My Bookshelf: Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry

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?

        The first book I have ever read by her, Healer of Carthage is the first book in Lynne Gentry’s Carthage Chronicles series. Although I had yet to experience Lynne’s writing, I had heard so many good things about her, so I was fairly excited when I picked up this book. I had already read about the whole series, and it sounded so interesting to me, but I never expected Healer of Carthage to be as wonderful as it was! It pulled me in from the very first page, and I have been hooked on Lisbeth’s story ever since! Although I don’t often like fantasy-type novels, I loved the time travel aspect of this book. It definitely made for one of the most interesting stories I have ever read, especially since I really felt as if I was getting to experience 3^rd Century Roman Carthage.

        Dr. Lisbeth Hastings is a little spitfire! I love her fire, her zest, and how she never takes no for an answer. Although stubbornness isn’t exactly an admirable personality trait, I love hers just the same. Her fight is what makes her unique, and what makes her such a good doctor, especially when it comes to the epidemic she is thrown into upon her arrival in Carthage. She is so easy to relate to, especially when it comes to the way she wants to fix things so that no one she loves has to face any pain (I tend to be that way at times). I loved watching her grow as time went on.

        Cyprian was also a wonderful character. Although he made me extremely mad at times, I also just really loved him. Deep down inside he is an amazing man, and I really loved his fight to save the church. Besides, the main thing about him that angered me occurs in the second book. So he’s forgiven for now.

        All in all, I really enjoyed this novel, definitely enough to give it all five bookshelves. I’m also loving the rest of the series—Return to Exile and Valley of Decision—and I know Lynne will be an author I will be keeping up with from now on.

        Happy reading!

Linking up at Spreading My Joy, Meet at the Barre, and The Diary of a Real Housewife.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Lynne Gentry and Liftuse Publishing.