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Hearts Enslaved
He was the enemy, a conqueror whose cruel countrymen had destroyed her village, killed her family, and left her for dead. Somehow, Rhyca had managed to survive...but now the tide had turned! This savage Roman stranger was her chattel, to do with as she pleased. Though she swore never to trust him, Rhyca found herself drawn to his proud, dark looks, commanding presence and virile strength. She vowed never to love him, but she longed to run her hands over his well-muscled body, touch her lips to his, and taste the liberating passion this enslaved warrior awoke in her...with just one kiss!
In order to keep the peace between the Romance and the Celts, Galen Mauricius had allowed himself to be captured by the Ordovician tribe. But he hadn't expected to become a parionser of the fair-haired Rhyca. Though his freedom was at stake, he couldn't resist the alluring temptress whose golden beauty masked a sorrowing heart. And though their future could never be, he burned to possess this proud and defiant woman whose tender caress had conquered his very soul!
In order to keep the peace between the Romance and the Celts, Galen Mauricius had allowed himself to be captured by the Ordovician tribe. But he hadn't expected to become a parionser of the fair-haired Rhyca. Though his freedom was at stake, he couldn't resist the alluring temptress whose golden beauty masked a sorrowing heart. And though their future could never be, he burned to possess this proud and defiant woman whose tender caress had conquered his very soul!
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 2, 2018
Galen saw no need to cross again the line between them that seemed with each passing day to become less defined. He knew the cause, and it was one neither of his choosing nor undoing. But two people--even mortal enemies--could not be so much with one another that their enmity did not either increase to the point of confrontation--or decrease.
A nuanced slow-burn romance (nevermind that lolzy cover) set in Roman Britain & focused around conquerors & enslavement, both literal & metaphorical.
The fulcrum is centurion Galen & blonde-haired native Rhyca. In the prologue we watch as Rhyca is viciously raped by a group of soldiers; she's the lone survivor of a massacred village, & the local tribes are threatening blood. But one foresighted fellow, Cerrix, would rather pursue peace (read: dignified surrender) than watch his people be slaughtered, so he reaches out to Agricola, the new Roman governor of the region, & the two conspire on a plan -- ie., Agricola will allow some of his soldiers to be captured & enslaved in hopes that the two cultures can learn to mingle peacefully, but if any permanent harm should come to the men he'll trample through Cerrix like all the rest.
Cerrix wants this plan to succeed, so he pairs the captives with those who have a corresponding hole in their households -- a young soldier with an old couple, a jocular trickster with lots of kids, etc. He also pairs Galen, the taciturn, proud, & Maximus-like badass with beauteous, lonely, & frightened Rhyca, who lost her husband & is constantly menaced by psycho bro-in-law Mouric. But Rhyca really, REALLY hates Romans, & understandably so. At first Galen can't understand the unrelenting depth of her loathing, but gradually he learns the whole story & (natch) wins her over with calmness & protection, particularly re: sadistic Mouric & his bully-boy Balor, who are a matched pair of assholes with a taste for power & blood. (Interestingly, Mouric is gay, so his loathing of Rhyca has nothing to do with desire. It's complicated. :P But the author carefully defines how Mouric's evilness has nothing to do with liking peens, as half his spear-brothers also sleep with other men. Mouric is just a creeper, period. It was a strangely modern Zeeb in its sexual politics.)
I thought Rhyca's evolving trust of Galen (& likewise, Galen's evolving desire for Rhyca) was portrayed well -- he begins falling for her rather quickly out of a sense of masculine possessiveness, but she takes a long time to even allow him in her house, let alone suffer him in close quarters (brutal cur!) or want him in bed (vile beast!). But gradually she comes to unravel their culture clash & rely on his calm military-bred strength, which is a luxury she's never had. Her anguish over Galen being whipped was a poignant turning point -- not just his uncomplaining silence, but his willingness to tear open Balor's face & suffer consequences for the sake of her honor. [Suggested subtitle: HEARTS ENSLAVED; or, Rhyca discovers strong silent types are hot. :D]
Anyway. The parallel subplot revolves around Mouric's repeated Fail Schemes to take power and/or sabotage Cerrix's peace plan. This stuff is self-explanatory & not worth recounting here. You'll either like the gore & politics, or you won't -- it's pretty straightforward that way.
Overall, 4 stars for likable MCs & a strong period-set plot -- I wasn't expecting much, but this one surprised me. As I said, the cover is misleading; there's not much sex & the book shares multiple POVs aside from the lead couple. If it was reissued today it would probably have one of those demure soft-focus covers like a Philippa Gregory novel. How drab! 90s OTT Zeeb artwork has no equal. :P
A nuanced slow-burn romance (nevermind that lolzy cover) set in Roman Britain & focused around conquerors & enslavement, both literal & metaphorical.
The fulcrum is centurion Galen & blonde-haired native Rhyca. In the prologue we watch as Rhyca is viciously raped by a group of soldiers; she's the lone survivor of a massacred village, & the local tribes are threatening blood. But one foresighted fellow, Cerrix, would rather pursue peace (read: dignified surrender) than watch his people be slaughtered, so he reaches out to Agricola, the new Roman governor of the region, & the two conspire on a plan -- ie., Agricola will allow some of his soldiers to be captured & enslaved in hopes that the two cultures can learn to mingle peacefully, but if any permanent harm should come to the men he'll trample through Cerrix like all the rest.
Cerrix wants this plan to succeed, so he pairs the captives with those who have a corresponding hole in their households -- a young soldier with an old couple, a jocular trickster with lots of kids, etc. He also pairs Galen, the taciturn, proud, & Maximus-like badass with beauteous, lonely, & frightened Rhyca, who lost her husband & is constantly menaced by psycho bro-in-law Mouric. But Rhyca really, REALLY hates Romans, & understandably so. At first Galen can't understand the unrelenting depth of her loathing, but gradually he learns the whole story & (natch) wins her over with calmness & protection, particularly re: sadistic Mouric & his bully-boy Balor, who are a matched pair of assholes with a taste for power & blood. (Interestingly, Mouric is gay, so his loathing of Rhyca has nothing to do with desire. It's complicated. :P But the author carefully defines how Mouric's evilness has nothing to do with liking peens, as half his spear-brothers also sleep with other men. Mouric is just a creeper, period. It was a strangely modern Zeeb in its sexual politics.)
I thought Rhyca's evolving trust of Galen (& likewise, Galen's evolving desire for Rhyca) was portrayed well -- he begins falling for her rather quickly out of a sense of masculine possessiveness, but she takes a long time to even allow him in her house, let alone suffer him in close quarters (brutal cur!) or want him in bed (vile beast!). But gradually she comes to unravel their culture clash & rely on his calm military-bred strength, which is a luxury she's never had. Her anguish over Galen being whipped was a poignant turning point -- not just his uncomplaining silence, but his willingness to tear open Balor's face & suffer consequences for the sake of her honor. [Suggested subtitle: HEARTS ENSLAVED; or, Rhyca discovers strong silent types are hot. :D]
Anyway. The parallel subplot revolves around Mouric's repeated Fail Schemes to take power and/or sabotage Cerrix's peace plan. This stuff is self-explanatory & not worth recounting here. You'll either like the gore & politics, or you won't -- it's pretty straightforward that way.
Overall, 4 stars for likable MCs & a strong period-set plot -- I wasn't expecting much, but this one surprised me. As I said, the cover is misleading; there's not much sex & the book shares multiple POVs aside from the lead couple. If it was reissued today it would probably have one of those demure soft-focus covers like a Philippa Gregory novel. How drab! 90s OTT Zeeb artwork has no equal. :P
January 8, 2015
Review to come.
EDIT: I know this review is really late. I'm trying to remember the story enough to snark it. The fact that I can't, says how boring this book is. PLEASE take my copious gifs of Naya as a peace offering. LOL
The cover cracks me up, look at that man's arms and chest. It's so massive. It cracks me up.
The chick on the cover is pretty sexy. Rawr.
Oh, Naya....
To sum up the book: There was rape, capturing Roman soldiers and make them their slaves, political intrigue (which was actually boring), and the roman slave (male) to a female mistress (not as kinky as one would think/hope). I can't even remember the sexy times.
Preach it, Naya!
I promise not to take this long to review romances again.
Maracas!
EDIT: I know this review is really late. I'm trying to remember the story enough to snark it. The fact that I can't, says how boring this book is. PLEASE take my copious gifs of Naya as a peace offering. LOL
The cover cracks me up, look at that man's arms and chest. It's so massive. It cracks me up.
The chick on the cover is pretty sexy. Rawr.
Oh, Naya....
To sum up the book: There was rape, capturing Roman soldiers and make them their slaves, political intrigue (which was actually boring), and the roman slave (male) to a female mistress (not as kinky as one would think/hope). I can't even remember the sexy times.
Preach it, Naya!
I promise not to take this long to review romances again.
Maracas!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2010
A really good book, with a really bad title and a worse cover. Get past that for a good read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews