Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for Barbarian Bride by Eva Scott

Welcome to my stop on author Eva Scott’s Name Before the Masses Virtual Book Tour for Barbarian Bride, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions.  Please leave a comment or question for Eva to let her know you stopped by.  Eva will be awarding a copy of Barbarian Bride and The Last Gladiatrix (the 1st book in the Romancing the Romans series) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), so please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  You can follow the rest of Eva’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

Barbarian Bride

By Eva Scott

Romancing the Romans, Book 2

Publisher: Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd.

Release Date: February 1, 2014

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 174 Pages

ISBN:  978-0-857991-22-5

ASIN:  B00HQ5ZEHG

BUY LINKS:  AMAZON │B & N │ESCAPE PUBLISHING

About the book:  

On the bloody ground of the Colosseum, she fights to save her life. In the treacherous boxes above, he fights to save their love.

Though Klara didn't love the man who was to be her husband, she didn't want him murdered, and she vows to track down the man who committed the crime. Sickened that she'd been attracted to the mysterious Roman, Klara tracks Lucius Aurelius to the fringes of the Roman Empire, only to find that they've both been trapped in a clever plot to overthrow Klara's father, the Chief of the Huns.

Klara is separated from Lucius, captured by slavers and sold to a gladiator school. She is the only one who can save herself, by fighting for her freedom. Lucius can ensure her battle is easier, but only by sacrificing himself. How much is he willing to give up for the fiery woman he's come to love?

 

Excerpt

Klara stepped into the room, darker than the one she left.  As her eyes struggled to adjust she made out the figure of his man with his back turned to her.  Should she speak?  Or wait to be spoken to like Sirom said?  Unsure, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. 

The man turned at the sound of her stirring.  His hair was cut short in the Roman fashion and his face was clean shaven.  She didn’t recognise him until he spoke her name.  “Klara.” 

“Lucius!” she cried, as relief and joy flooded through her in equal measure. 

“Shh,” he hissed yet with laughter dancing in his voice.  “We don’t know who is listening.”  He stepped forward and opened his arms.  She flew to him pressing herself against his chest, his heart beat confirming he was real.  “I thought I’d lost you,” he said into her hair.  “You were there one minute and gone the next.”

She pulled back and stared up into his sky-blue eyes.  “I’m here now and so are you.”

“Don’t ever disappear on me again.  Where I go, you go.  Got it?” He held her face gently in his callused hands and kissed her with a soft tenderness which meant more than passion. 

Tears welled in Klara’s eyes at the rough affection in his tone.  Life had been so very harsh for such a long time she had forgotten what it was to receive kindness.  “You’ll know where I am for the time being,” she said to cover up her awkwardness.

“Yes, about that.  Of all the things that could have happened to you.  You’re a gladiatrix!”  Lucius held her at arm’s length, taking in her appearance.  “Getting you out of this mess is going to be tricky.”

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.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns     

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Eva lives on the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland Australia in the town which brought the world the Bee Gees. When she’s not writing romance you can find her out on the water kayaking, fishing or swimming. When on dry land it’s all about the shoes and the coffee (and old Bee Gees records).

Links:

Website: http://www.evascottromance.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eva.scottromancewriter

Series Facebook page: 

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Romancing-The-Romans/476218929112324?ref=hl#!/pages/Romancing-The-Romans/476218929112324

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EvaScottWriter

Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Eva to let her know you stopped by.  Eva will be awarding a copy of Barbarian Bride and The Last Gladiatrix (the 1st book in the Romancing the Romans series) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), so please be sure to leave your email address with your comment.  You can follow the rest of Eva’s tour here, the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.