THE ROMAN MONGREL 

By Mary Bernsen

BLURB:

Based on the true story of the war between Rome and Galatia, The Roman Mongrel tells the story of Princess Chiomara, wife of a Galatian chieftain.

After the feisty noblewoman is captured by the Roman army, the centurion who’s tasked with overseeing her care is unable to resist his lust for the Princess. Carrying herself with passion and bravery, Chiomara will soon have to make choices that will forever decide the fate of everyone she holds dear.

MY REVIEW:

The story starts with Chiomara, a poor pheasant girl, being wed against her wishes to the Chieftain of their tribe, Ortigon.   Her father was a Roman soldier that raped and then killed her mother’s husband.  Even though Roman blood runs through her veins, she hates Romans will all her heart.  After several years of blissful marriage, two Consuls from Rome decide to attack and wipe out her people for siding against them in a recent war.   The Romans consider them filthy mongrels, mixed blood.  How will Chiomara and her people survive?

Chiomara is a feisty, hot-tempered beauty that even her husband has trouble controlling.  I did like her character, always looking out for the less fortunate people of her tribe.  Her beauty ends up attracting the eye of one of the Cosuls, which leads to several confrontations she will have to deal with.

I felt the pace of the story was slow for the first 1/3 of the book, and I almost lost interest.  But the storyline and pace finally picked up and I became involved with Chiomara and her people’s plight.  The dialogue wasn’t always authentic for the time period the story takes place in, too many slang words and phrases not known during the Roman era.

There were so many proofreading and editing errors, and for me, they really kill the enjoyment of a book.  Finnish for Finish, or should for she’d.  With some polish and a little more work, this could be a really good story.  For now, I thought it was an average read and give it 3 feathers.

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