A Stray Drop of Blood

By Roseanna M. White

Description:

Beautiful is a dangerous thing to be when one is unprotected.

For seven years, Abigail has been a slave in the Visibullis house. With a Hebrew mistress and a Roman master, she has always been more family than servant . . . until their son returns to Jerusalem after his years in Rome. Within a few months Jason has taken her to his bed and turned her world upsidedown. Maybe, given time, she can come to love him as he says he loves her. But how does she open her heart to the man who ruined her?

Israel's unrest finds a home in her bosom, but their rebellion tears apart her world. Death descends with Barabbas's sword, and Abigail is determined to be there when the criminal is punished. But when she ventures to the trial, Barabbas is not the one the crowd calls to crucify. Instead, it is the teacher her master and Jason had begun to follow, the man from Nazareth that some call the Son of God . . .

Born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds, Abigail never knows freedom until she feels the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter. Disowned by Israel, despised by Rome, desired by all, she never knows love until she receives the smile of a stoic Roman noble.

Book Takeaway:

Readers have commented on how it opens their eyes to history, to the reality of Christ, put them in touch with a part of themselves reflected in the heroine, even though she is a slave, and brought to life the spiritual elements at play in Jesus' day--which are still present in our lives today.

Why the author wrote this book:

I came up with the idea on Good Friday, when I was 15. I wanted to put myself into the shoes a woman who went the Jesus' trial seeking vengeance on Barabbas, and instead she collided with forgiveness. It started as a short story, and over the next six years as I immersed myself in Ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Roman texts, it expanded into a book that dealt with the consequences of passion, the realities of slavery, the freedom of forgiveness, and the difficulties of trusting in a Savior that no one around you knows.