Valeria's Cross [Paperback]

Kathi Macias (Author), Susan Wales (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2010

Valeria's Cross is the story of a 3rd century Roman marriage, forged in violence and deceit and built on religious opposition. It is about the many ways that men and women love and fight and grudgingly respect. Yet in the end, God's faithfulness triumphs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Macias (A Moment A Day) and Wales (the Match Made in Heaven series) collaborate on historical fiction set in the 3rd-century Roman Empire, in the last days of persecution of Christians before Constantine legitimizes the religion. Valeria is the daughter of Roman emperor Diocletian, a ferocious persecutor of Christians. Valeria becomes a Christian and falls in love with a Christian soldier who is subsequently martyred. She is then compelled by her father to marry the ambitious pagan general Galerius, whom she regards as responsible for the death of the soldier she loved. The writers are constrained by a faithfulness to historical fact that makes the story almost inanimate in spots ("And so the empire continued"), and also makes the character of Galerius unconvincing; trite dialog doesn't help ("I expected a real hellcat with claws"). The authors should dial down the history and dial up the fiction for a more engaging balance. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Kathi Macias is an Angel-award winning writer who has authored or co-authored thirty books, including the bestselling devotional A Moment A Day, the popular Matthews mystery novels, and the Extreme Devotion series scheduled for 2010-2011 release. She is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs. She also hosts the international blogtalkradio program “Write the Vision” for The International Christian Network (www.THEICN.com) and is a regular online contributor to Crosswalk.com, The Christian Pulse, and Churchmouse.  Visit her on the web at KathiMacias.com

Susan Wales, a born storyteller and wife of film producer, Ken Wales, is a popular speaker throughout the United States and a frequent teacher at writers’ conferences. A partner in Gaga Animation with Jeff Holder, she also has spoken internationally on storytelling in production. She co-authored Faith in God and Generals and The Amazing Grace of Freedom, companion books for those two films, and also co-wrote the popular political thriller series The Chase, The Replacement, and The Candidate. Best known for her Match Made in Heaven series of compiled true stories, Susan co-wrote two etiquette books, Social Graces and Social Graces for your Wedding, and an entertaining book, The Pleasure of Your Company. Her top-selling gift books with author Alice Gray are A Christmas Keepsake, Keepsakes for a Mother’s Heart, and Grandmother, Another Name for Love.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (July 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426702159
• ISBN-13: 978-1426702150
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Times Are Not The Same As Roman Times February 17, 2012

By CelticWomanFanPiano VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The plot of this book has promise, but the authors of this book didn't do it justice. They make two big glaring errors. While the first hundred pages do captivate the reader, it is almost as though the authors confused medieval times with Roman Empire Times. The value of historical fiction is learning the culture of the times and these two authors just decided to write a medieval castles and princesses story set in Roman Times. They have Valeria, the Emperor's daughter, studying French. For one, the Romans held great disdain for the "barbarian" languages of the lands they conquered and if they allowed a girl to study it would be Greek. This is the type of error the authors make repeatedly throughout the book. It makes one doubt if anything they wrote was researched at all. While the story of the repeated decimation of the Thebian Legion is a powerful one and one that Hollywood could really make a blockbuster film out of, the authors go out of their way to try and make a romance where there isn't one. So a power hungry lecher puts aside his first wife to marry Valeria and become a Ceasar and we are led to believe that he would be gentle with her on the honeymoon? It doesn't fit with the personality of the time period where women and children were the property of the males. I think the authors couldn't rationalize the fact that a young believer like Valeria wouldn't be rescued from an undesirable fate by God, so they try to make it as sanitized as possible for the reader. It makes the story lose impact. In the end, I hope the story of Valeria and the Thebian Legion gets told, but by authors who take scholarship more seriously.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this one! August 10, 2010

By Peggy Blann Phifer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love historical fiction but I have to say that I choose to read stories set in only certain eras, and Ancient history is one of them. It seems like ages since I've heard about or read any current books set back in the early centuries AD. So I was very excited when I heard about Valeria's Cross and that Kathi Macias was one of the co-authors, I knew I had to get my hands on that book.

I was not disappointed. There is nothing slow or boring about this book--not on a single page from start to finish. The story line is based on actual facts and actual people. The characters are so well drawn you'll feel their every heartbeat, hear their every breath, experience their every step.

Valeria is an extraordinary woman who embraces Christianity at an early age despite her position as a princess--the Emperor Diocletian's daughter, himself a pagan ruler who hates Christians. Forced by her father into marriage to a man Valeria detests sets Valeria on a path she must tread carefully. Obedient to both husband and father, she must weigh the consequences of each decision in order to protect her life and still remain true to her Christian faith.

It's a time fraught with danger for Christians, and any misstep, or misspoken word could lead to a horrible death . . . even for those who protect them.

I couldn't put Valeria's Cross down. Honestly. It is extremely well-written and meticulously well researched. High praises for the book and the writing team of Kathi Macias and Susan Wales.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A sad attempt at relating a sad story August 20, 2011

By malay<3sia

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Historically, this could be a valuable and informative book, but the authors' attempt at "romance" failed miserably. I know there are all kinds of people in this world, but I find it impossible to believe that anyone's emotions work the way these authors describe. Valeria's flip-flopping from utter contempt to weak-kneed "love" and back to contempt again was ridiculous. There were parts of the book I found horribly offensive and insulting (such as the way Valeria so quickly grew to "love" this man who had been such a creep, and with him so cavalierly discounted the love of his first wife: "She's strong. She'll get over it."), there were a number of anachronisms (if my Kindle dictionary with its word origins is to be believed more than the authors), and there were a number of formatting errors.

The theology of this book is sorely lacking. A character says, "God allows the physical torture of the body and spiritual burden of the heart because it gradually becomes the motivation for salvation..." If that is the motivation for your salvation, I don't want to serve your God.

While this is far from the worst book I have ever read, it also has a long way to go before I could say I liked it.