To Burn by Claudia Dain Published by ePublishing Works! on July 4th 2011
Genres: Ancient Rome, Historical Romance, Medieval Era
Pages: 379
Format: Paperback
The Romans had taken Britain and made it their own, but when the Roman Empire collapses on itself, the Roman legions leave the fringes of the Empire and draw back toward the center, to Rome. Leaving Britannia defenseless against the Saxon barbarians. She was a Roman Briton and she embodied all that Rome stood for. He hated her on sight. She, proudly Roman, fought him with every breath. He burned his way into her life, destroying the world as she knew it, and she vowed to fight him to the death, either hers or his. He was a Saxon warrior and stood for everything she loathed and feared. He was a beast, an animal...a barbarian. He destroyed her villa by fire and then stayed to torment her, finding joy in her despair, playing out his revenge upon her until he grew bored with his game and decided to kill her. The hate they felt for each other burned with a fiery blaze, yet when he touched her, she trembled. They felt only hatred burning in their souls...or was it respect, admiration, and even love?
Melania is a roman, after her villa is attacked and her father killed she is taken captive by Wulfred, a Saxon warrior. Wulfred despises the Romans, after suffering great at their hands he vows vengence. Killing and rampaging any Roman in his way, as it is with his fellow Saxon’s. However when he is faced with this Roman beauty, she is different and is definitely intrigued. At first Melania is bitter again Wulfred, always standing up to him in a very violent way. As time continues however, there is a sensual connection that fires up between the two. But who will conquer who? Will love be the conquering will power in their bonding?
I found that as much as I loved the cover and the book description however this wasn’t a book that I enjoyed to the extent that I had a hard time reading it at time. Melania even though there were times that I enjoyed her personality, at the beginning of this book, I found her to have a very violent nature, and I had a difficult time liking this heroine. I think the time that I started to like her is when she started to gentle her nature toward Wulfred. Wulfred is pure alpha male, and I found him endearing, despite his domineering manner. Of course considering the fact that he is a commander in the Saxon army and what he has suffered in the past, but if amused by Melania’s actions at certain times. Although there were times that I really enjoyed this love story that blossoms between two enemies, there were still some parts that I struggled with and it seemed like it didn’t flow smoothly all the way through. But it was a good romance and had some enlightening aspects that was amusing and heated at times.
About Claudia Dain
It was while writing a descriptive essay in seventh grade English (that was the assignment, to write a 'descriptive essay') that Claudia first fell in love. With descriptive essays. Boys being what they are in seventh grade, there was hardly much choice.
By her ninth grade year, Claudia was spending hours each week in her bedroom writing descriptive essays that heavily featured older boys (eleventh grade). She also practiced her kissing technique on a pole lamp next to her bed. It was less than satisfactory, but the writing was fun.
She attended the University of Southern California as an English major. She'd mastered kissing by this time and writing, strangely enough, was still fun. 'Strangely' because while it had become obvious to her that almost everyone enjoyed kissing, it was equally obvious that very few people enjoyed writing. This was as peculiar to her as, well, not enjoying kissing.
Clearly, something had to be done. The idea of combining kissing and writing seemed the obvious course of action. While Claudia does not claim to have invented the romance novel, she certainly has a lot of fun describing kisses and inventing men to bestow them upon. And not a one of her heroes looks remotely like a pole lamp. (And don't act like one either.)
Claudia was first published in 2000, is a two-time Rita finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling author. Which just goes to prove that you can make a career out of kissing and writing about it.
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