This e-short prequel to The Carthage Chronicles series offers an exclusive look at the romance of archaeologist Lawrence Hastings and Dr. Magdalena Kader­—parents of heroine Dr. Lisbeth Hastings from the upcoming novel Healer of Carthage—and how they stumbled upon a mystery thousands of years old and began the fateful journey to the Cave of the Swimmers. Before Lawrence Hastings became obsessed with the Cave of the Swimmers and the mysterious disappearances surrounding it, he was just a young archaeologist excavating the Tophet of Roman Carthage. After an embarrassing on-the-job injury, Lawrence meets Magdalena Kader, a beautiful local doctor caught between her loyalty to her father and his traditions and what her heart truly desires. Can they overcome their vastly different worlds to find something more?

A modern-day doctor gets trapped in third-century Carthage, Rome, where she uncovers buried secrets, confronts Christian persecution, and battles a deadly epidemic to save the man she loves. A twenty-first-century doctor. A third-century plague. A love out of time. First-year resident Dr. Lisbeth Hastings is too busy to take her father’s bizarre summons seriously. But when a tragic mistake puts her career in jeopardy, answering her father’s call seems her only hope of redeeming the devastating failure that her life has become. While exploring the haunting cave at her father’s archaeological dig, Lisbeth falls through a hidden hole, awakening to find herself the object of a slave auction and the ruins of Roman Carthage inexplicably restored to a thriving metropolis. Is it possible that she’s traveled back in time, and, if so, how can she find her way back home? Cyprian Thascius believes God called him to rescue the mysterious woman from the slave trader’s cell. What he doesn’t understand is why saving the church of his newfound faith requires him to love a woman whose peculiar ways could get him killed. But who is he to question God? As their different worlds collide, it sparks an intense attraction that unites Lisbeth and Cyprian in a battle against a deadly epidemic. Even as they confront persecution, uncover buried secrets, and ignite the beginnings of a medical revolution, Roman wrath threatens to separate them forever. Can they find their way to each other through all these obstacles? Or are the eighteen hundred years between them too far of a leap?

From Lynne Gentry comes this e-short prequel to The Carthage Chronicles and her upcoming novel, Return to Exile, shedding light on the love story of Ruth and Caecilianus and the beginnings of the church in Carthage and their relationship with the young Roman noble, Cyprian. Before Dr. Lisbeth Hastings took her unexpected tumble into third-century Carthage and found herself amidst the persecuted church, future bishop Caecilianus, then a famous dyer of imperial purple, was visiting the tapestry shop in the low-rent district every Tuesday. It may have been a part of his duties as the deacon tasked to check upon the widows and their families, but deep down, he knew it was because of Ruth, the widow's lovely daughter who was so very determined to get the family back on their feet of her own accord. Can Caecilianus break through Ruth's single-minded focus to show her the freedom of surrender? Or will Ruth's dogged self-sufficiency push away the man who loves her?

A twenty-first-century doctor travels back in time to third-century Carthage to rescue her husband, but the arrival of a deadly epidemic forces her to make an impossible choice in this fast-paced second novel in The Carthage Chronicles series. Dr. Lisbeth Hastings salvaged two things from her accidental trip to the third century: her mother's stethoscope and her child. Making a life for her daughter Maggie back in the present is difficult, but returning to ancient Carthage is impossible. However, when Lisbeth learns her husband is slated to die a martyr's death, she must find a way around the impossible to save him. Cyprian Thascius returns from political exile a broken man. He's lost his faith, the love of his life, and his purpose. When Ruth, an old friend, proposes he marry her to restore his position and protect his estate, the disgraced nobleman accepts. But when Cyprian's true love suddenly reappears, his heart becomes as imperiled as the fledgling church. As Lisbeth and Cyprian reunite to battle a new epidemic and save the oppressed community of Christians, the chasm between the two of them seems too wide to bridge. But when Maggie contracts typhoid, Lisbeth must choose: stay and save the man she loves, or return home and save her daughter? Filled with gripping action and raw emotion, this incredibly compelling adventure of star-crossed lovers will keep you engrossed with every turn of the page.

Every choice has a consequence in the explosive conclusion to the Carthage Chronicles as Lisbeth returns to third-century Carthage for a thrilling final adventure. Thirteen years ago, Lisbeth made an impossible decision—leave third-century Carthage and her husband Cyprian behind for good. She knew it was to protect her daughter Maggie, so Lisbeth gathered the strength to move on with her life. All these years, Lisbeth has thrown herself into her work and raising her headstrong daughter, all to live up to the promise she made to Cyprian. But Maggie is sick of being protected. In an act of teenage rebellion Maggie decides to do what her mother can’t—secretly returning to the third century on a quest to bring her father back, leaving Lisbeth no choice but to follow. With Maggie’s surprise arrival in Carthage, chaos ensues. She finds her grandmother on trial for murder and attempts to save her, but instead the diversion sparks a riot that nearly destroys the plagued city. Only one thing will appease the wrath of the new proconsul of Carthage: the death of the instigator. Will Lisbeth arrive in time to save her daughter from the clutches of Rome? How can God possibly redeem such a slew of unwise decisions and deep regrets? Filled with heart-wrenching twists and riveting action, Valley of Decision brings the romantic adventure epic, The Carthage Chronicles, to an electrifying conclusion.