world full characters that jumped of the page. I am no scholar of ancient Britain but she appears to have done a lot of research into the customs, religion and medicinal uses of various herbs etc. of the time. The erotic scenes are beautifully executed and you could really sense the growing connection between the lovers, who, despite being sworn enemies were a perfect foil for each other. I feared that I, along with my Kindle, would spontaneously combust whilst reading it!

I recommend this novel to all lovers of erotic romance, especially those who like a historical theme and a strong heroine and a leading man who is the embodiment of male sexuality and virtue. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bio

As a child, Christina always loved reading about far away places and magical worlds, but never imagined that one day she’d spend her days writing about them! Thankfully, when she grew up she decided her brave heroines deserved a gorgeous warrior to share their journey with, and hopes you enjoy the world of The Druid Chronicles as much as she enjoyed writing it 🙂

Keep in touch with Christina

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Author Interview

1.Can you share with our readers a little about yourself and your writing career?

Hi Tina, thank you so much for having me on your blog today! I’m originally from the UK but, along with my husband and our three children, moved to Australia nearly 18 years ago. I write historical, contemporary and paranormal romance but there’s always plenty of steam and a Happily-Ever-After!

2.What inspired you to write this series? It is clear from your work that you are fascinated by Roman and Druid history.

Although I’ve always loved reading historical romance (I started with Victoria Holt when I was eleven) it never occurred to me to actually write it with a view to publication until the night Maximus stormed into my mind while I was tackling some admin! While having a hot Roman warrior appear in my head was awesome enough, he was searching for his Druid princess and that really hooked my interest. Why would a Roman soldier be searching for the bitterest enemy of his Empire unless he wanted to kill her? So of course I had to find out 🙂

3.Why do you think readers are drawn to reading historical romance, particularly ones containing such sizzling scenes?

It’s a different world, without involving other planets or alien life forms (although in my historical romances I do weave in myths and legends and goddess magic). It’s a way to experience another time in an entertaining and/or thrilling way and the sizzle just makes it all that much more enjoyable J

4.What were your main avenues of research?

Children’s reference books! They were great for fact checking and getting the basic info I needed for my Roman life. Other than that I used the internet a lot, cross referencing facts and interesting snippets I found. One problem is all the contradictory evidence out there – so whenever this happened I’d pick whichever best suited my story and went with that!

5.What did you find most challenging about writing the series? And the most enjoyable?

It was challenging to find any information at all about the Druids. They passed their knowledge down through oral teachings, which could take twenty years, and didn’t believe in writing any of it down. This means the only contemporary written evidence we have is from the Romans, who were obviously biased. Yet equally this was also one of the most enjoyable aspects of the books for me, as it meant I could ignore everything the Romans said about the Druids (because hello, conqueror’s prejudice!) and let my heroines introduce me to their magical world themselves.

6.How does writing historical romances differ from writing contemporaries?

One of the biggest issues for me is the power, or lack of, that women had over their own lives in the past. In the Druid Chronicles my heroines are educated and powerful in their own right, but living in a time of enormous change when patriarchy is encroaching into their culture (I did mix things up a little in the fourth book, Tainted J ) I also tried to keep true to the time, and this can be harder than it sounds. I wanted my heroes and heroines to be sympathetic to the modern reader, but without them sounding as though they belonged in the twenty-first century.

7.Do you have a favourite scene in the book (without giving the plot away of course)?

In Enslaved, my heroine Nimue has pledged her word to the Briton king that she’ll bring his queen and daughter to him. Before she can fulfil that promise she’s captured by the enemy. One of my favourite scenes is when she’s torn at the knowledge that she has to betray Tacitus, the man she’s grown to love, in order to keep her word to the king. I love this because it shows the kind of woman she is, living in her time, and acknowledging that despite how she feels about Tacitus he will never see her as anything more than a fragile, dependent woman. It’s possible she underestimates Tacitus here. 🙂

8.Where do you get your inspiration for your historical characters from, particularly the swoon worthy alpha males?

They all live inside my head! Although I will admit that Henry Cavill has always been my inspiration for Tacitus, the hero in Enslaved. And really, don’t you think he’d look hot as a Roman warrior?

9. With the advent of social media and the internet, I imagine the life of a writer is now far less lonely than in previous generations. How useful have you found social media and the internet to you personally in your journey as a writer?

It’s been invaluable. Soon after I decided to get serious about writing, I discovered the Harlequin eBoards and that’s where I found my two fab critique partners, Amanda Ashby and Sara Hantz. We were all very green newbies, and we’ve always been there for each other along this rocky road. More recently I’ve found Facebook wonderful for keeping in touch with other authors, readers and bloggers. Writing can be isolating and it’s great to be able to reach out and chat with so many different people who’re interested in the same things!

10.Finally, what works have you in the pipeline?

I’m in the process of re-releasing the Highland Warrior Chronicles and I couldn’t be more thrilled about this! Set in the ninth century in Pictland (before it became Scotland), these books follow tough Scots warriors who find love with their brave Pictish princesses. Her Savage Scot releases on 10th December and Her Vengeful Scot on 10th January 2017. More details can be found here – The Highland Warrior Chronicles.