It had to be this way… This was her fight, her life, and it must be done right. Besides, who was this stranger that she should trust him with her only chance at freedom?In ancient Greece, under the watchful gaze of the giant statue of Colossus of Rhodes, Tessa, a courtesan in a powerful politician’s household, hides a dangerous secret as she weaves her plan for escape.The historical island of Rhodes is a fascinating place, and lends itself well to the tense, politically-driven plot, full of deceit, secrets, cunning, and revenge. As a Christian novel, it seemed to be doctrinally sound, and I enjoyed finding out at the end a certain character’s Biblical connection (trying NOT to give it away here!)Tessa herself is an incredibly flawed character, one towards whom the reader might feel sympathy or pity, but to whom it is difficult to relate. Since she is essentially a prostitute, she reminds me a lot of the main character in Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love, but with more of an instantaneous change of heart and coming to faith. Nikos’s attraction to her seems superficial, as she has built up such a wall around herself that she actively goes out of her way to avoid giving him any genuine reason to like her, and as such the romance lacks depth.Overall: Intriguing historical fiction, decent Christian fiction, or incredibly predictable romantic fiction, depending on how you look at it.
An Excellent Library
It had to be this way… This was her fight, her life, and it must be done right. Besides, who was this stranger that she should trust him with her only chance at freedom?In ancient Greece, under the watchful gaze of the giant statue of Colossus of Rhodes, Tessa, a courtesan in a powerful politician’s household, hides a dangerous secret as she weaves her plan for escape.The historical island of Rhodes is a fascinating place, and lends itself well to the tense, politically-driven plot, full of deceit, secrets, cunning, and revenge. As a Christian novel, it seemed to be doctrinally sound, and I enjoyed finding out at the end a certain character’s Biblical connection (trying NOT to give it away here!)Tessa herself is an incredibly flawed character, one towards whom the reader might feel sympathy or pity, but to whom it is difficult to relate. Since she is essentially a prostitute, she reminds me a lot of the main character in Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love, but with more of an instantaneous change of heart and coming to faith. Nikos’s attraction to her seems superficial, as she has built up such a wall around herself that she actively goes out of her way to avoid giving him any genuine reason to like her, and as such the romance lacks depth.Overall: Intriguing historical fiction, decent Christian fiction, or incredibly predictable romantic fiction, depending on how you look at it.
