Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar
Book Description
A woman with a devastating secret. A man bent on proving his worth. A chance encounter that catapults them into the heart of history.
When the daughter of a prominent Roman general meets a disinherited Jewish immigrant, neither one can dream of God’s plan to transform them into the most influential couple of the early church. Nor can they anticipate the mountains that will threaten to bury them. Their courtship unwittingly shadowed by murder and betrayal, Priscilla and Aquila slowly work to build a community of believers, while their lives grow increasingly complicated thanks to a shaggy dog, a mysterious runaway, and a ruthless foe desperate for love. But when they’re banished from their home by a capricious emperor, they must join forces with an unusual rabbi named Paul and fight to turn treachery into redemption.
My Review
☺☺☺☺☺ 5 Smiles
I always wait with great anticipation for Tessa Afshar’s next release because I’m aware of the level of research and emotion she puts into each project. Daughter of Rome did not disappoint. The fluidity with which she mentions ancient customs—both Jewish and Roman—flows into the story as if she’s giving us an eye-witness account of Priscilla and Aquila’s lives. But this is nothing new. I’ve read all her books (some more than once), and she’s a master researcher and communicator.
If you follow my reviews, you know I seldom give 5 smiles/stars, but if I could have given 10 to Afshar’s Daughter of Rome, I WOULD HAVE! Her pacing of the plot is perfect. The tension and pacing of the love story is absolutely heart-throbbing. And the salvation conversions are so tender and absolutely believable in their telling.
Because I have little time to actually READ anymore, I listened to this on my iPhone with the text-to-speech feature (mechanical voice). But even THAT couldn’t douse the emotional pull of Afshar’s incredible writing:
“They prayed as those who are a glorious crown on Christ’s brow, an outward sign of his victory, his power, and his kingship. In the world, they were merchants and workers of leather. Ordinary men and women. In the light of heaven, they had become warriors, princes, and queens wielding a sword that only God could craft.”
I was moved to tears repeatedly by the depth of this story—not by cheap story tricks that played on my emotion, but by deep spiritual truths that challenged my soul to draw closer to the One this book honors. Run, don’t walk, to buy Daughter of Rome the moment it’s available. Put it at the top of your TBR pile . . . and let your life be changed by it.
