Welcome Jaime to the Index with a book set in Rome that talks about St. Valentine just in time for Valentine’s Day!
 Italy , Rome , Foreign Setting (Not USA or England) , 0270s , 0031BC-476AD (Roman Empire) , Food Preparers, Law Enforcement, Military , Criminal/Outlaw, Deaf/Mute/Blind, Famous People, Prisoners , Based on Actual Characters or Events, Forbidden Love , Holidays (Non-Christmas), Religious Persecution , Ogle-Jaime |
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Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything. Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety. Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great. Still, as Iris’s new friends lead her to faith in God, Iris is drawn to Valentine and they both begin to hope for a future together beyond the treacherous empire. But when a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, Valentine, Iris, and everyone they love must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril. |
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Jaime’s Website
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Questions about Jamie’s Story
Which scene is your favorite, the one you never tired of working with? Give us a reason to look forward to it.
Chapters 46 and 47 are some of my favorites. It’s a point in the story that is so long in coming, so full of tension and emotion—and the ending makes me laugh every time. It’s another one of those moments when one of the characters took over the writing and did something no one was expecting—myself included.
Did you include a real historical character or incident in your story?
My male main character is Saint Valentine. His story of courage, bravery, and self-sacrificing love captured me from the moment I read the snippets of legend that remain. The more I researched him and the history that surrounded his life, I knew it was a story that had to be written.
Did any of the characters in this book “surprise” you?
There’s a scene early in the book where Valentine goes home to find his aunt Beatrix mixing perfume and forcing him to smell her newest concoctions. Although I’d already plotted the entire book, that was the first time Beatrix had ever popped into my brain or onto the page. She brought so much life, wisdom, and personality to the story, I can’t imagine it without her.
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Questions about Jamie’s Reading
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What was the last Christian Historical Novel you read, and what was your favorite thing about it? I just finished The Girl from the Papers, by Jennifer L. Wright. Her stories are gripping, and I loved the message that no matter how far gone we think we are, we always have the choice to stop and turn to God.
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What Christian Historical Novel are you most excited to read that hasn’t yet come out? There are so many upcoming releases that I’m super excited for! Laura Frantz is an author I love for her slow-burn, tension-filled romances, and I’m really excited to read The Seamstress of Acadie, which released in January.
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What Christian Historical Novel in your To Be Read pile is begging you to make time to plop down with it right now? All that is Secret by Patricia Raybon is up next on my TBR and I’m super excited to read it! I love a good mystery, and I couldn’t resist the Sherlock Holmes vibes and a heroine who is a female New Testament theology professor. Clearing my schedule now!
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Jamie is giving away either a paperback) (USA Only). Enter the Rafflecopter below!
**If you don’t want to enter the Rafflecopter, tell me in a comment below: “I’m not entering the Rafflecopter, but please throw me in the hat” so I can manually put you in there for a chance.**