"Of Love and Treason" by Jamie Ogle

Step back into the time of the early church, when it was dangerous to express faith in Christ. This story, set in Rome in AD 270, tells about a young pastor named Valentine who was willing to risk everything to do what he believed was right.

Iris is a blind baker who has tried praying to every god to restore the sight that was lost to her through an accident. After a random meeting with Valentine, who promises to pray to his God on her behalf, Iris begins to see flashes of vision. Will her sight be restored? Who is this God who has powers that others do not?

As threats against Christians begin to press in on all sides, Valentine and Iris must both choose how willing they are to follow the Lord, or if the cost is too great in such perilous times.

I started reading this book in January, and unfortunately had to keep putting it aside for other books that I had a deadline to read, and then it was hard to get back again. I just didn't quite connect with the characters and found several aspects of their actions or the storyline to be a little unbelievable. That said, I did always come back to it, and my favorite parts were the glimpses into the early church. I don't know a whole lot about Rome at this time period, but I thought the author did a good job setting the scene and bringing in interesting historical details.

This retelling of St. Valentine's story is the author's debut novel, and I look forward to reading her next book when it is released.

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.