To Love Again

by Bertrice Small

Legendary for her exotic novels of faraway places teeming with adventure and intrigue, New York Times bestselling author Bertrice Small once again pens an extraordinary tale of passion and history, sweeping readers back to fifth-century Britain and Constantinople, where battles of love and war are fought with equal skill and voracity--and victory is savored with sweetest pleasure. . . .

TO LOVE AGAIN
Beautiful, headstrong, and defiant, Cailin Drusus possesses the pride of her Celtic-born mother, though she has been reared amid her Roman father's wealth and privilege. When Cailin's family is destroyed and their farmland seized, she marries Wulf Ironfist, a Saxon of enormous strength and power--a gentle giant who opens the door to a world of heady sensuality. But her happiness is short-lived. For an unknown enemy drugs her as she labors in childbirth--and she awakens to find herself sold to a slave merchant and transported to Byzantium, not knowing what happened to her child. . . .

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Fiction, American

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Bertrice Williams was born on December 9, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, the daughter of Doris S. and David R. Williams, both broadcasters. She studied at Attended Western College for Women and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. On October 5, 1963, she married George Sumner Small, a photographer and designer with a History Major at Princeton. They had a son Thomas David. She lived on eastern Long Island for over 30 years. Her greatest passions were her family; Finnegan and Sylvester, the family cats; Nicki, the elderly cockatiel who whistles the NY Mets charge call; her garden; her work, and just life in general.

Published since 1947, Bertrice Small was the author of over 50 romance novels. A New York Times bestselling author, she had also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and the L.A. Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Career Achievement for Historical Romance; Best Historical Romance; Outstanding Historical Romance Series; Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy; a Golden Leaf from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America; an Author of the Year (2006) and Big Apple Award from the New York City Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affair De Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by ROMANTIC TIMES magazine for her contributions to the Historical Romance genre. And in 2008 she was named by ROMANTIC TIMES along with her friends Jennifer Blake, Roberta Gellis and Janelle Taylor, a Pioneer of Romance.

Bertrice Small was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC. She was also a member of RWA's Long Island chapter, L.I.R.W., and is its easternmost member on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island.

Reviews

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars

There is something about Bertrice Small's books that are so addictive and crazy stupid that I can't explain them. It's bad, but the kinda bad that I want to read.

Here's her staple:

Must include multiple partners (usually on page for the h)
Everyone must go googoo gahgah over the h
Temple of Venus
Temple of Sodom
Manroot
A lot of seed being sown and bellies being filled
A long timeline spread
History lessons (a lot of history lessons)
Unconventional time period and place (i.e. Ottoman empire, Constantinople's era)
Rapists turn to lovers

To be honest, I might pick up more books from her. They might not be great, but damn if they're not entertaining.

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is how insane it was. We have characters named Wulf Ironfist and Ragnard Strongspear. We have Byzantine brothels putting out the equivalent of Ancient Porn and not the garden variety sex show either but totally and utterly depraved sexual acrobatics, with audience participation to boot, basically turning into one gigantic orgy. We have crimes, including infanticide, debauchery, pedophilia, rape, murder, slavery, and a slew of cartoonish villains who for the most part don't even get a proper comeuppance. In the middle of these completely wacky scenarios, the unperturbed in the least author regales us long-winded description about cultural festivals, and marriage, birth, and funeral rites, or the breeding of race horses, the agricultural cycles of a farm in rural Ancient Britain, the political and religious tensions in Ancient Byzantine, etc.

The protags of the story also left a lot to be desired because they were both so TSTL and after a while, as they fell from one trap into another, I started to root for the nemesis!

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one and thought about giving it 5 stars. I liked it a lot better than the last Bertice Small book I read (earlier in the week), "Adora". I'm surprised I picked up another Bertice Small book so soon. I want to read another book by her soon, too.

This book is set in early Britain in the 400s (A.D.) before it was known as England. I don't think I've read a book before set in the same time period and place, so I found that interesting in itself. Cailin is sold as a slave in Constantinople. That side of the story was interesting, but it didn't matter to the resolution of the story and could have been cut out. In hindsight, it felt like an unnecessary digression of the story as Cailin returns to Britain. She has two love interests throughout the story and I felt badly for the guy who was left behind (in Constantinople), though there was a 35-year age gap between them.

Cailin is first a courtesan in Constantinople and forced to perform a pornographic scene with 3 mute Northmen (their tongues had been cut out).

Spoilery thoughts: It was so sad how Cailin's whole family (minus her grandmother) was killed by their distant cousin, Quintus Drusus who came from Rome. He wanted their land.
Why was it written that Cailin knew her relationship with Wulf Ironfist was different than the one between her parents? I thought that meant that she didn't love him.
Wulf Ironfist thinks that Cailin's first labor with her daughter was hard, but it was actually an easy one. (discrepancy there)

To be honest, I wish there was an epilogue and a sequel novel for Cailin's children.

I had a good LOL when Cailin asked Wulf what his genitalia was called and he actually replied "manhood". There were also "temple of Venus" and "temple of Sodom" references. I didn't know what the latter was till I looked it up.

[Vivisection · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temple of Venus.
Temple of Sodom.
Manroots.
Gladiators.

Do you really need more?

I think not.

[Anna Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bertrice Small is the author who got me into historical romance (both reading and writing.) I first read this standalone epic when it was originally released, so this reread was both familiar and new. Cailin is a trademark Small heroine; intelligent, strong, beautiful, and resilient. As the title implies, she does find love not once, but twice (or three times, depending on how one counts) with two love interests, who each have their own unique appeals. With lots of drama, treachery, and lush historical detail, this is classic Small, a treat for her fans and those interested in complex historical romance, set in Roman Britain.

Small caveat: this book, as with much of Small's work, is not for gentle readers. This author wrote erotic romance before erotic romance was a defined subgenre, though that is not the focus of the story. Characters think and act like people of their time, and their society, and bad things do happen to good people. That said, for historical romance that lists toward historical fiction, with the flavor of the time, Small can't be beat.

[Sonia N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book so many times and now I discovered it on Audible! I’m still listening and loving this book so much 🩷

[LaverMank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Beatrice Small, and this book started off with so much hope, but... it left me feeling unsatisfied. It wasn't bad by any means, but i feel it had more potential.

[Maria Morey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just have to say this book traumatized me the first time I read it. I was twelve at the time and I was at my cottage looking for something to read and I found this and thought it sounded interesting from the historical aspect, I didn't quite understand what erotic meant. Anyway I start reading it and, well, I sort of continued to read in awe mostly confused but not as confused as I should be due to the excellent description. I was thinking about it the other day and so I found the same copy that I hid long ago and tried again. Part of the reason I give this five stars is due to the place I hold for it in my childhood but it also offers the interesting problem of loving two men, instead of the one main love interest, and there is a level of travesty I really enjoy.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's kind of boring. It has interesting elements, but the pacing is awful. The build up is far too slow. There are mundane details that bog the story down so much that by the time something interesting finally happened, I no longer cared.

Not only that, but it was filled with plot machines that were obvious and made absolutely no sense at all. It's the usual trope where a supposedly clever heroine does really stupid shit. I would tell you, but I don't want to ruin the book for those that really want to read it. I personally wish I hadn't bothered, but I usually love Bertrice Small.

Oh, well.

[Blueglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

This romance is as old-school as they come and I loved it! So much craziness! Things that I never, ever thought to read in a romance I read in this one. This was a different time period than I usually read - 300 - and takes place in Roman Briton and Constantinople. This was a time when the Celtic tribes, Romans, Angles and Saxons fought and intermarried. I found the historical aspects of this very interesting and found myself frequently researching the time period.
Cailin Druisis is a survivor of a massacre meant to kill her entire family. She knows that it was her cousin who wanted her family's lands. He will surely try to murder her if he knows that she still lives. So, her grandmother takes her back to her grandfather's tribe to hide. It is there that she meets, Wulf Ironfist, a great fighter who her grandfather had summoned to help him in the war he wants. Wulf is given "first night rights" to Cailin's virginity as an honored guest. In bed, Cailin proposes that they marry so that he can gain her lands back for him. Wulf finds her appealing and he has wanted to settle on lands of his own.
They are happy together, but for the widow of her cousin. She plots to get rid of Cailin and have Wulf to herself. So she puts Cailin into a stupor as she is laboring to give birth. She sells Cailin into slavery and keeps the baby for herself. She then tells Wulf that both mother and baby died and that she had already buried them. For the next part, we read as Cailin is put into sexual slavery. She meets a nice man and they fall in love as well. But Wulf is not far away at all...
There is so much more, but impossible to tell it all. A very surprising read!

[Jennifer Naslund Deutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bertie is an acquired taste (IYKYK) and while this isn't on the same level as Skye O'Malley it is better than Lara. This was a time period I hadn't read before, but it was the usual rinse and repeat of protagonist to the ~exotic east~ to live in carnal bondage. The third act was meh and many elements dropped. BUT entertaining none-the-less. I don't usually add trigger warnings but I'm a new mom currently breastfeeding- so of course I pick up the one Small book where the heroine breastfeeds (unusual- these ladies usually have nursemaids) but she gets friggin' assaulted by the baddie by him nursing on her. ICK. By hey, she slits his throat (it's called ~balance~). 3/5

[Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wulf Ironfist & Cailin Drusus

Better than some of Beatrice Small's other novels.

Typically formulaic.

* Heroine meets and falls in love with her true love.

* Heroine is unexpectedly torn away from her happy home and is sold into some type of (sexual) slavery

* Heroine manages to find love again with an exotic Eastern lover (here Constantinople)

* Hero and heroine are miraculously reunited for their happily ever after.

So as long as you are prepared to suspend your disbelief and you aren't to repulsed by the occasional rape scene or two, BS's novels may entertain you.

[Robin Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical novel set in the era of Roman withdrawal from Britain and he chaos that ensued. It is portrayed in the life of one woman. While reflecting the changes Roman withdrawal brought about, from the lack of safe roads and there deterioration to personal safety. However this novel goes further afield with murder, neutral, salver and the final happy ending.

[Kay's Pallet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really great book. There were twists and turns that kept me invested in the story. Some of the characters infuriated me, which I loved. If a a book is making you feel strong emotions, then it's a good one. The only complaint I had with it was the ending. I feel like it was incomplete. I just wanted that last thing (not trying to give spoilers) to be wrapped up.

[Patty☇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all of Bertrice Small's books. Though when finished I feel like I just got off a rollercoaster.
I loved this book as well but it felt incomplete. I'm going to be wondering for days about their homecoming, their baby, and that biotch that took her!

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatrice Small is always a guilty pleasure. This book was exciting and heartbreaking at every turn. I want to know more about what happened to all the players after they left the stage.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read...intriguing story and characters.

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great historical smutty read even though it was a bit long-winded here and there.

[Hayford]

Good book

[Korina Hornbuckle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favorites 😍

[BlueBootedBiblioGirl]

Have a mass market size too with a slightly different cover. Have a hardcover that might be a first edition; have first edition trade size

[Meagan Houle · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I'll explain that this 2-star rating is very personal, so your milage may definitely vary. I had no problem with the writing (really quite good) or even the character development (also rather good). I picked up this book at random because the time period it covered was quite unusual and I was curious. At first, I enjoyed it, but it soon devolved into a well-written but hopelessly dull soap opera: "Who is sleeping with whom? How can I manipulate this fact? Oooh, more sex!".
I say again: if you're into that kind of thing, then you'll enjoy this. If you're looking for a substantive read, though, don't waste your time.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hero was too beta for my liking. He was big and strong and surprisingly kind for this time period but his utter acceptance of some events made me mad. The heroine is much more of a survivor and stronger willed than he is. For example, when the heroine saves herself from getting brutally raped by killing the man and she's covered in blood and he's like "I'll kill him if he touched you" and she's like "I already killed him." That was it. His character i two dimensional and bland.

I accidentally read this book twice and liked it less on the second read. It's lacking a little something something that BS's other equally crazy books have.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ignore the cheezy cover artwork and sometimes cheezy titles of Bertrice Small's books - they are usually quite good and she doesn't skimp on the sex! (This one even has a foursome scene - one woman with 3 men - yikes!)

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was good except one very disgusting scene with 3 men. She was forced into doing it. This book took place in ancient times. Not my favorite time period. The Hero is wonderful...the bad guys are really baaaaaad.

[Ashley♥Alexis]

I didnt like this book. I dont believe it was any fault of the book itself it just takes a pretty damn good historical for me to get into and this just wasnt it.

[Michèle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un bon roman historique en même temps qu'une romance tumultueuse !

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlike my her usual books, this one I could just not get into...I think it may have been the timeline she used..

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I missed this book along the way of reading Small's books. it is in her true fashion of love, losing it, starting over, more tragedy & in the end love. Fast read for me.

[Maryann Korzeniewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the Celts and the Romans in England.