Review: The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog

The Master's Wall
by Sandi Rog

Genre: Historical Inspirational Romance
Publisher: DeWard Publishing Company
Cost: $12.99

What I Liked:
I've never read a Christian fiction (or, I guess, any other kind of fiction) from this particular time period. This book was set in 76 AD, just after the destruction of the temple, and in the middle of massive persecution against Christians. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why more books aren't written during this time period. It would make for great conflict. There certainly was enough conflict to sustain this book, anyway.

Since this was a debut novel, and I knew that from the start, I was resolved to read all the way through the book, regardless--I like debut authors. And I'm glad I did. There was a significant slow section in the middle, but when it sped back up again, I really enjoyed it. The last 100 pages were as good a historical novel as anything published by other Christian publishers. I'd rather the last 100 pages are good than the first 100, in all honesty. And the rest of the book is at least solid. Worth reading. But the last 100 pages are the best. So if you do pick it up, definitely stick around for that... because it gets really good later.

As heroes go, David was sort of an average inspirational romance hero. The heroine was very interesting. She was unlike most typical romance novel heroines, which was nice for a change. And yet, she wasn't so different as to be unrecognizeable. I enjoyed reading her.

However, this book was worth the read for the uniqueness of the plot and the conflict alone. Sandi Rog treated the master-slave relationship with a very interesting twist. It's not a plot I've seen a million times, which was very refreshing. And Sandi Rog is quite a good writer. So it was enjoyable. I will likely read the rest of the books in this series, and I'm sure Ms. Rog has a great future ahead of her in writing. Hey, she's from Colorado, she's gotta have some kinda head on straight.

All in all, I'd say that if you're an ancient history fan, or a reader of Historical Christian Romance, you'll probably enjoy this book. Especially the last 100 pages. Happy reading!

Book Blurb:
After watching Roman soldiers drag his parents away to their death, David, a young Hebrew, is sold and enslaved to serve at a villa outside of Rome. As David trains to become a skilled fighter, he works hard to please his mater and hopes to earn his freedom. However, an opportunity to escape tempts him with its whispering call. Freedom beckons, but invisible chains hold him captive to the master's granddaughter, an innocent girl with a fiery spirit.

David vows to protect Althea from his master, the murderous patriarch, and contrives a daring plan--sacrifice his own life to save hers. -back cover blurb

~ Rebecca Lynn