Recent Reads {Pompeii: City on Fire}

Pompeii: City on Fire by T.L. Higley - It's the intriguing setting of this novel that captured my attention - Pompeii, shortly before the catastrophic eruption of Mt Vesuvius.  I don't think I've ever seen a Christian 'romance' novel set in Pompeii before.  The main characters are Cato, a rich patrician Roman who has left an unfulfilling career as a politician in Rome and wants to build a new life in Pompeii; and Ariella, a Jewish slave who has disguised herself as a young boy sold into a gladiator troupe.  Pompeii's local government is corrupt and despite Cato's attempts to sidestep the issue, he is finally drawn into the upcoming election after his own business and family are threatened.  In the meantime, Ariella must prove herself in the gladiator ring while keeping her secret.  Cato and Ariella cross paths and, predictably, find themselves drawn together.  They also come in contact with the Christians in Pompeii and must make their own decisions regarding the faith.  All while Vesuvius is giving the first warning signs of the disaster to come.  The story itself was interesting, with new perspectives on the setting and the daily life of Roman citizens and slaves at that time.  However, every few chapters there was a short excerpt that was from the mountain's 'point of view' that I didn't care for.  It set the tone for the chapters to come, and revealed that the eruption was coming ever closer, but it also gave a little nod to the earth goddess belief system, suggesting that the mountain viewed itself as a 'mother' to the city and was making her own decision to punish and destroy.  This is only partially debunked at the end.  I found it slightly off-putting to read a page of the thoughts of the 'volcano goddess-mother' while chapters before and after featured Christians claiming that there is only One God and rejecting the Roman belief in many gods.

By the same author:  In the Shadow of Colossus (which I read awhile ago, but failed to write about...)