Daughter of a slave… …wedded to the warrior! Livia Valeria is furious when she’s ruthlessly gambled away by her intended bridegroom. Luckily, it’s tall, muscled and darkly handsome Roman centurion Marius Varro who wins her as his bride! She must hide her Caledonian roots, but when Marius faces a barbarian rebellion at Hadrian’s Wall, Livia must make a choice: her heritage or the husband … or the husband she’s falling for…
“A breath-takingly pure and beautiful tale and this story really shows just what a fine and articulated writer Ms Fletcher is … Just perfect!” — Chicks, Rogues and Scandals on Captain Amberton’s Inherited Bride
“Fletcher takes fans on another gratifying journey through the gothic Yorkshire landscape, this time with a couple forced to wed under dire consequences” — RT Book Reviews on Captain Amberton’s Inherited Bride
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What a fabulous story by author Jenni Fletcher! I’ve been waiting for this story since the author first revealed the cover a few months ago. It was definitely worth the wait!
This story takes place during the Caledonian rebellion of AD 197. I can’t recall ever reading any books set in the Roman era and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I’m hoping that the author considers writing more from this era.
Our hero Marius Varro is a Second Centurian and first meets our heroine to escort her to her betrothed. Marius is a swoon worthy hero, a strong and honorable man. Livia Valeria is a widow of only two months with a four year old daughter. Livia has not had an easy life, once again she is being forced into another marriage by her evil step brother who uses her to gain money and power. I loved both Livia and Marius from the very beginning of this story. Great characters along with wonderful secondary characters made this a fascinating and entertaining story.
Ms. Fletcher always does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story with her wonderful writing and fabulous detail of the time period. I found myself picking up this book frequently throughout the day to read just one more page…. I’d be more than happy to revisit this era and these characters at any time! I absolutely loved everything about this story and would highly recommend it!
4 stars
Livia Valeria is heading north with her daughter to marry the man her half brother Tarquinius has selected for her. Livia has no choice but to comply, her late husband disinherited her and their daughter, leaving her at her cruel half brother’s mercy. As angry as she is at the injustice, she also has hope – she will finally get to see Hadrian’s wall and the land of her mother’s birth, Caledonia.
She meets Marius Varro on the road north – at first she thinks he is her intended and is attracted to him, but soon learns her mistake. Marius is stunned by her wild beauty and feels oddly protective of her and her daughter. When she finally meets her groom, she is dismayed, Lucius Scaevola is hateful and insults her. Lucius didn’t want to marry her, him amassed a huge debt which Tarquinius acquired and used to force him to marry. Marius wishes he could help her, but he is but a soldier and Lucius is his superior.
When Lucius offers Livia as the prize for a wager, Marius doesn’t hesitate and wins her. They marry, they travel to the border and Livia finally gets to see Caledonia, things seem to be progressing between them, but they both have secrets that will threaten their HEA.
I thought this was a fascinating journey into Ancient Britainna, Marius and Livia are both wonderful albeit misguided characters, they both have secrets and will have to learn to trust one another before they can find their HEA. The heat level is low, but very well done, there is a bit of action, a bit of heartache and very subtle, yet extremely interesting historical tidbits throughout the book. Personally, I would have liked the ending to be drawn out a little more or at least an epilogue as I felt the book ended a little abruptly and tied everything up too easily. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and would be happy to recommend it!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*
Well, what a book!! As soon as I heard that Jenni Fletcher was writing a romance set in the Roman era, I couldn’t wait to read it. After I read my first Roman romance earlier this year I was instantly hooked, now have a love of this era. I knew that this would be good as Ms Fletcher has a real gift at story-telling, at entwining history and romance to create an enchanting story, but this surpasses all my expectations. As always Ms Fletcher has woven a historically accurate, sensual and evocative romance.
After the death of her abusive and malicious husband Livia’s equally horrendous brother, forces another marriage on to her, one that will benefit him and his greed. This time to a spoilt tribune with a gambling debt owed to her brother. Livia is basically destitute, she doesn’t have a penny to her name, no home, nothing after her cruel first husband cut her and her daughter; Julia off she was forced back to her brother’s protection. Now she is yet again a pawn in her brother’s game for power and money.
Which is when she meets dark and brooding, yet dazzlingly handsome Centurion Marius while on her way to meet her soon to be husband. She is instantly enthralled by the intelligent and protective man, who treats her like a proper lady and charms her little daughter. I love that moment when Marius meets little Julia, his stern countenance disappears and his light playfulness shines through all to make a little girl smile.
Livia is tough, she has had to be after all she has seen and experienced. She is like a she-wolf always ready to rip apart any who would harm her young cub. She may have been treated despicably, but she is fierce and passionate with ingrained values that have made her the marvellous woman she is. Marius sees that fierce and slightly wild side to her as soon as he meets her, it is really that part of her persona that really impresses Marius and make him want her all the more. At first when they meet it is a simple lust that sizzles between them, they are both inexplicably drawn to the other. Yet once they learn more about each, that rampant lust turns into mutual respect and affection.
Marius cannot bare to think of Livia and Julia in the clutches of such a bully, a man who doesn’t care about hurting even a child with his malicious words. Even if he and Livia hadn’t shared the most earth-shattering romantic kiss, he would do anything for her. So when the opportunity arises that he can help get Livia away from the tribune, Marius takes it, even though it does mean career suicide. Once married their troubles are for from over as pasts and secrets soon rear their heads, tough choices must be made all in the midst of a rebellion.
Marius, oh, Marius! What a gloriously strong yet vulnerable man he is, he is a man who believes strongly in right and wrong, he lives by a code of honour that he believes all men should live by, no matter their rank. I love that he is so principled, he is a thinker and he has strong opinion’s of how thing’s should be done. He is charming in his own stern way, he wants nothing more than to rebuild and regain that family honour that was cruelly taken from his father all those years ago, but the one thing that made me go weak at the knee’s was the way he accepts Livia for who she is, he admires her for her strength and treats her with up most respect, and you can see that Livia is quite taken back by him – which is not surprising, you would probably have to pick me up of the floor if I saw this rock of a man walking towards me in his centurion armour.
I am so in love with everything about this story, there is something very special about this book. The story is wonderful in-depth, an emotional roller-coaster ride through Roman Britain that will keep the reader turning the page. The descriptions of life during the time, especially once Livia and Marius reach Hadrian’s wall is astounding, it is rich in history and the scenery is so vivid and real. Then there is the chemistry between Marius and Livia, which is ablaze with mutual passion and desire. Jenni Fletcher is going from strength to strength, she is such a wonderfully adaptive author who tackles many different era’s and with each book her skill, dedication, research and passion shine through. I personally hope that she writes more Roman as there is so very few authors out there willing to take on this era.
A mesmerising romance!
I really did adore “The Warrior’s Bride Prize”
It made such a pleasant change to some of the dark fiction I have been reading lately.
Almost taking me back to my roots of many years ago when this type of read was more the norm for me and I devoured historical fiction by the bucket load.
It was the historical genre that really in a way started my love affair with romantic fiction and this really reminded me of why when its done right I love it so much.
So here we have Livia and her daughter: bartered by her brother yet again in marriage and sent to England to marry a Roman she has never met.
He, in turn, (lucky for her and him) loses her to a Centurian warrior in a game of chance
Set at Hadrian’s Wall during a barbarian uprising Livia and her new Centurian husband Marius attempt to forge a new relationship between two virtual strangers.
I loved that this was set at Hadrian’s wall and on top of a fantastic read I felt that I also got some fascinating history from this as an added bonus.
This really was an enjoyable experience and I am so glad I gave this a chance: it was simple but incredibly satisfying if that even makes sense.
A sweet feel-good romance that left me with a big smile: that really says it all.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Warrior’s Bride Prize.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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Where to start..I haven’t read many historical romances so far, so I’m quite new to the genre. I’m finding out what I like one book at a time! This book I loved I loved the characters, the setting, the story, the writing; everything!! Livia and Marius found the way to my heart and took me with them in the story!
Livia didn’t have the best luck with men, starting with her half-brother. Now a widow with her daughter, she’s forced to marry another man because her brother said so. What she doesn’t know is that her luck is going to change because of Marius.
Marius..he made the first impression for the start but what really made me love him was the way he treated Julia, Livia’s daughter. Who doesn’t love a man who’s good with kids?! With the weight of his father disgrace, he tries to better his family name. Gambling for the chance to marry Livia may not be the best choice but he can’t stay away!
As much I loved Livia and Marius, I hated her brother and the man she supposed to marry. Both of them got in my nerves. Their hatred and disgust because of her mother’s roots pissed me off!
The story is really good! We get the romance as well as some action and angst. There are times when you think that everything’s going to work out and then something happens to make the matters worse.
The ending is amazing! I couldn’t ask for a better ending to Marius and Livia’s story. I was sad to see the book ending. However I’m definitely checking out more of the author’s books! I’d like to thank Jenni Fletcher and Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for sending me this book. It’s definitely on of my favorites for this month
The Warrior’s Bride Prize is a fabulous story. I greatly enjoyed it, powering through the book in under a day. I just couldn’t seem to put it down.
The story is interwoven beautifully with day-to-day life that really puts you in Roman England.
I wish we’d gotten more time with Julia, as she would have provided a great opportunity to reveal information or get a character to realize feelings, etc. as children are so often frightfully observant.
It would have been nice to have Porcia be more of a character as well. The story starts out with her seeming as though she will play a large role, but then she disappears. Especially once you find out her history with Livia, I would think Livia would confide in her more.
Livia and Marius are definitely hot-headed and temperamental, perhaps more than always makes sense. They seem to fly from one extreme to the other very quickly at times. But they also share an excellent chemistry.
I highly recommend The Warrior’s Bride Prize. It’s definitely worth picking up.