The Light in the Empire Series follows the interconnected lives of several Roman families during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. Join them as they travel the Empire, from Germania and Britannia to Thracia, Dacia, Judaea, North Africa, and, of course, to Rome itself.
Although each can be read stand-alone, here are some groupings you might enjoy based on the appearance of some characters in more than one story.
Drusus family: The Legacy, True Freedom, Second Chances, Forgiven
Lentulus family: Blind Ambition, Faithful
Crassus family: Blind Ambition, Faithful, Honor Bound
Sabinus family: The Legacy, Honor Bound, More Than Honor, What Matters Most
Glabrio family: What Matters Most, Truth and Honor
Titianus family: True Freedom, More Than Honor, What Matters Most, Truth and Honor
Brutus family: Faithful, True Freedom, Honor Bound
The Dacians: Hope Unchained, Hope’s Reward, True Freedom
You can start the series with any of the novels because they truly can be read independently. But since they share some characters, you might find it a richer experience if you’ve spent time with the characters in more than one story. Here are some lists that will let you see some of the relationships between the novels. You can download a printable pdf of this information.
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The theme of all the novels: Remaining faithful to Jesus, even when that might cost everything, can change the world for those around us, even for people who might start out as our enemies.
The series tagline: Dangerous times, difficult friendships, lives transformed by forgiveness and love.
Timeline of novels
| Year (AD) | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 106 | Hope Unchained | Romania to Serbian coast and back |
| 106 | Hope’s Reward | Italy, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Greece |
| 114 | Blind Ambition | Germany to Rome and back |
| 114 | The Legacy | Rome to Greece to Turkey |
| 118 | True Freedom | Rome and surrounding parts of Italy |
| 122 | Forgiven | Israel (Galilee) |
| 122 | Second Chances | Rome to Greece to Turkey |
| 122 | Faithful | Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Rome |
| 122-3 | Honor Bound | Rome, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany |
| 126 | More Than Honor | Rome |
| 127 | What Matters Most | Rome |
| 128 | Truth and Honor | Rome and Carthage in North Africa |
The family relationships of the characters in the stories (listed chronologically)
Drusus family
Blind Ambition
The Legacy
True Freedom
Forgiven
Second Chances
Lentulus Family
Blind Ambition
Faithful
Crassus family
Blind Ambition
Faithful
Honor Bound
Aristarchus of Thessalonica family and friends
Hope’s Reward
The Legacy
Second Chances
Diegis/Leander, Ariana, and Ursus from Dacia
Hope Unchained
Hope’s Reward
True Freedom
Brutus family
True Freedom
Faithful
Honor Bound
Gracchus family
Hope Unchained
Hope’s Reward
Sabinus family
The Legacy
True Freedom
Honor Bound
More Than Honor
What Matters Most
Titianus family
True Freedom
More Than Honor
What Matters Most
Truth and Honor
Glabrio family
What Matters Most
Truth and Honor
Stories Where Publius’s Letter from The Legacy is Important
The Legacy
More Than Honor
What Matters Most
If you’d like to know about future novels. special offers, and behind-the-scenes info on the writing journey, please sign up for my newsletter.