Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar ISBN-13: 9781496428714 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Released: February 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
When the daughter of a prominent Roman general meets a disinherited Jewish immigrant, neither one can dream of God's plan to transform them into the most influential couple of the early church. Nor can they anticipate the mountains that will threaten to bury them. Priscilla and Aquila slowly work to build a community of believers, while their lives grow increasingly complicated thanks to a shaggy dog, a mysterious runaway, and a ruthless foe desperate for love. But when they're banished from their home by a capricious emperor, they must join forces with an unusual rabbi named Paul and fight to turn treachery into redemption.


My Review:
Daughter of Rome is a Christian romance set in Rome and Corinth around 50 AD. Not a lot is said about Priscilla and Aquila in the Bible, so she added some informed speculation and pure fiction to fill out the story. She also included their working with Paul during his stay in Corinth. In a way, I felt like the story covered too much time (sometimes skipping forward by months) because the author sometimes slipped into telling instead of showing. As in, things were going well, but time passed and now they're not because these new emotions got in the way and needed to be worked through. But it was still an enjoyable story.

The characters acted realistically, were likable, and grew as people. Historical and cultural details were woven into the story. The Christian element was their evangelism efforts and the need for several characters to truly accept forgiveness for past sins. There were (married) sex scenes, but they were emotionally rather than physically focused when described. Priscilla felt shame about abandoning herself to her husband, and this was an issue they had to deal with. There was no bad language. Overall, I recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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