Last Week’s Review of Book #1 in Series
Last week I reviewed, Sold Into Freedom (Planting Faith, Bk #1), and shared a little about my sweet friend, Carole Towriss. I didn’t mention that we worked together with a third friend, Brennan McPherson to write a Psalm series in 2018.
Brennan wrote Book #1: The Hunter and the Valley of Death, an allegory based on Psalm 23.
Carole wrote Book #2: Deep Calling Deep, a story about Paul’s final days, based on Psalm 142.
I wrote Book #3: By the Waters of Babylon, the emotional captives’ journey from the destruction of Jerusalem to their exile in Babylon, based on Psalm 137.
Brennan, Carole, and I became dear friends as we worked to coordinate marketing and support each other’s work, and we’ve remained good friends. In “author world,” however, we grow thick skin and also critique each other’s work. I can tell you–honestly–that Carole’s newest release, More Than Conquerors, may be the best she’s written!
About More Than Conquerors
Kassandra’s privileged and pampered life explodes when she meets a woman with next to nothing. When a glimpse into the lives of those less fortunate turns into a mission to help them, her father offers a choice: act like the daughter of a politarch and marry the man he has chosen–or leave home forever.
Unimaginable loss shakes Jason’s world to its foundation, and he struggles to keep his faith in the Jewish God. He faces losing everything generations of his family have built, and one of the city’s elite seems determined to make that happen.
A visiting Jewish preacher shakes up the synagogue⸺and then the town⸺with outrageous claims. Paulos’s teachings fascinate Kassi but contradict everything Jason believes. As pressure amps up on every side, they must decide how much they are willing to risk to follow The Way.
My Review
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Experience all the political danger, faith decisions, and Spirit’s power of Paul’s missionary journey to Thessaloniki in Macedonia (Thessalonians), while digging deeply into Jason’s life—a man mentioned only twice in the Bible. With the help of a well-formed fictional heroine, Kassi, Towriss brings the whole town of Thessaloniki to life.
The Jewish leaders who stand in vehement opposition to Paul’s teaching also live in fragile peace with the Gentile politicians. Paul’s teachings threaten to topple the crumbling foundations of both political and religious power structures force new converts—both Jew and Gentile—into life-changing decisions.
Carole’s impeccable research makes the complex cultural issues understandable and even applicable to our modern political landscape. She uses the historically correct spellings on names and cities with true-to-the-period vocabulary, which lends authenticity. Though it was a little disorienting until I got into the flow of the story, her extensive glossary, historical notes, and Author’s note proved not only her thorough research but also condensed valuable insights to better understand Acts 17, the biblical foundational for Jason and Kassi’s story. Very well done!
I heartily recommend More Than Conquerors for anyone who enjoys well-researched biblical fiction with strong female leads and intriguing cultural details. Though More Than Conquerors is the second book in the Planting Faith series, it easily stands alone. However, I’ve also read, Sold Into Freedom, Book #1 in the series, and HIGHLY recommend it as well! In fact, I’ve read most of Carole Towriss’s books, and each one has something that still sticks in my memory—years later! THAT’S good writing!
Want To Know More About Carole (and me)?
I mentioned in last week’s post that Carole and her hubby John were with Roy and I on our 2020 Israel Tour. They experienced with us all the mountains…and valleys…of that tour when a something called “Covid-19” swept the globe. I’d always known Carole was a California girl at heart, but during our stressful three days of waiting in Tel Aviv, I saw how the surf and sand soothed her soul (and mine). We have some eternal memories together. Some serious and some really fun/silly.
CLICK HERE if you’d like to hear more about our 2020 trip and get more info about a future Israel trip Connilyn Cossette and I are planning together!
CLICK HERE to discover more about Carole Towriss and her books!
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