Amy

Every choice has a consequence in the explosive conclusion to the Carthage Chronicles as Lisbeth returns to third-century Carthage for a thrilling final adventure.

Will Lisbeth arrive in time to save her daughter from the clutches of Rome? How can God possibly redeem such a slew of unwise decisions and deep regrets? Filled with heart-wrenching twists and riveting action, Valley of Decision brings the romantic adventure epic, The Carthage Chronicles, to an electrifying conclusion.

I’ve always been a sucker for a good time-travel story, but Valley of Decision takes the cake.  Gentry has penned an amazing time-travel romantic thriller – and I didn’t know such a thing existed.  The time travel premise itself is fascinating:  how would a modern American Christian react if plopped down in Carthage in the third century, when Christians were under severe persecution?  Then up the ante – what if the plague is present?  And what if that modern American fell in love with an early Christian bishop?

Those elements are present in each of the three novels in the series, of course, but Gentry has upped the suspense level in Valley of Decision.  There’s the same element of love between two people that existed before, but there’s also love among the Christians and love for other people, even enemies.  There’s a new romantic relationship and old love stories told.  There are the first stories of faith, too, that are sweet and compelling.

Looking at Cyprian’s life through Lisbeth’s eyes is fascinating.  It’s easy to forget how easy we have life here, but the early Christians had much more on their plates.  The situations faced by Cyprian, Barek, and their fellow believers are very provocative.  You won’t be able to put these out of your mind easily.

Not many stories make me cry, but this one did.  I couldn’t put it down and kept hoping that Gentry found a way to manipulate history to give this family a happy ending – and in a way she did, but not the one you expect.  I cried along with the characters in the final chapters.  I couldn’t put this book down and am reluctant to leave them, even though they’re at peace.  I loved Lisbeth’s family and look forward to visiting with them again as I reread their stories in the future.  You will, too.

I received a free copy of Valley of Decision from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

Eva Esch and her sisters are in a predicament. With the passing of their widowed mother, Eva’s older brother Menno plans to move his growing family into the Eden Valley farmhouse where they all grew up, leaving little room for his three single sisters. Surely, Menno reasons, at least one of them will marry this coming wedding season. Eva does hope to marry, but she isn’t sure she wants to give up her sweet shop for the life of a farmer’s wife, and she has no other prospects.

When younger sister, Lily, disappears in the night, leaving only a brief note, Eva fears she has been wooed away from the People by an outsider. And when Jed Stutzman, a young Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up in Lancaster with a photo of a Plain young woman, Eva’s world begins to tilt. She feels powerfully drawn to the quietly charming stranger–but the woman in the forbidden photograph is no stranger at all. . . .