About the Book
Title: Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings
Series: Light in the Empire
Author: Carol Ashby
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Release: November 1, 2023
Can God work all things for good if you don’t even think he’s real?
Lusario was content in Cyrene as part of the Philandros household. After he returns from serving the youngest son, Diokles, while he studies in Alexandria, Lusario expects to become a paid tutor for his master, earning the money to buy his freedom. But when Diokles uses him to pay a gambling debt, he must go to Carthago as the slave of a man who hates him. His once-bright future is gone forever. So why does his Christian friend Timon insist things will turn out so much better than he expects?
But Carthago brings new people, like Caelus Martinus, and new possibilities into Lusario’s hopeless world. Could Timon be right? When Lusario sees a chance to escape his fate, will going for it give him a future again, or only hasten his death?
Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings is a short novel about the turbulent lives of Lusario and his friends three years before Carol Ashby’s next full-length novel, River of Life, when two of them embark on a journey up the Nile that changes everything.
Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings is now available in print and e-book editions at the online retailers below.
Amazon for paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.
Barnes & Noble for Nook. paperback, and hardcover .
Kobo for e-readers that use epub files.
Or ask your local bookstore to order it for you.
You can find a local independent bookstore here at Indie Bound.
About the Author
Carol Ashby has been a professional writer for most of her life, but her articles and books were about lasers and compound semiconductors (the electronics that make cell phones, laser pointers, and LED displays work). She still writes about light, but her Light in the Empire series tells stories of difficult friendships and life-changing decisions in dangerous times, where forgiveness and love open hearts to discover their own faith in Christ. Her fascination with the Roman Empire was born during her first middle-school Latin class. A research career in New Mexico inspires her to get every historical detail right so she can spin stories that make her readers feel like they’re living under the Caesars themselves.
Set during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian, her Light in the Empire series will take you around the Empire, from Germania and Britannia to Thracia, Dacia, and Judaea and, of course, to Rome itself.
Read her articles about many facets of Roman history at “Life in the Roman Empire: Historical Fact and Fiction” (carolashby.com) or join her at her blog, “The Beauty of Truth,” at carol-ashby.com.
My Impressions
“with God, you never know what will happen.”
“You’d be praying for your god’s best to come quickly. You didn’t know what that would be, but you were certain it would come.”
Why might you enjoy Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings by Carol Ashby? If you enjoy Roman-era Biblical fiction, Ashby writes knowledgeably and keeps you reading to find out how the future will turn out for the Stoic slave, Lusario.
I appreciated the look into the secretive world of first-century believers. That tension. How does one like Timon, my fave secondary character, attempt to share his faith and stay safe? Ashby naturally shares the gospel clearly in snippets throughout.
You will enjoy the look at the early Roman world, and learn a lot about the social status of the Roman citizen, the Greek, and the slave. I loved the detailed descriptions of Alexandria. This is not a fast-paced book, but it is full of deep emotions if you place yourself in Lusario’s or Timon’s shoes.
Crushed Hopes ends a little abruptly, in hopes your appetite is whetted and you now have the backstory you need for Ashby’s upcoming novel, River of Life.
I received a copy of the book from the author, plus I bought my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“A man could put up with a lot if it helped him reach his goal. He’d decided long ago to let the charioteers at the circus be his model. It wasn’t your position at the end of each lap that determined your future. Only where you were as you crossed the finish line mattered.”
“You can keep your name when you make the bill of sale.” Lusario sank into the wicker chair as their happy voices faded away. Keep his name. It was all he had left of everything that he’d been and all that he’d hoped to become.”
“Once a man gave up hope, he might as well curl up and die.”
“Clear answers to prayer are always cause for rejoicing.”
“The Romans don’t care what you believe as long as you perform their rites correctly. God cares what you truly believe.”
“But even if something might be true, the value of truth has to be weighed against the cost of claiming it’s true.”
“Ignoring Roman law is a dangerous thing to do.” “Doing the right thing is more important than doing what’s safe.”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great! I learned a lot about the political and religious climate in the times of the early church.
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions 