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A Shield in the Shadows
In 405 AD, a raid from a band of marauding Huns destroys a Christian village in the heart of barbarian Germania. Among those forced to flee are the pastor and his strong-willed, sixteen-year-old daughter Theona.
They lead a tiny group of survivors on a quest to find a new, safer place to settle, and ultimately join a massive invasion into the Roman Empire assembling on the banks of the Danube River.
The invasion is led by Gothic king Radagaisus, described by ancient writers as “a worshipper of demons”. His drive to conquer the tempting lands across the river is fueled by his anger at Rome for abandoning the old pagan gods and adopting Christianity as the new state religion. What will he do when he finds that among the thousands of people joining the invasion, he is harboring Christians? And what will Theona do when she quickly draws the interest of Radagaisus’s impetuous son, Roderic?
Young Gallic aristocrat Marius Ausonius, unaware of the looming threat, joins the Roman Army to train as a tribune. Too soon after his training, he and his cohort are thrust into the eye of the storm when they must defend one of the key strongholds blocking Radagaisus and his hordes.
The lives of Marius and Theona become intertwined in incredible circumstances that will have far-reaching consequences for both of them and their people.
I found it very difficult to put this manuscript down – a very rare occurrence. I enjoyed the historical accuracy, and what a tale this is. Wonderful story telling!
Nick Harris, President and Publisher, Collins Publishers Canada 1974-1986
They lead a tiny group of survivors on a quest to find a new, safer place to settle, and ultimately join a massive invasion into the Roman Empire assembling on the banks of the Danube River.
The invasion is led by Gothic king Radagaisus, described by ancient writers as “a worshipper of demons”. His drive to conquer the tempting lands across the river is fueled by his anger at Rome for abandoning the old pagan gods and adopting Christianity as the new state religion. What will he do when he finds that among the thousands of people joining the invasion, he is harboring Christians? And what will Theona do when she quickly draws the interest of Radagaisus’s impetuous son, Roderic?
Young Gallic aristocrat Marius Ausonius, unaware of the looming threat, joins the Roman Army to train as a tribune. Too soon after his training, he and his cohort are thrust into the eye of the storm when they must defend one of the key strongholds blocking Radagaisus and his hordes.
The lives of Marius and Theona become intertwined in incredible circumstances that will have far-reaching consequences for both of them and their people.
I found it very difficult to put this manuscript down – a very rare occurrence. I enjoyed the historical accuracy, and what a tale this is. Wonderful story telling!
Nick Harris, President and Publisher, Collins Publishers Canada 1974-1986
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 9, 2017
Pinned between an army of invading Huns and the fading Roman empire, High King Radagaisus makes a cataclysmic decision to invade Rome and sacrifice their Senators to his pagan gods rather than fight the bloodthirsty invading Huns. Nestled in his massive invading force, complete with families and wagons and livestock, is a small band of Christians, forced to join the invasion to escape the tragedy and death behind them. Theona, the beautiful daughter of Pastor Rhodus, having watched her family and village viciously and pointlessly murdered by a band of Hun raiders, finds herself thrust into the limelight as the son of the High King notices her, seemingly by chance.
The chance encounter with Prince Roderic quickly draws Theona into the unwanted attention of the vicious and bloodthirsty king, who wants no Christian in his camp, let alone his family!
Meanwhile, Marius Ausonius, the son of a Roman Gallic Aristocrat, joins the army as Tribune, unaware of the impending invasion, and the central part he will play in it.
As nations and faiths struggle for supremacy around them, Marius, Roderic, and Theona try to come to grips with their differences, their hearts, and the God who guides them.
Content:
Drug Content:
PG - There is some drinking in the book, and a few heavily inebriated minor characters, including one uselessly inebriated slave.
Violence:
R - We are talking about a war between pagans who thrive on human sacrifice and torture as a way of life, facing off against the battle-hardened Roman army, who invented crucifixion. This book starts out bloody, as the Huns destroy Theona's village, and there are several bloody battles that are described, though not in horrific detail. A town is sacked and severed limbs are left around by the invading army of barbarians. A large town is under siege and the starvation of the populace is described pretty vividly.
Language:
PG - there is not any cussing that I recall in the book.
Adult Content:
PG - I really don't remember any at all, not even innuendo. There are several suitors vying for the main character, but their intentions are for the most part honorable. A soldier saves Theona from falling victim to a band of barbarian men. There is some of that activity implied in a few places, as often happens when an invasion occurs.
Christian content:
Theona and her father lean heavily on their strong faith in the frightening days they live in and the situations they find themselves in. Their trust in God is evident, and their example leads others to the faith. There are several poignant conversions in the story. Scripture occurs sporadically as characters lean on the Word to comfort them in distress.
Final analysis:
This well-written debut novel by L. A. Racines is an amazing deep dive into a moment in history when Rome was declining and the invading Hun army was driving the Goths into their domain. The book is not long for such an epic adventure spanning about a year. The characters are real and their emotions raw. The environment, the lifestyle, and the challenges the armies face are three-dimensional and immersive. The amount of research that went into this book had to be significant. I went on several fact checking missions and after several chapters I gave that up, the author had done her homework. The overarching feel of the book is one of trust and hope. War, adventure, action, romance, and faith mix well in this concoction by this new author. I can see why it was an award-winner. Five Stars!
* I received an electronic copy for an honest review.
The chance encounter with Prince Roderic quickly draws Theona into the unwanted attention of the vicious and bloodthirsty king, who wants no Christian in his camp, let alone his family!
Meanwhile, Marius Ausonius, the son of a Roman Gallic Aristocrat, joins the army as Tribune, unaware of the impending invasion, and the central part he will play in it.
As nations and faiths struggle for supremacy around them, Marius, Roderic, and Theona try to come to grips with their differences, their hearts, and the God who guides them.
Content:
Drug Content:
PG - There is some drinking in the book, and a few heavily inebriated minor characters, including one uselessly inebriated slave.
Violence:
R - We are talking about a war between pagans who thrive on human sacrifice and torture as a way of life, facing off against the battle-hardened Roman army, who invented crucifixion. This book starts out bloody, as the Huns destroy Theona's village, and there are several bloody battles that are described, though not in horrific detail. A town is sacked and severed limbs are left around by the invading army of barbarians. A large town is under siege and the starvation of the populace is described pretty vividly.
Language:
PG - there is not any cussing that I recall in the book.
Adult Content:
PG - I really don't remember any at all, not even innuendo. There are several suitors vying for the main character, but their intentions are for the most part honorable. A soldier saves Theona from falling victim to a band of barbarian men. There is some of that activity implied in a few places, as often happens when an invasion occurs.
Christian content:
Theona and her father lean heavily on their strong faith in the frightening days they live in and the situations they find themselves in. Their trust in God is evident, and their example leads others to the faith. There are several poignant conversions in the story. Scripture occurs sporadically as characters lean on the Word to comfort them in distress.
Final analysis:
This well-written debut novel by L. A. Racines is an amazing deep dive into a moment in history when Rome was declining and the invading Hun army was driving the Goths into their domain. The book is not long for such an epic adventure spanning about a year. The characters are real and their emotions raw. The environment, the lifestyle, and the challenges the armies face are three-dimensional and immersive. The amount of research that went into this book had to be significant. I went on several fact checking missions and after several chapters I gave that up, the author had done her homework. The overarching feel of the book is one of trust and hope. War, adventure, action, romance, and faith mix well in this concoction by this new author. I can see why it was an award-winner. Five Stars!
* I received an electronic copy for an honest review.
April 6, 2016
A Shield in the Shadows is much better than the typical historical romances I’ve read in the past. This is neither predictable in storyline nor the background and context. If you’re a history buff, you’ll love it. If you’re not, you’ll become one. I was enthralled by the story, and I stopped often to look up history of the people groups and places in the early fifth century. It’s fascinating, especially the way L.A. Racines weaves her story into accurate historical accounts of the effects of trauma and desperation surrounding the people of that era. This book was the best summer read I’ve had in a long time. I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel.
September 5, 2017
This novel takes place in the Roman Empire of the early years of the fifth century. It weaves together the stories of a Roman soldier, a pastor’s daughter and a Gothic prince, combining war, intrigue, love and faith in an engaging saga. The author has done meticulous historical research (including footnotes) which shows through in each stage of the adventure. It is a long book, but I soon found myself becoming captured by the story the author has woven.
October 1, 2021
If you are a student of history, a Latin scholar, or just curious about Roman times, this is your book. It carries you into the past on winged and entertaining feet. This book is an epic, enthralling and entertaining trip, engaging and captivating with every verbal step.
Synopsis from GOODREADS
Early in the 5th century, the Roman empire is in its death throes. The barbarians are storming their gates. Huns, Goths, Slavs, Gauls encroaching or outright attacking the northern and eastern borders of the empire, all with the same goal, to defeat the Romans and take away their rich, prized lands. A Hun attack on a Christian village has unintended consequences. Tribes previously intimidated by Rome’s military reputation now decide to do the unthinkable: attack the Roman empire.
Theona, the female protagonist of the story’s romantic duo, and her father, a Christian pastor, are members of the Goth tribe. Father and daughter, Christian pacifists, are snared by the Gothic mob intent on the invasion of the Roman empire.
On the other side, Roderic, the male counterpart of the duo, becomes a traitor to his barbarian forefathers when he ultimately defects to the Romans.
Balancing this unfolding love story is the conflict between the eager-to-do-battle Gothic king, Radagaisus, an adherent of the old pagan gods embattled with his own people over their growing conversion to Christianity. Radagaisus’ anger and bitterness with Rome’s growing tolerance and acceptance of Christianity are flamed by his greed and impassioned covetousness for the affluent territories across the Danube.
The Roman protagonist, Marius, a nobleman’s son befriends the son of a famed Roman general and the two young men are thrust onto the battlefield much too early for their ages.
The barbarians’ belief and overconfidence that the Roman empire’s days are numbered, its might in decline is premature to their unexpected, and surprisingly unmilitaristic defeat.
Theona, our romantic heroine is mired in the throes of her own emotional turmoil. She is the besotted prize of opposing military leaders, one Roman, Marius, the other a Goth, Roderic.
Much in the way old westerns end riding off into the sunset, Theona rides off on the road to Rome with hopes and dreams that her future will be fulfilled by love and peace.
Richard writes:
We bestow on you, Cheryl Bristow, the title, “Marcia Aurelia Shakespeare, Lady of Ancient Literature.”
Bristow deserves the highest marks for an epic of this magnitude. It is a treasure trove of historical research and a jewelled crown of late Roman era romance.
The reader is increasingly engaged as the tumultuous turbulence of a war story unfolds. The conflict grows but not in the cliched ways of modern wars. The drama here unfolds on an unexpected stage that no reader can foreses, nor imagines.
Theona (our Juliet) awaits her lover held off stage, longer and longer, to build the suspense and to keep the reader guessing. Yes, it could happen; no, it can’t. Yes, Theona may pull it off; no, religious roots will conquer emotional urges. The unfolding yin and yang of the romance is captivating.
Bristow plucks the cliched strings of a historical symphony: cruelty and compassion, barbarism and kindness, slavery and freedom. The story intensifies with conflict: nationalism and race, religious factions, the old ways against the new. Bristow conducts a symphony like a verbal ode to joy. The flames of the story are fueled with increasing excitement, intensity and energy: feuding families, feuding generations, feuding armies, and feuding suitors.
The book surprises the reader with its suspense and energized tensions. Who’d have thought the era could have such fury and force. The intensity of the story is relentless in its development. Even when it looks like we might be sinking into the doldrums caused by a prolonged siege, Bristow slams the accelerator again using the dog, Gideon, to revitalize the joy and happiness only a dog can deliver.
Rather than dwell on minor criticisms, a work of this richness and magnitude deserves unmitigated praise and recognition. Criticisms would be quibbling, nitpicking at a majestic throne of a masterfully written opus.
Bristow, we bow to your creative power, milady!
Synopsis from GOODREADS
Early in the 5th century, the Roman empire is in its death throes. The barbarians are storming their gates. Huns, Goths, Slavs, Gauls encroaching or outright attacking the northern and eastern borders of the empire, all with the same goal, to defeat the Romans and take away their rich, prized lands. A Hun attack on a Christian village has unintended consequences. Tribes previously intimidated by Rome’s military reputation now decide to do the unthinkable: attack the Roman empire.
Theona, the female protagonist of the story’s romantic duo, and her father, a Christian pastor, are members of the Goth tribe. Father and daughter, Christian pacifists, are snared by the Gothic mob intent on the invasion of the Roman empire.
On the other side, Roderic, the male counterpart of the duo, becomes a traitor to his barbarian forefathers when he ultimately defects to the Romans.
Balancing this unfolding love story is the conflict between the eager-to-do-battle Gothic king, Radagaisus, an adherent of the old pagan gods embattled with his own people over their growing conversion to Christianity. Radagaisus’ anger and bitterness with Rome’s growing tolerance and acceptance of Christianity are flamed by his greed and impassioned covetousness for the affluent territories across the Danube.
The Roman protagonist, Marius, a nobleman’s son befriends the son of a famed Roman general and the two young men are thrust onto the battlefield much too early for their ages.
The barbarians’ belief and overconfidence that the Roman empire’s days are numbered, its might in decline is premature to their unexpected, and surprisingly unmilitaristic defeat.
Theona, our romantic heroine is mired in the throes of her own emotional turmoil. She is the besotted prize of opposing military leaders, one Roman, Marius, the other a Goth, Roderic.
Much in the way old westerns end riding off into the sunset, Theona rides off on the road to Rome with hopes and dreams that her future will be fulfilled by love and peace.
Richard writes:
We bestow on you, Cheryl Bristow, the title, “Marcia Aurelia Shakespeare, Lady of Ancient Literature.”
Bristow deserves the highest marks for an epic of this magnitude. It is a treasure trove of historical research and a jewelled crown of late Roman era romance.
The reader is increasingly engaged as the tumultuous turbulence of a war story unfolds. The conflict grows but not in the cliched ways of modern wars. The drama here unfolds on an unexpected stage that no reader can foreses, nor imagines.
Theona (our Juliet) awaits her lover held off stage, longer and longer, to build the suspense and to keep the reader guessing. Yes, it could happen; no, it can’t. Yes, Theona may pull it off; no, religious roots will conquer emotional urges. The unfolding yin and yang of the romance is captivating.
Bristow plucks the cliched strings of a historical symphony: cruelty and compassion, barbarism and kindness, slavery and freedom. The story intensifies with conflict: nationalism and race, religious factions, the old ways against the new. Bristow conducts a symphony like a verbal ode to joy. The flames of the story are fueled with increasing excitement, intensity and energy: feuding families, feuding generations, feuding armies, and feuding suitors.
The book surprises the reader with its suspense and energized tensions. Who’d have thought the era could have such fury and force. The intensity of the story is relentless in its development. Even when it looks like we might be sinking into the doldrums caused by a prolonged siege, Bristow slams the accelerator again using the dog, Gideon, to revitalize the joy and happiness only a dog can deliver.
Rather than dwell on minor criticisms, a work of this richness and magnitude deserves unmitigated praise and recognition. Criticisms would be quibbling, nitpicking at a majestic throne of a masterfully written opus.
Bristow, we bow to your creative power, milady!
March 18, 2021
To me, the value of historical fiction is not only a good yarn, but also a learning experience. With this book I got both. The fictitious characters were so relatable. The various subplots were thrilling. And behind it all was the real backdrop of Roman Europe in 400AD. The author evidently spent a lot of effort in researching this time period and the region, and I have certainly learned something of historical value in an enjoyable way.
March 10, 2024
I repeatedly found myself drawn back to this book. The characters and plot are compelling. The book is set in the final years of the western Roman Empire and we view these tumultuous years through the eyes of two individuals from opposing camps, Fiona a young Goth, and Marius a young Roman soldier. Author, Cheryl Bristow's, thorough research into this historical period is evident in every chapter. I was left wanting to know more. Highly recommended for those who like historical fiction with a touch of romance.
April 26, 2018
I wrote it. I love it. I love the characters, and they still make me laugh and appreciate their complexity. A shortened version is coming in June, 2018 for those who found the font size a challenge the first time around.
December 5, 2015
I love this book! The characters are captivating, the story line engaging and the historical context is educational. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews