Fated: Torn Apart by History, Bound for Eternity [Kindle Edition]

Carolyn McCray (Author)

Book Description

Fated...#1 Historical and Fantasy Romance

Torn Apart By History
Bound For Eternity

"From Carolyn McCray comes a historical romance that will leave you hoping that for once, fate will be kind. You will be gripped from the first page to the last, caught in a love that spans eons and an ancient political intrigue whose consequence still reverberates today. This is truly a masterpiece that stays with you long after you've turned the last page."
Emma Gilbertson
The Writer Bites Back

"I was enthralled by this book--enthralled by the time period, the romance, the characters, and the historical events unfolding... Kudos, Ms. McCray!"
Tessa Blue
Amazon Reviewer

"Fated is full of suspense. It does not let go... As usual, Ms. McCray's style and writing are brilliant."
M. Koleva
Amazon Reviewer

Overview:
Everyone thinks that they know the story of Caesar's demise, however in Fated, we discover the truth.
Told from Brutus' perspective, critics are heaping praise upon Fated...

More Praise for Fated...
"When I sat down with Fated, I had high expectations. It was the last of 5 books by Carolyn McCray I read. It did NOT disappoint me!

This book delves into an area of history that we all learned about in school and brings it alive with real-feeling characters that are very relate-able. The intrigue surrounding the power struggle between Julius Caesar and the Senate really comes alive....I admit, I was late to work three days in a row thanks to this book. Each time I was able to steal a few minutes to read, I was loathe to put it down. Had I had the time, I would have read it
straight through! I wait with bated breath for the next novel in the series, Bound; indeed for ANY next novel by Carolyn!"
Angi AG
Amazon Book Reviewer

Any fan of Paula Brackston or Vaughn Heppner will love Fated!

*If you were looking for Carolyn's Kindle Bestselling paranormal romance/urban fantasy thriller, simply search under HeartsBlood.

**If you were looking for Carolyn's contemporary bestselling romance, simply search under Indian Moon.

**If you were looking for Carolyn's #1 Bestselling YA Epic Fantasy, simply search under 7 Folds of Winter.

**If you were looking for Carolyn's super controversial historical thriller, simply search under 30 Pieces of Silver (#1 Kindle Bestseller in Men's Adventure category, but be warned, it is WAY more controversial than Fated.)

Product Details

• File Size: 515 KB
• Print Length: 421 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1482320533
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Off Our Meds Multi Media (May 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0050VRK20
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,232 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #28 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Greek & Roman

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I would give it zero stars if I could July 26, 2012

By Rania Melhem

Format:Kindle Edition

This is seriously one of the worst historical fiction/fantasy books I have ever read. For one thing the author didn't bother to check her historical facts.
1. Caesar barely made it to the shores of Britain, let alone to Scotland.
2. Scotland didn't exists as the name of a country, the Scoti who were an Irish tribe, didn't arrive to Alba or Caledonia (as the Romans named that area) until the 5th or 6th century AD.
3. Edinburgh if it existed certainly wasn't a city and was not known by that name.
4. Only men wore togas.
6. Potatoes, tomatoes and chocolate didn't arrive in Europe until the late 16 century. Tomatoes and potatoes were thought to be poisonous for a long time after that.
7. Toffee? Butterscotch? Flapjacks?
8. Obviously she paid no attention to names, the names of Brutus's wife and mother are well known they were Porcia Catonis was his second wife, Servillia was his mother. Gaius Julius Caesar's daughter was Julia and she was married to Pompey. She obviously had no idea about Roman naming protocols which were quite strict.
9. Obviously the author also didn't know that the people of Ancient Spain, Hispania not Hispalis were Celts not the small dark people she described.
And if that was not enough, the author's use of English in pathetic.
To indicate Lilyth's taste for tomatoes, she talks of the character's palette, not palate.
She tells us that only Octavian would be able to unify the Roman people. UNITE.

59 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fated - danger, betrayal, love... May 14, 2011

By Tessa Blue Jones

Format:Kindle Edition

Et tu, Brute? Fated - a novel about danger, betrayal, and love in ancient Rome. History, told like never before!

Syra, wounded and captured, is taken as slave and sold in Rome to Marcus Brutus, a politician in the late Roman Republic. As the days pass, Brutus finds he is the one captivated by the beautiful slave. However, there is more to Syra than mere slave, and as events escalate with Caesar, Cicero, Brutus and others, the fate of an Empire hangs in the balance.

I was enthralled by this book - enthralled by the time period, the romance, the characters, and the historical events unfolding in an exciting, organic, yet complex way. I kept looking up the historical references, and was delighted to find the amount of research the author, Carolyn McCray, had done for this novel. Sharing the journey with Brutus and Syra was unforgettable and immensely enjoyable. Kudos, Ms. McCray!

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Ending-- If You Can Make It That Far October 8, 2011

By Sam_theReader

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

TL;DR: The first 2/3's of this book do not stand out at all. The romance is so contrived and obvious that it's almost painful to read and the other half of the plot that is actually interesting is over-shadowed and underplayed. However, the last 1/3-- really strong. I didn't care for this book but the end still brought tears to my eyes. Definitely worth it if you like cheesy romance.

A little more in depth (ALERT: MINOR SPOILERS WITHIN!)--

Maybe I'm new to the romance genre, because I'm very surprised about all the extremely positive reviews on this book so far. Like I said, the first 2/3's of this book are kind of dull even with all the intrigue simply because the romance is boring. It's lust at first sight, Lylith is a horrid, unlikeable jerk so you don't feel bad for her or get any extra drama, and the author makes it obvious who is going to end up with who fairly early on so there's no real romantic drama or anxiety. The author seems to play it out as though so many things are holding the two back from being with each other even though they want each other so badly, but, minus a few minor kinks, there's basically nothing actually holding them back. My impression with this story was that the class differences weren't a big deal once you threw a pretty gown on, infidelity wasn't a big deal once your wife was annoying, and deep racial prejudices weren't that big of a deal once you meet a person who defies them a few times. The two essentially sit there with an open path to each other, wanting each other for ages, and with a seriously predictable start to what at first seems like a purely superficial romance, it gets frustrating really, really fast.

Now, there are definitely two sides to this coin. Somewhere around the 2/3's mark of this book, the entire plot is stuck on its head. Everything changes so fast and I was bombarded with so much new information that it was overwhelming--and I found myself thinking, "Alright! Now where has THIS book been?" Everything gets kicked into high gear, the superficial lust-bomb becomes a love that truly spans the millennia, and just about everything I hated about the book fades away into the background (except for the accents that randomly pop up... no, no, they continue for its entirety...). I felt for the characters and what they had to go through. The only thing I wish is that this intensity was brought on more gradually. Looking back I see the huge hints that the author tried to drop to prepare us for what was coming, but they are a light dusting of snowflakes on the tip of the iceberg of the actual plot with all the new information. I just wish I had known some of it before the story even started so I could have given half a care about the main characters for the majority of the book. I also have to say that I enjoyed the author's rendition of Brutus' character and definitely look at him in a new light now.

I give it a 2/5 because of the epic ending. If the author can write an entire book like that, I'll be her biggest fan.

More About the Author

Carolyn has had a long and extremely interesting road to become a bestseller.

When she head to veterinary school those many years ago she had no idea decades later she would be writing controversial historical thrillers, gut wrenching mysteries and roller coaster-style action/adventure tales!

Born in San Francisco and raised in the beautiful Napa Valley, Carolyn always had an overactive imagination. As a child you could usually find her dragging the neighborhood children out to the haunted barn to make her Nancy Drew-style audio tapes. Oh and did she mention, there was an entire life-sized recreation of the nativity scene in the rafters? Yeah, that wasn't just a little creepy.

Which of course was great practice for writing such blockbusters as Plain Jane: A Patterson-style thriller with a dash of Hannibal and 30 Pieces of Silver: An Extremely Controversial Historical Thriller.

Carolyn is honored to have a seven book contract with Amazon's mystery and thriller imprint, Thomas & Mercer along with being one of the eight books during the inaugural launch of Amazon's new Serial program (9th Circle).

With over 250,000 books sold, Carolyn now lives on a beautiful lake in the Pacific Northwest where the fog rolls in over the water, snuffing out all signs of life around her. Yep, she still loves the creepy!

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#3 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#3 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#23 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#26 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#3 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#3 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#23 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#26 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers