Christina Phillips latest novel, Captive (book 2 in the FORBIDDEN series) takes place in AD 50 at a time when the Romans were conquering all surrounding lands. This story takes place in Cymru, an island off the coast of Britain, where the Romans have killed and raped to overtake lands rich in minerals of gold, copper and lead. Lead by the Druids, the people of Cymru rebel and then flee to the Isle of Mon to recoup their strength and develop a plan to attack the Romans again.
One of the Druids is a priestess named Morwyn who is disillusioned by the Druids and wants to join the rebels to fight for her country. Another reason is the loss of her lover who was killed by the Romans. She decides to travel to Camulodunon, where her closest friend, Carys, now lives to try to persude her to join the rebels. She travels with traders along their route but are attacked by Roman soldiers who kill everyone but Morwyn. She is to be used for their pleasure and then killed.
Brennus is a loyal Briton soldier who is fighting undercover in the Roman army to gather valuable information that might possibly save Cymru from destruction. He accidentally comes upon the scene of the trader's murders and saves Morwyn from the brutality of the Roman soldiers. He does not believe in rape and torture and displeases his Roman army brothers by taking her under his protection.
Morwyn hates Bren even though he has saved her; she believes he will keep her for himself and rape her when they are alone. She fights him every step of the way, both physically and verbally. Through it all, Bren tries to keep a calm reserve understanding her behavior quite well. He also starts to lust after Morwyn admiring her strength and passion. But he will not force himself on her.
Not knowing what to do with Morwyn, Bren decides to take her to Camulodunon. Along the long ride on horseback, Morwyn starts to develop a lust for Bren as well. His strength, reserve and kindness, as well as his bright green eyes, sets well with Morwyn but she hates him for who he is and will not give in to her desires. She fights every attempt of kindness that Bren offers and makes life miserable for both of them. After a horrible nightmare about her lover's death, Bren comforts her and they both give in to their longing for each other. Bren is happy about this, as he is becoming more and more enthralled with Morwyn, but she hates him even more now. Her guilt is overwhelming.
Once they reach Camulodunon, Morwyn sneaks out one night while Bren is gone, to find her friend, Carys. Once again, she is filled with hatred and repulsion as she finds out Carys has married a Roman soldier and is carrying his child. She will be of no help to Morwyn now and desolate and angry, she returns to the inn. She has no where else to go. Not knowing exactly why Morwyn is so unhappy, Bren brings her gifts. One night at dinner in a fine restaurant, they both start to open up to each other. But they both have many secrets and must protect who they really are. Especially Morwyn, who finds out that Bren has a deep hatred for Druids.
Bren decides to bring Morwyn home to Cymru as he has been asked by the Romans to spy on the Druids. Bren uses this to his advantage as he needs to see his British King to get further orders. He gets lodging for Morwyn and while he is away, Morwyn goes to find the Druid Elder in hopes of finding the British King to offer her assistance in their fight for freedom. She reveals to him her true identity and he tells her how to find the King's secret hideout in the forest. Morwyn sets out immediately to find him. She does not want to leave Bren, as she now considers him hers, but she has no choice.
Bren returns to Morwyn's lodgings to find her gone. He is desolate, believing his dreams of a life with Morwyn are over. All he has left is to fight with his King for Cymru's freedom. So he sets out to find the King's hideout in the forest........
Captive is a very fast paced story of love and betrayal, of passions and desires and how secrets can destroy everything is its path. Bren and Morwyn are so real that the reader can feel their passion and their pain. We want them both to reveal their secrets in the hopes of ending this pain but it is not always the case. Ms. Phillips has a lot of twists and turns in her story which adds even more to the desire to keep reading until we reach the last page.
