1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sensual and vibrant, this historical romance is emotional and sexy., February 1, 2011
This review is from: Captive (Forbidden) (Paperback)
Captive by Christina Phillips
Historical Romance -Feb. 1st, 2011
4 ½ stars
Captive is the second erotic historical written by Christina Phillips set in ancient Roman times. In this story, the magical Druids have been slowly taken over by the ruthless Roman army bent on world domination. Primal and sexy, I love this series.
Morwyn is one of the chosen Druids but she gave up the old ways when her lover was killed by the Romans. Although she did not love her lover, she feels responsible for his death and questions her faith. Set on revenge, she hopes to find a rumored Roman rebellion and join them. Disguised as merchants, she set out with fellow Druids only to be ambushed by vicious and corrupt Romans intent on looting and rape. Morwyn knows she will die but vows that they will not break her spirit. Suddenly, she is saved by a Gaul mercenary who threatens to reveal the Romans' illegal ambush if they do not let her go. The Gaul informs them they can keep their loot. They reluctantly agree because the Gaul is feared and trusted by their high ranking superiors. Morwyn feels the Gaul is a traitor to his people and wants nothing to do with him. But her traitorous body has other ideas. Soon Morwyn finds herself flirting with the scoundrel and enjoying his coarse company.
This second book is almost as thrilling as the first. I loved the interplay between the two main characters as the indomitable and sassy Morwyn flirts with the Gaul, Bren. Bren has been pretending to work with the Romans but is really a spy. His reputation is black and unsavory, but the author gives him a vulnerability and humanity that proves how worthy he actually is. It was fun to read how this sober and serious Bren lightens up under Morwyn's sensuous attack. Once Morwyn realizes how much she actually likes him, he doesn't stand a chance! Morwyn and Bren also have deep emotional baggage that makes this story intense and interesting. When Bren reveals what drives him, I really felt for him. But the best sections are their interactions as they flirt with each other and slowly learn to respect and care for each other. I loved how Morwyn realizes how brave and noble Bren is and defends him. The only thing that I would have liked better is a more detailed idea of what Druid magic/beliefs are in the story.
Sensual and vibrant, this historical romance is emotional and sexy. I could not put it down and this may be my favorite new time period in historical romance. I can't wait for the author to write more!
Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read to hold you 'Captive'..., November 21, 2011
Heat, passion and conflict flare during the times of Romans versus Celts, making 'Captive'anything but your average historical romance! A great book from this fabulous Aussie author!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Captive, September 12, 2011
This review is from: Captive (Forbidden) (Paperback)
When the man she most admired and secretly loved betrayed not only herself but her people, Morwayn, a druid, lost faith in her god and her people. When she hears news that her friend was murdered, all Morwayn can think of is to avenge his death. To do that she must leave the secret isle where her people went into hiding after the Roman's invaded her land. Unfortunately, before she could find the encampment where the Briton king hides with the rest of the rebels, she is attacked by the Romans and the mercenaries who travel with them. Her savior comes in the unlikely from of a Gaul mercenary who claims her for his own and insists she accompany him on his mission throughout Roman occupied Briton. As they travel, Morwayn and the Gaul, two people on opposite sides of the war spectrum discover that not only does their passion blaze hot, but that they are not so different from each other as it first appeared.
I really enjoyed Forbidden, the first book in this series and I was eagerly looking forward to reading CAPTIVE. Unfortunately, CAPTIVE had a very slow start for me. After reading a couple pages, I put CAPTIVE down in preference to other reads. I believe the reason CAPTIVE had a slow start for me, is because I had serious issues with Morwayn for the first half of CAPTIVE.
In Forbidden I didn't really warm up to Morwayn's character and once I started reading CAPTIVE I found Morwayn hard and unyielding. I also found some of her reactions to situations (such as having a physical reaction to the hero right after she just escaped being raped and killed and treating her best friend - the heroine in the previous novel - as a traitor when it was proved that she was correct and justified in her actions) for lack of a better word, annoying. While I have no issues with strong, female characters (in fact I quite like them) in this case I felt Morwayn's unyielding, single-minded personality made her hard to identify with. If I can't sympathize with a character, I can't connect with them, which was the case with Morwayn. However, the more I got into CAPTIVE, the more I warmed up to Morwayn.
However, my reaction to Morwayn was the only issue that I had with CAPTIVE. While I've seen an upswing in Roman set historical romance novels, CAPTIVE is one of the best, unique, and eye-grabbing that I've come across. Ms. Phillips has a great voice and puts her characters in interesting situations that I'm always curious to see how she's going to manage to get them out of. Even if you are not a fan of Romans, Druids, and ancient Briton, I think you'll find CAPTIVE a solid read.
Review courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
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