Owned by Rome by Katalina Leon

Story: 8
Presentation: 9
Total: 17
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Historical Erotic Romance
To Purchase

Blurb: On the edge of the Roman Empire, Queen Boudica’s rebellion has ended. A time of great tragedy has passed. Atellus, a Roman magistrate living in Gaul, discovers he’s no longer sympathetic to Rome and must now question every facet of his life.


A cunning Celtic woman with golden-red hair arrives in the slave markets, defiant and angry—a danger to anyone foolish enough to purchase her. As punishment for her willfulness, she is to be offered as a sexual favor to Roman guests at a lavish feast and put to death for their entertainment.

For Atellus, it’s love at first sight. He wants to own her. They embark on an erotically turbulent journey through a lonely Celtic forest. He suspects his beautiful slave is harboring a painful secret and must never again speak her true name. She is Celtic royalty—the last of her kind.

In the heart of the forest, strong-willed lovers clash, fall in love and catch a glimpse of what the future can be if both can learn to trust and forgive.

Review: Owned by Rome is an epic tale of lust, love betrayal, and forgiveness. There were so many facets of the story, that as it unfolded, I forgot that I was supposed to be reading a romance and simply enjoyed the historical detail. The author does such a brilliant job of weaving fact, fiction and hypothesis, that I was swept into the story and believed every word I read. Some of the things I loved most about the story were also aspects that some readers might not enjoy as much as I did. The romance is often overshadowed by the historical details. But the historical details are interesting.

The first third of the book reveals most about Atellus. There is a lot of telling of events that had already occurred. There was a build up of a certain aspect of the story that wasn’t at all what I expected to happen. So lots of twists and turns in the plot. The history of Atellus was also interesting, but Owned By Rome at times, read more like literature and was harder to lose myself in the story. There is an abundant use of Latin in the story, but the use is not confusing because Ms. Leon weaves words with clarity and context.

Once the story really picks up, after Rutila is introduced, the romance of the story is bittersweet. They are both damaged souls and need each other. But the wounds inflicted during turbulent times fester in Rutila. Atellus is gentle and patient, but also has darker needs. Rutila must forgive herself for living before she can open herself to accept Atellus’ love. And Atellus has to free the one woman who fires his soul. She won’t be owned by a Roman. But if he lets her go, he may never have her again.

Reading Owned by Rome will take you on an emotional journey and in the end you’ll be glad you read the story.