2.5 stars

"You have spoken the truth and perhaps it makes you feel better to do so. It is no secret that I am no lady, but at least I do not pretend to be something I am not. You, on the other hand, wear your piety on your sleeve for all to see, when inside you are just as prone to lust and cruelty as the rest of us."
"That is enough," he stated flatly.
"People like me and Cearl, we're nothing in your eyes. You are not able to see past your preconceived judgments of me. You see a filthy face, tattered clothes and the life I did not choose, and still you judge me for what I must do to survive."
"This conversation is over." He glanced at her, then turned away.
"I do not fit into your idea of a lady," she continued, "because my hair is not long. Because I do not wear the clothes of a proper maiden, or act helpless and in need of a big strapping arse like yourself."
He looked at her then and his gaze narrowed.
"Maybe you are so put off by me because you know I do not need you to survive. I have lived through hell without your help and I can certainly continue to live without you."

This is a dark ages set erotica and it doesn't play around with shying away from the time period. There is brutal torture, rape, murder, and unwashed bodies. I personally couldn't get too much into the hot and sexy swing of things because most sex scenes happened after torture and while our heroine enjoys her sexual side, I couldn't shake the influence of necessity. Basically, a chicken or the egg conundrum was taking place in my mind if she naturally enjoyed sex or her imprisonment and survival convinced her she enjoyed it. She mentions how her sexual relationship with a fellow prisoner is the only way she can escape for a while her awful life, which I was ok with but the fellow prisoner wasn't great in bed, so not getting the sexy there, lol. The relationship with the hero was ok but their sex scenes came after torture, dude had his pinky tip cut off and was whipped (not the consensual kind) and somehow still felt up for sexy times. I get a hangnail and I don't want to be touched for 48hrs; I couldn't change gears so fast.

I saw another reviewer mention how she felt like the villain and heroine had more chemistry and even though it icks me out too, I agree. If you're into dark ages erotica, this would be a great pick, it had a wonderful authentic (well, fictional authentic) feel to it. My mind just couldn't go with the flow or change gears to get into the erotic side. However, the survive and going to get my rocks off heroine was great. ( )

UGH I was done after the third mention of turgid nipples. And calling her vagina a quiver...repeatedly? Really? Yep, this just isn't for me. ( )

UGH I was done after the third mention of turgid nipples. And calling her vagina a quiver...repeatedly? Really? Yep, this just isn't for me. ( )

UGH I was done after the third mention of turgid nipples. And calling her vagina a quiver...repeatedly? Really? Yep, this just isn't for me. ( )

Tortured is out of the realm of my usual Romance book. The story is not your warm fuzzy romance story, it is a very gritty story of a young woman named Sierra who is thrust into a life she didn't want and did what she had to survive. Sierra lived in 500 A.D. at a time when the Saxons had invaded Britannia after the Romans left. A very dark time in history, especially for a woman. As I read the book I struggled with the life she led and the things she had to endure. Sierra becomes the executioner's apprentice and is made to assist him. Sierra is part Celt and has the gift of site from her mother. Her only escape for the past nine years has been when she met her one male friend for some trysts here and there. She remembers the death of her mother and her brother that was taken from her. The King's soldiers captures Dryston of Hereford and he is brought to Sierra to interrogate. Sierra is shocked by how much she comes to like being with Dryston. He begins to develop feelings for her as well but is reserved because he has lost women in the past. The remainder of the book is Sierra and Dryston as they try and escape their imprisonment and the subsequent fight with the King. Like I said in the beginning this book is not your typical romance, but that being said, I did like the book. It is a story of a woman that has no one to trust but her self and she lives a life that most people would not survive. Through this she meets a man that can possibly have a future with. Dryston is an interesting character. He wants to take care of Sierra and make her happy. The book might not be for everyone but it is definitely worth a look. ( )