Lovely Things NC

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers is the first in her Mark of the Lion series.

Jerusalem; the Roman Empire; 117 A.D. Young Hadassah is the sole family survivor of the Roman raid and slaughter of her Jewish people; she is taken prisoner along with 90 thousand others and marched to Caesarea by Titus. In Antioch she barely escapes the eye of a slave trader looking to increase his number of prostitutes. After several more slave markets, she is finally sold and sent to Rome where she is given to the Lady Julia Valerian. She serves her mistress well with soothing stories of her new found Christian faith. Her singing and soft voice bring a calm to the entire Valerian household.

Atretes, German soldier fighting against the Romans is also taken prisoner by Rome. A combination of his god like beauty and fierce warrior training earn him a place in the spectators’ arena where he will compete. His courage, stamina and spirit as a warrior earn him punishment numerous times by the whip as he refuses to bow down to his captors. After over one hundred kills and offending his owner’s household, he is sold and sent to Rome where he will be exhibited in the arena and possibly earn his freedom.

Marcus and Julia Valerian heed from wealth, education and position in Rome. These siblings are of the modernized world that no longer honor family virtue and ideals but seek self-pleasure and instant gratification.

Marcus finds himself almost obsessed with the young slave girl Hadassah as she prays alone in the garden at night. And Julia only wishes to enjoy the games at the arena and how the gladiators fight for blood. How will the lives of two slaves impact the world of the Valerian family? Will the attraction to a young Jewish girl influence Marcus who despises her faith to an unseen god? And where will Julia’s fascination with the fast and wild lead her? It is a remarkable book.

(This is fan made Book Trailer by Marta Saldivar from Francine River’s book A Voice in the Wind. Published on March 17, 2018. Created at http://animoto.com)

If you read this book please take a moment to read the Forward from the publisher, Tyndale House. Their mission as a book publisher of fiction is honest. They recognize the writing of Francine Rivers as part of their mission. Francine Rivers has received numerous accolades including the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

Additional books in this trilogy are An Echo in the Darkness and As Sure as the Dawn. I hope you enjoy her work.