Taught to hear messages from the goddess from a young age, Elantia’s life is shattered when she is captured from her home in southwest Britannia and sold as a slave in Macedonia. She wants nothing more than to escape and return home—after she kills the man who took the only good thing left in her life.Tossed aside by the Empire, wounded tribune Quintus Valerius ends up in sleepy Philippi to … Philippi to retire. Manipulated into becoming the prison keeper, he vows to return to Rome as soon as possible to reclaim his reputation and his life. He is intrigued by the quiet Jewish teacher who speaks of truth and peace, but is convinced he can never have neither.
When Elantia’s shocking actions shake up the town and her life is threatened, Quintus risks what little he has left to save her—only to put Paulos and his friends in even greater danger.
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This Christian story is written so beautifully you will believe you are there and experiencing all that the characters are. It is well research and the author has done an excellent job bringing together a work of fiction and bible scriptures. Forgiveness is the theme for destruction, murder, and for being held as a slave. This is a book that I highly recommend. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
ONE FASINATING READ!
WOW! Man, talk about walking a tight rope. A whirlwind of emotions and events really pulls those heartstrings. A remarkable and spiritual tale that takes you back to ground zero. Carole wields her words as skillfully and precise as a surgeon with his scalpel. If you’re looking for an action packed, fast paced, nerve racking, heart pounding, pulse racing, page turning wonder that’s as riveting as it is captivating. Congrats my friends you’ve found it. All the drama, pain, suffering, danger and suspense increases steadily while tension spirials as the plot thickens. Twists and turns abound with unexpected circumstances and unpredictable surprises that make for one thrilling experience. Following along on their journey mesmerized as the tale unfolds. You feel everything the characters feel, be it pain, sadness, vengeance, loss and hope. The characters and scenes are written with such realism it really pulls this little jewel together beautifully. Carole did an amazing job bringing this read to life brilliantly. Remarkable job Carole, thanks for sharing this little guy with us.
This is the first book by Carole Towriss that I have read and she has gained another fan. The author brings the world of Philippi to life in vivid color as the story, based loosely on the slave woman who becomes freed from an evil spirit and the jailer whose entire household becomes baptized during Paul and Silas’ imprisonment, unfolds with great detail, intricately woven plot, and wonderfully memorable characters. If you enjoy Biblical fiction, you will definitely love this book.
Tia, a Brittania captured by Roman slave traders, has the “gift” of seeing the future. As a trained warrior, she braves the turmoil and torture dealt her but her soft, tender, and loyal heart and spirit are close to being crushed when she encounters Paul. Quin is a wounded Roman soldier forced into early retirement who has been wronged and cheated at every turn. He finds himself as the jailer in Philippi, and, if you are familiar with either one or both of these stories from the Book of Acts, you will be delighted at how they fit into this story. The extrapolation of Paul, Silas, Luke, and Lydia in the book as secondary characters is credible and quite enjoyable. The struggle for both Tia and Quin to embrace the salvation only Jesus offers is real and tangible.
The book also addresses the devastation that follows war and conquest and the darkness of human nature played out in greed and slavery. Yet it also highlights the mysterious grace of God and His Providence in the believers’ lives. I really enjoyed being immersed in the early beginnings of the Philippi church through this book.
I was given a copy of the book by the author and was under no obligation to post a review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
She was taught from an early age to her the goddess voice when she is sold as a slave. All she wants is to get back home. He is a prison guard who was tricked into taking the job. Soon his friends and himself are in danger when she is about. What is going on? Will she get home? See how they all get on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I listened to the audio recording of this book. Very good.
Faith springs up in the most unlikely places…
Carole Towriss is a name that I kept hearing in Biblical fiction reading circles but up until now I hadn’t read any of her books. After reading a recommendation from another Biblical fiction author that I trust, I decided to check her books out. It isn’t often that I choose a book based on recommendations, the cover, or title, but Sold Into Freedom turned out to be a ‘D: All The Above’ type thing.
I only read part of the blurb for this book so I really had no preconceived ideas about what to expect. I was intrigued by the story pretty much right off. Elantia and Quintus are on opposite sides of Rome’s battle to subjugate Britannia; she is a chief’s daughter taken captive and he is a Roman soldier.
I was quite a ways into the book before some of the story started to seem a little familiar. I loved how Carole Towriss took two obscure and unnamed people in the book of Acts and wove an exciting story around them that was both familiar and different.
If you like Biblical fiction and you are ready for a story of darkness and faith you should check out Sold Into Freedom, the title really says it all…
(I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are entirely my own.)
Sold Into Freedom is the first book from Carole Towriss’s Planting Faith series. It is, also, my first introduction to her work. I thought the story was well written and really good. I would love to find out what happens next in the series. I give this one four and a half stars.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Intriguing story about the early church and Paul journeys. Wanted to keep reading to know what would happen next. Loved how the story wove in scriptural accounts from the book of Acts. Enjoyed getting to look deeper in the possible lives of some of the people mentioned in Acts 16.
Elantia sought revenge. After watching the destruction of her village and the murder of her family, and being sold as a slave, she was probably justified in thinking that way. At least by the standards of the world. Being as beautiful as she is, the one thing that protects her from the evil desires of her master is the thought that she needs to remain pure to be able to use her “gift”.
I love the way that author Carole Towriss writes such well-researched Biblical fiction and takes a few chapters and fills in details, making the events come alive. And she weaves so much scripture into the story! Being as this story takes place in Philippi when Paulos is there, he has more than a minor role here, and so much of what he speaks is directly from the letters he wrote.
The events in the story play out differently than what I have pictured, especially regarding the timeline – reading this story had me wanting to open my Bible to re-read the events in Acts 16 to see – could this have taken place over a longer period of time? (And yes, I did do this!) I also appreciated the way so many of the people Paul mentions in his letter show up here.
Though this is the story of a captive, a slave, it is also the story of freedom in Christ. And a story of forgiveness. Not just God’s forgiveness toward us but also our need to forgive others.
While there is some violence in it, it is necessary and not overdone. And not everything gets wrapped up in a nice, neat happy ending. Hmm, kind of like our life here on earth. But to quote Goldilocks, it was “just right”.
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I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Carol Towriss has done it again! She’s taken a short story from the Bible and turned it into a well-written novel. She weaves the Scripture in seamlessly. There is a great romance in the book. The plot has twists and turns and moves along at a good pace. The setting is Philippi, a Roman city in what is now northern Greece. The novel takes place during the time of Paul’s missionary journeys. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this excellent story.
In my years of Bible study never once have I considered the life of the servant girl freed by Paul from demons which made her a seer. Never did I stop to ponder the life of the Philippian jailer. Carole Towriss has changed the way I see “minor” characters in Scripture now. Sold into Freedom is a riveting novel that entertained me with a great story full of deep characters, and challenged me to look closer, dig deeper, as I study. I heartily recommend this book!