This week, we're welcoming author Christina Phillips, with her latest title set in ancient times, Betrayed. Join us on Sunday, when the author will offer a free copy of the book to a lucky blog visitor. Here's the blurb:
In 51 A.D., Druid priestess Nimue is injured and enslaved by the hated Roman Legions. Even though she is drawn to her captor, she’s determined to escape and complete her mission for the Briton king and her duty to Arianrhod, the goddess she is bound to.
Roman warrior Tacitus is enchanted by the fiery beauty who shows no fear and challenges him at every turn. Though enslaving her goes against his heart, he’s determined to make her his. No woman has ever heated his blood as she does. But when he discovers her true nature as one who actually communes with the gods, his loyalties are torn between his heritage and a woman who could destroy everything he’s ever believed in.
A Romantica® fantasy erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
The tough Roman warrior who captures her is far from the brutal barbarian she expects. His touch inflames her desires and passion burns between them. Though Nimue does not accept her enslavement, her heart surrenders to her enemy. When Arianrhod appears to her in the form of an owl, Nimue knows the union is blessed.
Roman warrior Tacitus is enchanted by the fiery beauty who shows no fear and challenges him at every turn. Though enslaving her goes against his heart, he’s determined to make her his. No woman has ever heated his blood as she does. But when he discovers her true nature as one who actually communes with the gods, his loyalties are torn between his heritage and a woman who could destroy everything he’s ever believed in.
A Romantica® fantasy erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
**Q&A with Christina Phillips**
Thank
you for having me on Unusual Historicals today to talk about my Roman/Druid
romances set during the first century!
What
is BETRAYED about?
BETRAYED
is my third book set in ancient Britain which involve forbidden love between
the locals and the Roman invaders. It follows on from FORBIDDEN and CAPTIVE but
each book is a stand alone and can be enjoyed without having read the other
books set in that world.
BETRAYED
is Tacitus and Nimue’s story. Nimue, an acolyte of the moon goddess, appeared
right at the very end of the second book, CAPTIVE, and she immediately
fascinated me. While trying to protect the Briton queen she is captured by her
bitterest enemy, but soon discovers the Roman tribune who’s enslaved her is far
from the brutal barbarian she imagined. As for Tacitus, he’s never met a woman
like Nimue before and has trouble accepting that this beautiful, ethereal woman
could possibly be a warrior—let alone one of Rome’s deadliest enemies. I had a
lot of fun tying these two up in knots!
Is
BETRAYED based on historical fact?
While
BETRAYED is pure fiction I have woven some historical facts into the storyline.
Caratacus was king of the Catuvellauni tribe in south-east England when the
Romans first invaded. After being ousted from his kingdom he travelled west
into the mountainous lands of Cymru (modern day Wales) where he spent several
years leading the rebellion against the invaders.
BETRAYED
is set in the immediate aftermath of the last stand of Caratacus, when he led the
rebellious Celtic tribes against the Roman Legions. Caratacus charges my
heroine Nimue to save his queen and daughter and this is the mission she is pledged
to complete at the start of the book.
Why
choose druids?
It
was more a case of the druids chose me! Maximus, the hero of my first book
FORBIDDEN marched into my mind one night searching for his druid heroine. So
then I had to research everything I could about druids, and discovered that
there was very little actually out there. Most of the information we have on
these elusive people come from contemporary Roman accounts. Since the Emperor
Claudius was committed to eliminating every druid from the Empire, it seems
fair to draw the conclusion that these accounts were likely biased.
We know they were widely respected as the priests of Celtic society,
held responsibilities for lawmaking, were the keepers of knowledge and wisdom
and were known as magicians. They were also, according to the Romans, the
rallying force behind the rebellious tribes that inhabited Cymru and the
Druidic stronghold on the Isle of Mon (now known as the Isle of Anglesey, off
the west coast of Wales).
The Romans saw Druidism as a serious menace against the might of their
Empire, and Claudius was convinced that as long as Druids remained in Britannia
then rebellion and resistance would continue to flourish among the tribes.
Why do you include fantasy elements in your historical romances?
It’s an odd thing, but it wasn’t something I consciously set out to do.
I’ve always loved reading paranormal and fantasy books since I was a child and
when it came to my Roman/Druid books weaving mystical elements into the
storyline came very naturally to me.
So I
decided to ignore the references that depicted druids as bloodthirsty savages.
In my world the druids are highly educated and live in an equilateral society.
But their gods and goddesses are a powerful force to be reckoned with. They have
no intention of disappearing into the misty streams of time simply because a
new culture and new pantheon have invaded their land.
What
other books can we expect from you?
The
fourth book set in this ancient world, TAINTED, is due to be released from
Ellora’s Cave shortly. Again, this is a stand alone book and is set eleven
months after BETRAYED finishes. This time, just to mix things up a bit, my
heroine is a Roman patrician who falls in love with a Celtic warrior.
This
week sees the release of a dark Regency romance, BLOODLUST DENIED, from
Ellora’s Cave. Although the Regency is far from an unusual period in history,
my hero is a vampire duke and his heroine is a Maiden of Death who hunts
vampires J It’s my sexiest book to date
and the first chapter is up on my website.
At
the moment I’m working on the second book in my Highland Warrior Chronicles.
These books have been acquired by Ellora’s Cave and feature gorgeous Scot
warriors and their brave Pictish princesses. The books are set in the ninth
century during the turbulent time when both Scot and Viking coveted Pictland.
The first book, HER SAVAGE
SCOT is with my editor and I’m looking forward to its release!
Learn more about author Christina Phillips:
Read Betrayed at:
I
have an e-copy of BETRAYED to give away to one lucky commenter on this post.
Just leave a comment or let me know – if you could travel back in time, where
and when would you go and why?
