This is the second of Francine Rivers' 'Mark of the Lion' trilogy.
This stage of the story of Hadassah and Atretes opens with Alexander Democedes Amandinus, the elder brother of Julia (see previous post - "A Voice in the Wind"), witness the sacrifice of Christians in the Roman arena, including Hadassah, his sister's personal maid. Sickened by a spectacle he has never particularly enjoyed, he leaves Rome, temporarily, for Ephesus, where his father has a trading depot.
Hadassah has not, however, died in the arena. Rescued when attention is diverted elsewhere, she is taken from the arena and nursed back to health in secret, although she is left with terrible scars from her injuries by the lion.
Meanwhile, Julia has been determined that she will have Atretes as her lover but, convinced that she will be a social outcast if she does this openly, she enters into a meaningless marriage with a gay friend as cover. Atretes is heartbroken when she rejects his proposal of marriage just as he has been able to buy his freedom with riches earned from patronage at his disposal.
In Ephesus, Marcus finally admits his feelings about Haddash, little realising that she feels the same for him. Will they find each other? If they do, how can they be together as Hadassah is still a slave - and a slave in hiding, at that - and dreadfully disfigured by the lion's injuries? What happens to Julia? Can she regret, and be forgiven, for her vengeful act of condemning her slave to the arena?
As before, love and faith are the building blocks of this story. Francine Rivers writes with passion about these, and about the Christian faith in the early days of the Church. Her research is meticulous and her commitment to good writing shines through.
Recommended, but read "A Voice in the Wind" first!
Published by Tyndale Fiction, ISBN 10: 0-8423-1307-9
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