Darlene Mindrup

Sarah, a young Jewish woman, is made the slave/companion to a young, ailing woman named Diana by Diana's brother, Antonius, a tribune of Rome. Diana wonders about the peace that Sara has, even as a slave, and Sara can't help but talk about her faith in Jesus Christ. Antonius, however, doesn't wants Christianity poisoning his sister, even while he has to admit to being unable to stop thinking about Sara and how different she is from Roman women. What began as a terrible situation for Sara and her family when they became indebted to the Roman might just turn out to be part of God's will for the lives of everyone involved.

I am so glad I found this book and read it again! When I was in high school, my family went to visit my grandparents in Arizona (I live in the midwest), and I remember them having a library full of paperback romance novels (probably mostly Christian, if not wholly, since they lived at a church). I read several of those books during our stay there, but this is the only one I remembered well enough to track it down again, which took me a long time and a lot of digging. It's a sweet romance, but also a tale of early Christians during the time of Roman persecution around 62 A.D. and the difficulties they had to face just to be able to practice their faith. Sara is a great example of a Christ-follower spreading His love and message to everyone she spends time with. Secondary characters add to the enjoyment of this book, especially a fellow slave and Christian who some readers likely see as a serious contender for Sara's heart.

Antonius may be harsh through much of the book, but he's a well-written, realistic character. He's a Roman soldier, taught to believe that Rome is the center of the universe and that the rest of the world should fall at his feet. Even with his culture and training, he's actually set apart from others of his type, which is clearly shown in the story. And let's not forget that he actually saved Sara and her parents from being sold into much harsher slavery near the beginning of the book. When he treats her badly, she stands her ground. When he insists she not speak to Diana about God, she weighs the obedience of her slave master against the obedience of her one true master, God.

The book's title is an apt description of the contrast between these two characters, and I think that contrast is why I love the story so much. I read the book to reminisce about the first time I read it, and didn't expect to find much of substance, but it's really quite a lovely story. It's pretty short, but I didn't feel that detracted at all—in fact, that kept the story from dragging out like some romance books can do. I also didn't think I'd care about the series this book is the beginning of, but now that I know the next book is about Decimus, the fellow slave I mentioned above, I'd love to see his story.… (mere)