Book Description
Honor had forced him to protect her. Time would tell if he’d regret it.
Marcus Brutus owns estates, ships, and gladiator schools that increase his fortune daily, but his greatest treasures are his honor and his wife. When she reveals her faith in Jesus before dying after the birth of their son, he’s consumed by hatred for the unnamed Christian woman who led his beloved to abandon the Roman gods, making him lose her in this life and the next.
For fifteen years, Licinia’s father hid her Christian faith. But now her father is dead, and a ruthless political enemy is hunting for anything to destroy her brother. When she becomes the target, her brother sends her to their estate in Germania. But is that far enough to protect her from an evil man who will stop at nothing?
A carriage accident leaves Brutus injured and his best friend near death, and Licinia cares for them. When her brother’s enemies come and he learns she’s the Christian who corrupted his wife, does honor require him to protect her or turn her over as an enemy of Rome? And when Licinia’s heart is drawn toward the pagan man who makes money off death, can she reconcile her growing affection with her love for Christ?
Dangerous times, difficult friendships, lives transformed by forgiveness and love
My Review
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 5 Smiles
I’m a little stingy with stars in my reviews, but Honor Bound deserves all five. The eighth installment in the Light of the Empire Series is an indie-published book that found a way to reach excellence in editing, proofing, and craft/flow. The characters were engaging, and the story never lagged.
Though it’s the eighth book in the series, it is easily read as a stand-alone. I read book #7, and experienced no character confusion from missing the other books. Speaking of characters—there are a LOT of them! The character list at the beginning is very helpful to keep everyone straight, especially at the beginning.
I would recommend this book for every age, teen through adult. The story includes at least three VERY CLEAR presentations of the Gospel, but they fit perfectly within the context of the first-century struggle of Christians under Roman persecution. I didn’t feel at any point it became preachy or overbearing.
The romance was also well done. Though it was a little predictable, there were enough characters involved to keep a reader guessing for a while. Ashby kept the romance clean and off the page. I believe the brief but powerful Gospel presentations as well as the strong purity message could make this a fantastic read for youth or even a youth group; however, I never felt it was too juvenile for me to enjoy as an adult. Another great read from, Carol Ashby!
