Not the book for me. ( )

A very enjoyable conclusion to Litfin's Ancient Rome historical fiction series. Beliefs and friendships were tested to the limit as heresy threatened to divide the Christian Empire. All the various storylines were interwoven for a nice conclusion. It was exciting to see an imagined Council of Nicea and how faith came to play an important part for the main characters. ( )

I received this book through Revell in the Librarything.com Early Member Giveaway. I am given a honest opinion about this book. The book was different from anything else that I have ever read. This book is not for everybody because of some of the content. Some of the content that was in this book I felt that it shouldn't been in the book. It is better for older readers. I did like the characters though. ( )

I learned about Emperor Constantine in a required class in college and retained none of that information. It was very much something I had to check off my list, but THIS is interesting!
I knew that the Romans had a system of aqueducts, but I didn’t realize that was enough to have faucets. I finally understand the Imperial College, not to mention why Constantine was such an important part of the spread of Christianity.
This story takes place all over the Mediterranean and follows the journey of Rex and Flavia as they navigate being Christians in a pagan world. There is a visit to the Pope, travels with Emperor Constantine, descriptions of a day in the life of a person living in ancient times.
It has battles, politics, theology, and relatable characters. Rex and Flavia were interesting and enjoyed spending time with them. I was sad that they didn’t have much to do with the middle of the story, but I suppose that’s the trade-off for historical accuracy.
Each sub-chapter includes a month and year, but I wish they included a city or location, because the story does check-in with so many characters all over over the region. But the book does include maps and a glossary, for which I was thankful.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Not only did it make history come alive, but I was so encouraged (and a little convicted) reading the steadfast faith of some early Christian martyrs standing strong in the face of persecution.
I have already recommended this book to friends. I received free copy of this book in exchange for a review, but now I plan to purchase the first two in the series so I can read those too.

Final volume in the story of Flavia and Rex. Excitement abounds as these two live through the tumultuous years of Constantine's reign and participate in them. History and developments in codification of Christianity are given, i.e., the Nicaean Council, defining Christology. A very good simple explanation for laypeople was laid out for the various Christian heresies. The message of God's love and forgiveness is stressed, especially when the couple is faced with temptation.

Highly recommended. ( )