Lynne Gentry’s Healer of Carthage

About

A twenty-first-century doctor. A third-century plague. A love out of time.

First-year resident Dr. Lisbeth Hastings is too busy to take her father’s bizarre summons seriously. But when a tragic mistake puts her career in jeopardy, answering her father’s call seems her only hope of redeeming the devastating failure that her life has become. 

While exploring the haunting cave at her father’s archaeological dig, Lisbeth falls through a hidden hole, awakening to find herself the object of a slave auction and the ruins of Roman Carthage inexplicably restored to a thriving metropolis. Is it possible that she’s traveled back in time, and, if so, how can she find her way back home? 

Cyprian Thascius believes God called him to rescue the mysterious woman from the slave trader’s cell. What he doesn’t understand is why saving the church of his newfound faith requires him to love a woman whose peculiar ways could get him killed. But who is he to question God? 

As their different worlds collide, it sparks an intense attraction that unites Lisbeth and Cyprian in a battle against a deadly epidemic. Even as they confront persecution, uncover buried secrets, and ignite the beginnings of a medical revolution, Roman wrath threatens to separate them forever. Can they find their way to each other through all these obstacles? Or are the eighteen hundred years between them too far of a leap?

Review

For some reason I cannot fathom, I really like time travel romance novels. Admittedly, they make things really complicated (I’m always worried about how it’s going to end!), but if they’re done well, than my day has just been made. There aren’t a lot of christian time travel romance novels (Michelle Griep, Tamara Leigh, and  Lisa Bergren’s series are the few authors I can think of), so when I saw this one was coming out, I had to snatch it up. And I’m so glad I did!

What I liked about this book:

Time travel to the roman era. I mean those people were all kinds of crazy and yet the time period is so rich. I thought Ms. Gentry did a fabulous job of making the roman times feel “real.” Her research felt authentic, and the people came across as genuine. At the end of the novel, Ms. Gentry explains that several of the people and things that happened in the novel really happened in real life, so that brings a really great touch to the story. Furthermore, I loved the examples of the early church and how people had to struggle to believe in God in a time where such belief was almost an automatic death sentence. Their doubts and fears become so understandable, and yet their continued faith in God makes them all the stronger.

Dr. Lisbeth Hastings. I now know, if I ever have the option to go back in time, I need to be a doctor. I also liked how her faith in God develops gradually as she walks these early Christians live out their faith.

Cyprian. I loved who he is (was) as a person and how he related to Lisbeth. 

The romance. It completely fit the era and I was very pleased with where it went.

Magdalena. She comes out of nowhere and I love the surprise here. 

There’s a sequel! The ending is so unfair, so I’m super glad there’s going to be another!

What I didn’t like:

There were a couple of times Lisbeth did seem to demand 21st century treatment and I wanted to say, come on girl, think where you are, let’s not be silly.

Overall, a very good time travel novel that will pull you in and have you totally invested.

Romance scale: 8

** I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**