Customer Reviews

To Love Again

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although most of Bertrice Small's books are amazing for their rich character developements, and historical accuracy, this book left me "wanting" just a little more than what was delivered. The romance between the hero and heroine was not a love match in my opinion...she marries him to get her lands back, a crazy woman drugs her and sells her into slavery which she escapes from to find a loving relationship with the Byzantine empires' most beloved general. Just as they are about to get married, she discovers her Saxon husband in the city and leaves with him to find their child. It seemed to me that she left with him out of a sense of duty and not because she was overwelmed with her love for this man...This book was definetly not typical of the other books that Ms. Small has written and was actually quite a let down for me...after searching for this book since it was published, I was expecting a lot more...overall I'd rate it a 3 for the wonderful description! ! s of the places the heroine visits and the history behind the story...for character developement I'd give it a 1.

Bertrice Small introduces us to Cailin, a young woman living in Roman Britain. This was such a fascinating time period. Mrs. Small gives us a incredible painting of the history and culture of this intriguing world. Cailin finds love with Wulf, is torn away from him and finds love again with a Byzantine general. I enjoyed Cailin and rank her up there with Skye, Janet, Cat Leslie, and Zenobia. She is strong, determined, and deals logically with fate as it is dealt her. I enjoyed her and I enjoyed this story. One of my favorites.

Although this is not the most typical plot of Bertrice Small's dynamic inventions it gives the reader a differnet insight into the workings of love. Cailin had to pick between two different men? UGH! She had grown to love both and she could easily say each were her soulmate. Did you ever think such a thing would be possible? Bertrice did and thats why she showed it to us! She had to pick and couldn't reminisence otherwise the book would stop dead. I love the history and the descriptions of each place. Also the erotic details aren't as raunchy as her others but it will do :) a nice additon to her great dynasty!

Looking for socially redeeming fare? Look elsewhere, because this is NOT it! This is in the best tradition of "bodice ripping" romance, with explicit love scenes and scintillating men and women.

I enjoyed this book very much because of the setting Roman Britain and Byzantium.I've always been fascinated with the Roman Empire so this was a rare treat.Having said that I think the heroine Caitlin had to go through too many hardships before she was reunited with the hero,and then they still had more conflict to deal with.The hero and heroine spent far too little time together so there wasn't alot of romance in the story.Caitlin is kidnapped and sold into slavery.She endures many things which made her strong emotionally ,then she is sold to a Roman general who falls in love with her.As they are about to get married her husband Wulf shows up and returns to Britain with him to find her child who had been stolen from her at birth.Excellent story just far too little romance.The decadence of the Roman society might prove a turnoff for some readers as Ms Small goes into detail about their sexual mores.

"To Love Again" set in Britain of the mid-400's is a tale of treachery, villainy, violence, and passion. It begins with Cailin Drusas, (porcelain skin, amethyst eyes, auburn ringlets) half Celt, half Roman, full Briton at 14. She is old enough to wed and her unthinking father makes an alliance with far flung Roman relatives to marry Quintus Drusus the youngest "afterthought" son of a family who has bestowed all of its wealth on the progeny ahead of him. After Quintus arrives, Cailin feels in her gut that he is evil and introduces Antonia, a recently divorced and decidedly waspish friend of hers to Quintus who smells the chance for even more money in this woman than his young cousin.

Quintus is indeed greedy and murderous. Cailin survives his villainy only to suffer at the treacherous hands of Antonia. There is plenty of passion as well. From Cailin's initiation into carnal relations with the huge Saxon warrior her grandfather hires, to being trained as a courtesan in Byzantium, to becoming a beloved mistress, there is plenty of discourse on intercourse.

It always fascinates me to find what a melting pot Britain has been over the centuries as one culture after another invades, settles in, begins taking the locals as mates, and assimilates cultures.

"To Love Again" began a little slowly setting the story of Romans in Britain, but by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked heart and soul by what would befall Cailin Drusus next. I can heartily recommend it to any lover of historical romance.

This is a great book! Nothing can top the earlier Skye O'malley books but this book is very consistent!

Excellent story about a woman living in Roman Britain as Rome is crumbling. Bertrice Small has a phenomenal way of picking her readers up and transporting them to another place and time. I don't just read Bertice Small novels. I become enmeshed in them. Mrs. Small shows us thru Cailin that lives can change in the blink of an eye. Cailin loses her family and lands because of someone else's greed. She is forced to flee and find shelter with her estranged grandfather. She soon discovers that the world in an unfair place and life is diificult, especially for women. Women of that time (and too often today) must give themselves over sexually in order to survive. Cailin does that and is able to find love in the process and eventually make her way back home.

This book was okay. I havent read too many of BSmall's novels that I DO NOT like. I made the mistake of reading all of the Sky O'Malley books before this one and nothing can really compare to that series.

This book is about a young woman who has learned to live outside the glowing rays of family love. One of her grandfathers wifes hates her with a passion and does whatever she can to hurt or humiliate Cailin. When a Saxon named Wulf Ironfist comes to thier castle Cailin is given to him for the evening even though she is a virgin. Things happen that night and they decide to get married. What happens after that is an interesting story of her surival among slavers and other such people.

If you get emotional reading survival stories, this would be a little bit of a tear jerker.

This is the second book of Bertrice Small's that I have read and boy did I eat it up like the one before it. I have read many romance authors, but non can make my jaw drop and my cheeks flush like she can. This novel is borderline soft core porn, but I don't care. The characters are interesting and the plot and setting different (truly I was getting sick of all these pretty English ladies chasing after the heart-throb dukes, since that makes up most of the romance these days. I was happy to retreat to a place and time I knew little about, and experienced a woman like Cailin, both strong and passionate. However, I wish she hadn't have left Aspar so suddenly, and that she never thought of him afterward. Also, I found the ending a little too abrupt and not enough drama. The final battle was in and out with so much as a shot, with most of the enemies walking away scot free. And oh my God, if I were Cailin I would have killed Antonia as soon as I saw her. She got off too easy and I wish the author had written a terrible demise for her. Oh, well. Can't wait to read the next novel of hers that I have.