Magic Thursday ~ TAINTED ~ Enemies to Lovers + Giveaway!

Four years ago a tough Roman centurion marched into my mind and heart and took over my muse (not that I heard her complaining too hard...) He was searching for his Druid princess and that story became my first published full length book, Forbidden.

Today I'm delighted that the fourth book set in my mystical Roman/Druid world, Tainted, has been released. In the first three books the heroines were natives of Cymru, fighting against the Roman invaders (and losing their hearts to them too!) In Tainted I mixed things up a bit, and the heroine, Antonia, is a Roman with patrician blood in her veins. And she falls for a man determined to eliminate all trace of the Eagle from his beloved land.

To celebrate the release of Tainted I'm participating in a fabulous Cover Reveal Blog Tour. Enter the contest below to be in with the chance of winning the Grand Prize :-)

        Blurb

A dangerous love that Rome will never allow…

Driven by the knowledge he failed to protect his king and embittered at losing the woman he loves, Celtic warrior Gawain despises the lust he feels for the beautiful Roman patrician, Antonia. She is everything he’s never wanted in a woman, yet she ignites his passion like no other. Despite the danger of discovery he embarks on an illicit liaison with her, determined to uncover the reason for the infinite sorrow that haunts her eyes.

Newly arrived in Britannia from Rome, Antonia is inexplicably drawn to the cold, tough Celt whose touch stirs a desire she long thought died at the hands of her brutal former husband. With Gawain she learns the pleasure of sex and his unexpected tenderness thaws her frozen heart. But she hides a deadly secret that could be her undoing, and knows her growing feelings for him can lead nowhere. Yet when a shadow from her past threatens her future Antonia is torn between the Empire of her birth and betraying Gawain, the man she’s grown to love.

Inside Scoop: This medieval romance dabbles a wee bit in the paranormal.

A Romantica® historical erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Read Chapter One of Tainted

Ellora’s Cave Publishing     Amazon     Amazon UK     ARe     Kobo

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Tour Wide Giveaway Details

One Prize (International):

E-copy of the previous book set in this world, Betrayed

$10 Amazon Gift Card

Swag – Bookmarks, Postcards and Fridge Magnets

Enter the Rafflecopter Contest below

Bio

Christina loves writing dark tales of tough, sexy warriors who are brought to their knees by their heroines. A mystical touch of fantasy or paranormal usually weaves its way through her stories, although strangely enough this wasn’t her intention when she first starting writing her Roman/Druid romances. But when ancient gods and goddesses get involved, it’s best just to go with the flow :-)

She is published by Ellora’s Cave and Berkley Heat and has dipped her toe in the indie pub waters. She is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America, the DarkSide Down Under Group Blog and Historical Hearts Group Blog.

Christina is an ex-pat Brit who now lives in sunny Western Australia with her family. She is also owned by three gorgeous cats who are convinced the universe revolves around their needs. They are not wrong.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Bite Of...Forbidden

For our second 'A Bite Of' segment allow me to introduce the lovely Christina Phillips and her book FORBIDDEN.

Can you, in less than five words describe your book, FORBIDDEN? 
Sexy warrior, magical heroine, vindictive goddess

    What inspired you to write it? 

The idea for FORBIDDEN came to me literally out of the blue. This sexy Roman warrior stormed into my head one night, demanding to know where his Druid heroine was. Since Romans and Druids were deadly enemies I was instantly hooked! But there was also a High Priest lurking in the background, and he was deliciously twisted. Despite knowing Romans, Druids and ancient Wales were all hard sells in Romance I knew I had to write their book otherwise the hero would haunt me forever (not that I’m complaining. Maximus is gorgeous!)

And here's the snippet!

Her fingers stilled in his hair. He saw her struggle to keep the smile from her face. And then she trailed her finger over his brow, along the length of his nose and across the seam of his lips.

“Are you my man, Maximus?” Her finger paused at the corner of his mouth. So temptingly close, he could almost taste her sweet flesh.

“For tonight, my lady, I’m all yours.” His hand slid from her face to clasp her nape. “And you are mine.”            

Carys wrapped his words around her heart, savoring them, secreting them hidden corners of her mind. She knew he spoke in lust, but it didn’t matter. She could imagine he wanted more than raw sex tonight, could pretend he was driven by emotions more sacred than pure, masculine need.

“For tonight,” she whispered, just so he knew they were equal on that point. Although the truth was she wouldn’t mind being his for eternity. If only that wasn’t such an impossible dream.

He gave a low laugh. “Always you must have the last word. Very well, we are each other’s for tonight, if that appeases you, my lady.”

Before she could assure him it did, he captured her lips, as if anticipating her thoughts, but thoughts no longer mattered, not when her Roman held her in such a close embrace, or teased her willing mouth with his tongue and nipped her tender flesh with his teeth.

Shivers skittered along her skin, hot shivers that mirrored the heat in her blood, the fire in her womb. She flattened her palm against his broad chest, delighting in the hard muscle beneath his linen tunic, the thunder of his heart against her fingers.

She slid her arms around his body. Granite strength and primal power radiated from every pore, thrilling her feminine senses, making her feel safe. Protected.

And yet she was the one who protected them both from untoward attack, here inside her own sacred circle.

Her Roman could never discover such magic.

~~~

Thanks Christina for taking part!

The Perfect Hero

This week the second book in my Forbidden series, CAPTIVE, hits the shelves (in North America—and I’m thrilled that both Forbidden and Captive will be released in Australia on 2^nd May—yay!)

I absolutely love Bren, the hero in Captive. Tortured by brutal events in his past, Bren’s been undercover in the Roman Legions for the last three years. Bound by unbreakable chains of loyalty to his king, he will do anything to eliminate the invaders and ensure freedom for his people. Nothing else matters. Everything is secondary to his single-minded goal.

And then he meets Morwyn.

Trained in sensuality, a Druid priestess finds herself falling for the wrong man—the warrior who’s taken her prisoner…

When I finished writing the first book, Forbidden, it never occurred to me it was anything but a standalone. But after my agent read the book she wanted to know what happened to Morwyn, the best friend of the heroine in Forbidden.

Hmm, that was a good question! I realized I wanted to know too. I went back and tweaked a couple of things in the final chapter of Forbidden and set about discovering how Morwyn’s relationship with her lover progressed.

And hit a brick wall. No matter which way I looked at it, the story just wouldn’t work. And it was then I realized—Morwyn hadn’t yet met her hero.

I was a bit shocked, mainly because I had a soft spot for Gawain, Morwyn’s lover in Forbidden. He was a hot, sexy warrior—but it just wasn’t clicking. I was even more shocked by the time I finished writing the first couple of pages of Captive and discovered Gawain’s fate—how could I be so mean to my characters? But six months had gone by between Forbidden and Captive and events had, quite clearly, progressed without me!

And then Bren appeared. Tough, emotionally crippled and completely unprepared for a woman like Morwyn in his life, he’s existed in a shadowy world for the last three years. He’s all but forgotten what it’s like to smile, never mind laugh, and although keeping Morwyn screws with all his plans he can’t leave her behind.

My heart melted. Here was her perfect hero. The last man she should find attractive, let alone intriguing, and yet she can’t help herself. She believes him to be her bitterest enemy and yet his ingrained sense of honor claims her reluctant respect. And, before long, claims a great deal more…

I’d love to give away a copy of either FORBIDDEN or CAPTIVE to one commenter – just leave a comment or let me know what is it that makes a hero perfect for you?

Amazon

The Book Depository

Read Chapter One of Captive (Over 18s Only Please)

Christina's Website

Romantic Times BOOK Review

"Phillips second in the Forbidden series is just as hot as its predecessor. Readers will be held Captive by the magic between Druid priestess Morwyn and Bren."

Magic Thursday "Forbidden" Giveaway Winner!

And the winner of our The Forbidden Goddesses Magic Thursday is ~

Nicole Murphy

Congratulations, Nicole! Please contact me at ChristinapPh @ gmail dot com (no space etc) to let me know whether you'd like a copy of Forbidden or Captive ( I'm expecting my author copies of Captive mid-January so as soon as I receive them, I will pop one in the post!)







If you want to have a quick read of the blurbs to help you decide which book you want, please click on the covers :-)

Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun last week!

Magic Thursday - The "Forbidden" Goddesses

Between a warrior and a princess comes an erotic passion as all-consuming as the hatred between their warring worlds…

When Tiberius Valerius Maximus stormed into my mind late one August evening, I had no idea of the world he inhabited beyond the fact he was searching for his Druid princess lover, and there was a deranged High Druid lurking in the shadows. It wasn’t until I started writing Forbidden, book one in the Forbidden series set during the first century AD, that I uncovered the magical elements that were as much a part of their lives as the conflict between their two peoples.

I discovered the reason why Carys and her clan had been able to remain hidden from the Roman invaders was because the gods had constructed a magical enclave. I was enthralled. Who knew? But much as I wanted to keep writing to find out what happened next, I had only the most basic knowledge of the deities at the time, and so had to break off and do Research.

I have a love/hate relationship with research. I love it because it’s fascinating and there’s always so much to learn. But I hate the way time vanishes, hours, entire days if I don’t restrain myself! But I wasn’t under contract, I didn’t have an agent, and in a secret corner of my heart I didn’t think a book set in this time with these protagonists would ever find a home.

But I had to write the book.

Cerridwen, Goddess of Wisdom, was the driving force behind Forbidden. And yet the Morrigan, the Triple Aspect Great Goddess, demanded her voice be heard.

Trained in sensuality, a Druid priestess finds herself falling for the wrong man—the warrior who’s taken her prisoner…

Morwyn is Carys’s best friend and at the start of Captive is suffering from a crisis of faith. An acolyte of the Morrigan, she’s turned her back on everything she has ever believed in but in so doing is denying an essential part of her soul.

The hero, Bren, has been undercover in the Roman Legions for the last three years, and believes in nothing but fighting for his Briton king. Until he meets Morwyn, that is.

Despite the fact Morwyn considers Bren her bitterest enemy, she can’t deny the scorching desire that ignites between them. And why should she? To take him as her lover would infuriate the Morrigan. What sweet revenge!

But since when can a mortal take on a powerful goddess and hope to win?


The Morrigan is fascinating. As the War Goddess she represents devastation and regeneration. The Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone. The cycle of life.


Both Carys in Forbidden and Morwyn in Captive have to make seemingly impossible choices. The Signs from their goddesses aren’t always clear cut.

It’s all in the interpretation :-)

Excerpt: Chapter One of Captive (Over 18s only, please)

I’m giving away a copy of Forbidden to one lucky commenter or, if the winner doesn’t mind waiting until I receive my author copies in January, an early copy of Captive. Just leave a comment on this post, or tell us who is your fave god/goddess from ancient times and why?

I’ll pick a winner next Wednesday, 1st December (oh no not December already!!) so be sure to pop back then!

For extra chances to win goodies, subscribe to my newsletter:

Christina Phillips