Title: Chateau d’Eternitie
Series: N/A
Author: Ariel Tachna
Genre: Time travel/Fantasy/Historical
Length: Novel (200 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (March 29th, 2013)
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3761
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Hearts
Blurb: When Russ Peterson accepts an invitation to an all-expense-paid vacation at a castle in southern France, he doesn’t expect to learn he has the ability to travel through time. For a historian, it’s a dream come true, offering the chance to find answers to the mysteries of the past. But it’s not without risks—to Russ and to the world as he knows it.
After a few short supervised visits, Russ still hasn’t made up his mind about his newfound abilities. Then, on his first extended trip, he meets Quentus Maximus, second in command to the Legate of Nemausus. While learning firsthand about the realities of life in Roman Gaul, Russ is shocked by his reaction to Quentus’s dominant nature. After a week with Quentus, Russ’s vacation is up, and he realizes he wants a chance to see if their relationship can flourish.
Arranging a year-long sabbatical from work to give time to make the decision is easy. Figuring out if he can live with Quentus’s dominant nature long-term, and finding a way to establish a life for himself in Roman Gaul, is an entirely different matter.….
Chateau d’Eternité was previously available as a short story, published by Dreamspinner Press, June 2012.
Reviewer: Pammie
Review: This story has time travel and a sexy, domineering Roman Centurion.
Firstly, this is not D/s story. Quentus is simply a man who expects to be obeyed. He expects be the alpha in the relationship, and in return provides everything for Russ. It’s both part of his nature and his culture. Secondly, when it comes to time travel, you have to accept rather than question. In a nutshell it’s a genetic gift. If you spend a day or a week in the past, you return after a day or a week in your own present. If you then remain in your present for a day or a week, then the same time has elapsed where you were in the past. Like so many things surrounding the chateau and time travel, it’s just how it is. And the usual “You must not change the past.” Warning is in place.
I liked the story, the characters, and reading about a historical period. The explanation of time travelling and the existence of the chateau starts us off. Then the developing relationship between the men, and finally situations that jeopardizes Russ’s life, and Quentus’s ownership of his estate.
Unfortunately a lot of how, what and why of time travel is simply answered by “it’s the way it is”. You may also wonder at someone accepting a two-week vacation to somewhere he doesn’t know, halfway around the world, paid for by people he doesn’t know, and just how the genetic mutation is identified. But, if you set those kinds of questions aside, it’s a good story.
We don’t see how their relationship continues once Russ returns to Quentus’s side, having set his affairs in order in the present. However, via a change in the chateau, it’s clearly intimated their relationship has lasted many years. The author has therefore left open an option to revisit the couple with a sequel.
I would recommend it to anyone who likes a touch of history, hot sex, time travel and an implied HEA.