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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Return to Exile


About the author:

Lynne Gentry
 has written for numerous publications. She is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright. Lynne is an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.

Find Lynne online: websiteFacebookTwitter






About the book:

Return to Exile (Howard Books, January 2015)

How far would you go to save the ones you love?

Six years ago, impossible circumstances forced Dr. Lisbeth Hastings to leave behind the love of her life, not just in another country, but in another time. Her work as a top-notch epidemiologist and parenting her little girl helps alleviate the pain, but at night when her exhausted head hits the pillow, images of her beloved Cyprian haunt her sleep.

Cyprian Thascius returns from political exile a broken man. He's lost his faith, the love of his life, and his purpose. He attempts to move on, to face the danger that is looming over Carthage, but when Cyprian's true love suddenly reappears, his heart becomes as imperiled as the fledgling church he seeks to save.

Have the years that kept Lisbeth and Cyprian apart created too wide a chasm to bridge? In the midst of a new epidemic and rising oppression, will their love be the most costly fatality? Filled with gripping action and raw emotion, this spell-binding adventure of star-crossed lovers captivates with every turn of the page in this electric continuation of The Carthage Chronicles.
Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1wSugdd   

To see what others are saying about the book, you can visit HERE.

My Thoughts:
The Carthage Chronicles are my first encounter with author Lynn Gentry.  I don't typically read or care for "time travel" novels, but when offered the opportunity to review Return to Exile through Litfuse's blogger review program, something said, "Go for it".  I even bought the first book through Amazon so that I could be caught up when book two came in the mail to me.  

Boy am I glad I did!

Return to Exile is the continuation of Dr. Lisbeth's Hasting's story from Healer of Carthage.  The transformation that takes place in Lisbeth's life is a beautiful story. She's a hard case to crack, but God's grace does just that.  Gentry transports her readers from present day to ancient times with colorful descriptions of places and people.  You feel like you are part of the story.  As a reader, I could picture the people, hear the sounds and smell the smells.

The tension in the book is palpable at times.  I often found myself literally sitting on the edge of my seat.  Lisbeth's story made me feel and think and captivated me from the first page of book one until the last page of this second book.  Gentry grabs your attention with statements in the midst of the story like these:
"In the end, service changes not those who are served but those doing the serving."  (pg. 163 of Return to Exile)
 "You should have demanded your freedom," Aspasius croaked.  "You cannot give me what I already have through Christ Jesus."  (pg. 289 of Return to Exile) 
While the books in the series could be read as stand alone reads, I highly recommend you read the books in order as each book build on the previous one. You would be missing huge pieces of the story by skipping any part of the series. Book 3 in the series, Valley of Decision, will be released in September 2015.  The date is marked on my calender!

Gentry has certainly gained a fan in me and I will be watching for and reading what she writes!

*I was given a complimentary copy of the book for the purpose of this review.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer

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