This is a fascinating story involving a cast of intriguing characters: Sophia, a hurting, isolated woman who is the Keeper of the Lighthouse of Alexandria Bellus, a Roman centurion with a thirst for knowledge and peace who is put in charge of taking command of the lighthouse Ares, Sophia's servant who possesses a tender heart and an hazy past and a group of twelve scholars who are changing the world through knowledge.
A good part of the book also explores the relationship of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar,
I loved Tracy Higley's style of writing, Also, her meticulous attention to historical details is impressive and I greatly appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into writing this novel.
The rich history and cultural tidbits scattered throughout the story are captivating, and I am amazed at how much of Alexandrian history I have learned by reading this book.
The pace of the story was a bit slow in the first third of the book or so, and it didn't grab my full attention at times.
But as the plot thickened and the characters developed, I
found myself enjoying it more and more.
The concluding chapters had me in stitches with heartthrobbing suspense, Throughout the story, the author weaves a moving message of love and the power of the One God to change lives, though she could have given that theme more emphasis than she did.
I recommend this book as an exciting and inspiring read, I will definitely check out the other books from this author,
Suggested Age:
Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction
Two words sum up this book.
AwesomeSauce! Never thought youd read that word in a book review, did ya
I admire Tracy, so much.
Shes so intelligent and has a real gift and talent for capturing ancient history, I learn so much about historical factsshe really knows her stuff! Fictional characters are beautiful interwoven into a tapestry or reallife historical figures.
This book has it all, romance, adventure, suspense and a message of Gods love for us.
The year isBC in Alexandria, Egypt, Sophia is keeper of the great lighthouse, While her young friend, the young and newly reigning, Cleopatra, is determined to gain the interest of Julius Caesar Sophia is determined to never love again.
That vow may be harder than she anticipated, When Bellus and his soldiers are ordered to secure the harbor and take up residence in her LighthouseSophia hardens her heart against the promise of love.
See, Sophia cant even love herself and she sure cant imagine anyone else loving her,
This book deals with a lot of immorality of the day, the worship of multiple deities and also introduces the idea to Sophia of the One God of Israel.
At this point were seeing the events leading up to the coming Christ child and we get an idea of the political situation of the day.
I think for me, I can relate to Sophia, I have felt unlovable in my life, I dont understand how God could ever choose to love me, All I can do is choose to let him do so,
This book is beautifully written, The characters are likeable and realistic, The setting and the scenery is so intricately detailed that youll feel as if youre there.
Beautiful imagery and emotionally engaging, this was definitely a fivestar book,
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Good combination
Combines history with good clean mystery and romance.
Will keep you engaged until the end, Take the time to read, The year isBC. A time when the Romans led by General Julius Caesar were preparing to storm the walls of the city of Alexandria.
Sophia lost her husband to the sea, For years now she has been the Keeper of the Light, She lives in the tower of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, She is in charge of making sure the light is never exstingished, The Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra comes to visit her mentor, Cleopatra does not like Caesar, She asks Sophia for her help in stopping Caesar from gaining control of her home land.
Sophia is torn by helping her friend, Cleopatra but at the same time she would rather stay out of the middle by ignoring everything happening around her in the safety of her lighthouse.
Unfortunately, Sophia unexpectedly finds herself thrust in the middle when Caesar sends Bellus to overtake the lighthouse.
Sophia cant deny that she has feelings for Bellus, Can Sophia keep the light shining or will it go out forever
Guardian of the Flame is the third book in the Seven Wonders series.
I love the concept for this series, Author, T. L. Higley writes about the Seven Wonders of the World and adds her own little twist to her books.
T. L. Higley won me over with the first book in this series, Shadow of Colossus, I really like how each book in this series depicts and features a different wonder as the focal point of the story.
Also, it doesnt hurt that the characters are engaging, I though Sophia was great, She actually for me was the star of the whole story, She had so much to say and was a pillar of strength, I had to research the history behind the great Lighthouse of Alexandria as I didnt know much about it.
My conclusion is that Mrs, Higley really did her homework and it showed, Cant wait to read book four,
Guardian of the Flame is book three in the Seven Wonders series of novels transporting readers back to the Ancient World.
Characters struggle to find meaning in a pagan society and are confronted by the one true God and His message of redemption.
The year isBC, Sophia, a woman hurt by past loss, guards the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, in order to hide herself away from a world she deems cruel and unloving.
But there is no escape, Political turmoil swells as Roman general Julius Caesar and his legion storm the city, and Cleopatra, Greek queen of Egypt , fights to retain her country against both Caesar and bloodthirsty rivals within her own household.
Sophia is caught in the middle between a loyalty to Cleopatra and her maddening interest in Bellus, the Roman soldier whom Caesar has instructed to overtake the lighthouse.
I found this book very enjoyable, It has been my reading experience that there are not many writers who can write good, accurate historial fiction.
Guardian of the Flame satisfies the desire for an engaging story and historical accuracy, The characters of Sofia, Cleopatra, Caesar and Bellus are wonderfully drawn and the pace of the story never drags.
All in all an excellent read, I have to say, the third instalment of T, L Higley's seven wonder's series was a big disappointment,
I read City of the Dead first, even though it is the second book, and loved it.
It was very intense and her writing style immediately sold me, I bought that book and the first one not but a few weeks later and loved both of them.
To this day, I've read them both countless times and would highly recommend them to anyone who loves a good portrayal of history's ancient worlds and cultures.
So as you can imagine, I was watching eagerly for Guardian of the Flame to be released, even requested it as a Christmas present with high hopes to be highly entertained.
A quarter of the way into the novel, I was disappointed, The prose was slow and the events seemed to build up only to have the action drag.
For most of the novel, the heroine and lighthouse keeper Sophia lives as a greying scholar in Alexandria, observing the world below with contempt.
Through the tide of quickly shifting events, she must break through to perhaps find love, . . and all those other cliches,
I love historical fiction especially stuff set in the ancient civilization of Egypt, And Higley does deliver with beautiful descriptions of Ancient Egypt and accurate portrayals of such famous characters such as Cleopatra who remains Sophia's friend and student throughout the novel.
However, the romance between Sophia and her roman soldier starts out pretty stereotypical, Both despise each other but are forced to coexist with each other within the confines of the lighthouse.
Their disgust for each other rapidly sparks into attraction, which of course was predictable from the start.
I have to admit for myself, I hate this kind of plot frame, nothing annoys me more than seeing two people I'm actually supposed to care about, do something so predictable that they no longer seem like real life people, but like cardboard cut outs.
And sadly Higely has sacrificed her characters for the sake of a tiredly used plot cliche.
For this reason, among others, I find the book slow and dragging, perfect if you're interested in a long read.
Cause it definitely feels long, Though no longer than the following two books, Guardian of the Flame travels along at a pace reserved for slow contemplation and sight seeing seen from the eyes of Sophia.
Perhaps the romance won't turn off some people, but compared to her fabulous writing in City of the Dead, by far my favourite, I'm just not sold.
Guardian of the Flame
A Seven Wonders Novel
T, L. Higley
B amp H Publishing
Fiction/Historical/Christian
ed by Cindy Loven
Set in Alexandria Egypt,BC Guardian of the Flame is truly like no other book I have read.
A book that will grab you, lead you to a comfy chair and keep you there first page to the last page.
Truly a fascinating book.
Sophia, a woman of great tragedy, loosing her husband and baby in a shipwreck years earlier, has hidden herself in the lighthouse for years.
As the Keeper of the Light, she is responsible for keeping the light burning in the lighthouse.
A woman of means, and great learning, Sophia takes pride in her position, Her family has been the Keepers of the Light for generations,
Cleopatra, coregent to the throne of Egypt, a student of languages at Sophia's knee, is playing with fire.
More exactly she is giving her heart over to the Roman conqueror Julius Caesar Taking a gamble that will keep her as a ruler of Egypt, she sneaks into the castle of her upbringing and joins herself to Caesar
The Roman Army is in the city of Alexandria, war is bound to break out as the Ptolemy's jostle and juggle for leadership of the nation of Egypt.
This story will unfold, with great mystery, romance and heartbreak, Love will find its way back into Sophia's life, Romantic love Or familial love Read this wonderful story and join in the search for love that Sophia has felt she does not deserve.
A book in the Seven Wonders series T, L. Higley has truly written a novel that deserves a five star rating, She has done extensive research, as the writing in the book will reveal, A book set in the times of idolatry and worship of false gods, T, L. Higley weaves the love of the one true God into this story, A wonderful book, with a believable, plausible story line, most definitely a book to keep for the home library.
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