Healer of Carthage - Review and Giveaway

Just when Dr. Lisbeth Hastings thinks her life can't get anymore complicated than what it is as a first year resident trying to stay ahead of her game, she finds herself thrust into an ancient history she had only read about before. Losing her mother 23 years ago during an archaeological dig, she has taken over the helm studying to follow in her mother's footsteps as a doctor. Only where her mother excelled, Lisbeth is struggling with trying to appease everyone she can. But when sleep deprivation finally begins to take its toll and a young child she provides a hurried diagnosis for ends up dying, Lisbeth is given a two week reprieve to get her head straight or face more serious consequences.

Doubting her ability whether she will ever be able to make her mother proud, Lisbeth uses the two weeks to join her father while he continues to search for her long lost mother in a cave in Tunisia called the "Cave of Swimmers. He believes he may have uncovered clues to point to where she may have gone, which Lisbeth writes off to a medical diagnosis of perhaps Alzheimer's. But when she wanders into the cave looking for her father, she happens upon some ancient cave paintings of colorful swimmers on the wall. When she places her hand on one of them, she is immediately transported beneath the ground to third-century ancient Carthage in Rome where she is about to be sold as a slave to proconsul Aspasius. Fortunately for Lisbeth being fluent in a variety of languages allows her to speak Latin, the language of this time in history.But just before the deal is about to be sealed, Cyprian Thascius claims victory of her sale instead which Lisbeth isn't too happy with.

When she learns that Cyprian has done her a favor, all she can think of is how to escape and find her way back to her father, who now has lost both his wife and daughter in the Cave of Swimmers. But what Lisbeth will soon discover is that her medical skills will enable her to help heal what is impacted the poor people of Carthage, a deadly plague that if left unchecked will spell doom for the town. But she is about to discover an alliance she never dreamed she would, when she realizes that her mother is the famed healer of Carthage and working as a slave for Aspasius, a violent and temperamental ruler for Carthage who is targeting the destruction of all the Christians. Now she must find a way to escape along with saving her mother before time runs out for them both!

I received Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This is the first novel in the Carthage Chronicles Series and one that employs a variety of genres to make this one an amazing read and one you will want to follow along in the journey that Lisbeth must undertake. First she must deal with her own inadequacies as a failing doctor and discover that she truly does possess talents that can help people even if she doubts herself. Taking a modern doctor and thrusting her back in time, is a wonderful premise that really works for this series. She can understand simple medical issues that can be cured if only enough time were available like the discovery of citrus and even antibiotics but she must utilize what she has available to help cure the plague that is ravaging the city. I easily rate this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next one in this series, which you get a sneak peek at in this one along with a reader's discussion guide that is perfect for book clubs.

Now for the best part, thanks to the generosity of Howard Books, they are providing a giveaway copy of Healer of Carthage to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here is all you need to do to enter:

1. "Like" Howard Books Facebook page so you don't miss out on any of their amazing books!

2. "Like" Lynne Gentry's Facebook page! Trust me you will LOVE her novels!

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. If you have a Twitter account, make sure you follow Howard Books and "Tweet about this giveaway using @Howard_Books @Lynne_Gentry in your tweet!

5. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of Healer of Carthage along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. But if I don't have your email address, I can't notify you if you're the lucky winner. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one!

I will notify the winner by email once the giveaway ends on March 17th to give you plenty of time to enter. .Remember you gain an entry for every one of the guidelines you complete and you can enter as many times as you'd like. Simply leave comments on Howard Books and Lynne Gentry's Facebook if you have already "Liked" them.

For more information about Healer of Carthage, Lynne Gentry or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry

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To read more reviews on Healer of Carthage, please visit Howard Book's website.