I didn't actually expect to like this but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The historical setting was really fascinating and this unexpectedly turned into an absolute page turner for me.

This was one of Francine Rivers' early books. It is set in first century Rome, after the fall of Jerusalem, during the reign of Domitian and Vespasian. It follows four characters: Hadassah, a Jewess who has become a Christian, and is a slave to a spoiled Roman named Julia. Julia is selfish, and is in love with a gladiator named Atetes. Atetes is a German, brought to Rome as a slave, and forced to fight for the amusement of the Romans, hoping to one day be freed. The fourth character is Marcus, Julia's brother, who falls in love with the slave, Hadassah. Hadassah loves Marcus, but struggles to stand for her faith in a culture that strives to silence Christians.
It was a great story, making you feel like you were right there in the Colliseum with the early Christians, who were fed to the lions. I'm only sorry it ended where it did. I'm not sure if the second book in the series will pick up with some of these characters and give me some closure. The only fault I found with the book had to do with the head-hopping, which I found quite distracting. It 's not something I'd expect from a writer like Francine Rivers, but then again, it was one of her earlier books.

This was a great book! I can't read a book usually more than once and I've read this twice, and I'd read it again. It made me realize that if the Roman Christians could suffer that kind of persecution and still believe, then I certainly can too.

I have read literally hundreds of fiction books and this one tops the list! You will not be disappointed if you are looking for good Christian fiction.