The Biblio Blogazine

Guardian of the Flame by T.L. Higley
Historical Fiction/Christian Fiction, 381 pages
B & H Publishing Group

Courtesy of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer Program

Sophia, a woman hurt by past loss, guards the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, in order to hide herself away from a world she deems cruel and unloving. But there is no escape. Political turmoil swells as Roman general Julius Caesar and his legion storm the city, and Cleopatra fights to retain her country against both Caesar and bloodthirsty rivals. Sophia is caught in the middle between loyalty to Cleopatra and her maddening interest in Bellus, the Roman soldier whom Caesar has instructed to overtake the lighthouse.

This book surprised me. It is good enough for me to consider reading the others in the series. I have never read Christian Fiction before, and this first foray was a pleasant one.

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Last year I wanted to open myself up to more of what bookstores and my library has to offer. Thus I found myself drifting through the swirling, unknown currents of the Romance section.

And when I think of literary romance, I think of Scarlett and Rhett. Cathy and Heathcliff. Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre. The list goes on.

I’ve read several good ones in my quest to broaden my horizons. But they are those that some would not consider a true romance. In fact, I found that they crossed over well into other genres.

These two books I received from Kensington Press, showed me the other, perhaps more realistic side of the coin. The type of Romance novels most fans of the genre choose and enjoy.

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