Review: Enjoyable Historical Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. I rated it 4 out of 5 Stars.Fans of historical romance set in ancient Rome have plenty to cheer about in Eva Scott’s Barbarian Bride, the newest addition to her Romancing the Romans series. Well developed characters, plenty of political intrigue and lively romance kept me turning the pages from start to finish. Filled with colorful descriptions of life during ancient times, Ms. Scott’s story is enjoyable and well worth reading.Ms. Scott’s tale begins on the day that Klara, the daughter of Rigula, a powerful Hun tribal leader, is to be married to her childhood friend. While Klara has always known she would eventually have to get married, she dreads the loss of her independence. She could never have imagined how much her life would change due to her chance meeting with a mysterious Roman.The son of a Roman senator, Lucius Arelius is determined to live life on his own terms and loves traveling throughout the empire. Earning a living as a tradesman gives him the opportunity to interact with all manner of people. He never imagined he’d fall in love with a Hun princess or find himself on the run due to a plot to overthrow her father.The scenes between Klara and Lucius are fun, full of lively dialogue and simmering attraction. While they both know the timing is wrong; they’re drawn to each other and can’t ignore how they feel. Especially when they discover they are both targets as a result of a political power play. Ms. Scott does a good job developing both characters; both individually and as a couple. It’s clear they share a sense of adventure and independent spirits. Ms. Scott also does a good job developing the secondary characters in the story and I especially liked Klara’s dad, though he was narrow minded when it came to his thoughts on a woman’s place in the tribe.When Klara and Lucius are separated and Klara ends up as a gladiatrix, they’ll both have to take risks to set her free. Will Klara survive her time as a gladiatrix and gain her freedom? Will Lucius be able to help her win her freedom? You’ll have to read Barbarian Bride to find out. I know I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in the series. While this book is a part of a series, it can be read and enjoyed on its own