Shadow of Colossus
As the hetaera, or bound courtesan, of one of the most powerful men in Rhodes, Tessa has more respect and greater status than many Greek women in 227 BC. But she is still a slave, and her life is numb and hopeless. When her owner dies suddenly, Tessa sees a chance to escape, but first she must keep his death a secret. Among those who help her are Nikos, a handsome dockworker with a mysterious past, and Simeon, whose Jewish family shows Tessa a kindness and love she has never known. Soon they all become caught in a much larger clash of forces, from scheming politicians to spiritual awakening and a cataclysm that could destroy Rhodes itself.
The author makes ancient Greece feel gritty and real, and the plot is engaging and well researched. Indeed, I was sometimes more interested in the subplots than the main characters, who could have used more fleshing out. Readers of Christian fiction will appreciate Biblical values applied to a pagan society, but the spiritual message is not so overbearing as to prevent others from enjoying the story. This is the first in a series based around the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
