Must the shadows of the past destroy the hope of the future?
In AD 122, Cornelia Scipia, proud daughter of one of Rome's noblest families, learns her adulterous husband plans to betroth their daughter to the vicious son of his best friend. Over her dead body! Cornelia divorces him, reclaims her enormous dowry, and kidnaps her own daughter. She plans to start over with Drusilla a thousand miles away. No more husbands for her. But she didn’t count on meeting Hector, the widowed Greek captain of the ship carrying her to her new life.
Devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter, Hector’s heart begins to heal as he befriends Drusilla. Cornelia’s sacrificial love for Drusilla and her courage and humor in the face of the unknown earn his admiration…as a friend. Is he ready for more?
Marriage to the kind, honest sea captain would give Drusilla the father she deserves…and Cornelia the faithful husband she’s always longed for. But while her ex-husband hunts them to drag Drusilla back to Rome, secrets in Hector’s past and the chasms between their social classes and different faiths erect complicated barriers to any future together. Will God give two lonely hearts a second chance at happiness?
Dangerous times, difficult friendships, lives transformed by forgiveness and love
Second Chances is the fifth volume in the Light in the Empire series, which follows the interconnected lives of four Roman families during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. Each can be read stand-alone. The eleven novels of the series will take you around the Empire, from Germania and Britannia to Thracia, Dacia, and Judaea and, of course, to Rome itself.
What I loved about this story is the author’s ability to make the characters’ Christian faith a natural part of their lives. It was not preachy or written in a way that would make the reader feel condemnation. “Second Chances” was a love story that showed you life is always changing, but Jesus is always the same. And we can trust Him with our lives, even when we feel hopeless.
— Goodreads Reviewer
It was such a sweet book. Masterfully done, too… Just like her others in her series. I didn’t want to put it down, because the story kept me riveted and wanting to know what would transpire next.
— Goodreads Reviewer
I am really enjoying the Light of the Empire series by Carol Ashby. The series follows four Roman families during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian as they travel the Roman Empire. It is also a story of faith, of God calling the first Christians to Him, and the dangers of persecution they faced from the Roman Empire. Second Chances is a story of how God can use the evil and painful circumstances in life for ultimate good.
— Goodreads Reviewer
