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Ares of Westford has
protected the province of Lystra--and his heir--from invaders
who wanted to seize them. Grieving the loss of most of
his youngest soldiers, whose blood earned the victory, Ares
nonetheless accepts an invitation to view the ships
confiscated from his enemies, the Qarqarians, upon their
defeat. Nicole, Ares' wife, is elated at the prospect of
a trip to Prie Mer, her native land, where her father still
lives. Unfortunately, Ares and Nicole soon discover that
the invitation was a ruse to lure them to Prie Mer.
Their host, Verschoyle, plans to hold them captive while he
searches for a way to eliminate Ares and end the line of the
legendary Roman the Great.
In her historical fantasy
world, Robin Hardy has created an epically romantic place
where the intricacies of court etiquette are as complicated as
they are treacherous. Readers will be enthralled by
Ares' ability to outthink and outsmart his enemies. His
closest friends and staff all have moments when they take
center stage and shine in their own unique ways, particularly
Giles, who uses his love of facts and figures to great
advantage on Ares' behalf. The completely vitriolic
Althea, Surchataine of Calle Valley and wife of the wily
Verschoyle, is the ultimate evil queen, self-absorbed and
spiteful--at least until she meets Ares' ward, Renee, in one
of the most hilariously barbed encounters ever written.
Nicole's joy in a return to the simple life of her childhood
is touching, as is Ares' reaction to his wife's childhood
friend, Purdy.
Among the pitfalls of
writing inspirational fiction is the temptation to preach to
the readers, most of whom have already embraced their faith, and
witness to those already converted, preaching to the choir, as
it were. Readers have come to accept and even to expect
that they will be inundated with earnest reminders about
the salvation to be found through faith in Jesus Christ, often
to the exclusion of all else. Rare is the novel that
actually shows faith at work in characters' lives, feeding
readers' faith and giving them encouragement to sustain them
through their darkest hours. PRISONERS OF HOPE is one
such novel. When all hope seems lost, and the enemy has
a seemingly supernatural advantage in the battle, Ares turns
to prayer, begging the Lord to show him how to defeat his
enemies. Laced with humor and laden with mystery, this
scene is wonderful, in the most classic sense of the word. The
power of the Lord is stunning in its clarity, and Hardy's
writing is at its finest as Ares and his divinely inspired
team follow the Lord's directive.
Yet another emotional payoff
comes toward the end of PRISONERS OF HOPE, as Ares and Nicole
face the culmination of their hopes and dreams. Ares'
devotion to Nicole is heart wrenching and sublime, and the
inspirational impact of this story glows with the
incandescent power of faith and love. Readers will be
deeply moved by Ms. Hardy's adaptation of an actual historical
letter that the author has co-opted to its fullest advantage.
An interesting side bit about the title of this story has to
do with the font used: something about the way it's
written makes the title look like PRISONERS OF LOVE, which
would have been equally applicable if somewhat darker.
Nicole and Ares truly are prisoners of love and of hope, but
the bonds that unite them are also the source of their
greatest freedom. Robin Hardy is currently at work on a
fourth book in this series, and it won't arrive soon enough
for her many fans.
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