Book Review - The Mark of the Lion Series

Francine Rivers. This woman can write! Not only can she write, but she make's you feel things as you read like no author I have read before. She stirs something inside of you. This is the author of the trilogy that I recently completed in audiobook form.

Our first story, A Voice in the Wind takes place thirty years after the death of Jesus. I purchased this series due to a friends recommendation but when I first started listening I almost stopped. How could anyone accurately depict this time? I thought. But Rivers does so with veritable brilliance! When this first novel was complete I read the New Testament with better clarity and appreciation for what the Apostles went through to bring the gospel to a world that was so diabolical and infiltrated with prejudice. We American's living in our comfortable homes with a life of freedom can never fully understand. Most of us do not realize when we hold the book in our hands the blood that was shed (other then our Savior's) to place it there. The forces against the gospel being spread where insurmountable, and yet it is the best known, most published and in the most languages then any other book in history!

But this entry is not about the Bible. The human struggle to do what is right in the face of death and evil is enveloped in the pages of this series. Hadassah in book one conveys the peace and love of Jesus Christ to a Roman family that worships the god's. Marcus in book two goes on a journey in search of this love and peace that eludes his logical mind. And Atretes in book three is filled with bitterness and rage but sees a light burning brightly in the widow Rispa. It draws him in and brings this strong undefeated former Gladiator to his knees.

There are elements in these books that are unsuitable for younger readers but necessary for the stories. Some readers may find these real-life issues uncomfortable to process but the heart of God's love is throughout.

I highly recommend The Mark of the Lion and I will continue to read other books by this author.

Disclaimer- I have no financial gain from reviewing these books. I love to read and I love to read the reviews of others who have a passion for novels. So I do the same.