Daria is running from a dark past. She is trying to make a living by becoming a teacher after her tutoring position fell through. However, in the days of Rome, a woman is not accepted to schools and they were frowned upon if they were independent. Fortunately, Lucas Christopulous offers her a position as a Persian tutor. She goes with him to Ephesus in the hopes of starting fresh. However, Lucas has a murky past to hide from as well, and as Daria continues to grow closer to him, she uncovers terrible secrets that could very well change all she knows about life and truth.
So Shines the Night by Tracy L. Higley is part of her Wonders of the Ancient World series. Each book focuses on a different landmark, and this particular one centered around the Temple of Artemis. I have mixed feelings regarding the book. While I still enjoy Higley’s books, they are growing a little predictable which takes some of the joy out of reading them. Immediately I was able to determine a rough idea of how the plot would work out simply based on the other two books I’ve read by the same author. This one was written better than the others, which shows growth in the author’s writing style, and for that I was glad.
So Shines the Night by Tracy L. Higley is part of her Wonders of the Ancient World series. Each book focuses on a different landmark, and this particular one centered around the Temple of Artemis. I have mixed feelings regarding the book. While I still enjoy Higley’s books, they are growing a little predictable which takes some of the joy out of reading them. Immediately I was able to determine a rough idea of how the plot would work out simply based on the other two books I’ve read by the same author. This one was written better than the others, which shows growth in the author’s writing style, and for that I was glad.
I love historical fiction and I was enthralled by Higley’s other books, so I eagerly picked this one up. However, I feel like there wasn’t as much historical focus in So Shines the Night as there was in the other books. I don’t mean to simply compare the author’s books to each other, but because they are in a series, they go somewhat together in my mind. I was really hoping that Artemis’ temple would have more detail included. Instead of being described like I thought, the book more focused on the character development (which is definitely not a bad thing). I think I was expecting something a little different which caused my perception to be different. Overall, it was still a good book that I would recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction, historical romances, or ancient adventures/mysteries, but if you have already read Isle of Shadows or Garden of Madness then I warn you it is similar.
Thanks to BookSneeze.com for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.
