It’s also filled with danger and corruption―the perfect setting for Ariadne’s greatest adventure.Īfter years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.ĭesperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. Still, Lydia can’t outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide, she must either stand firm and trust in her fledgling faith or succumb to the fear that has ruled her life.įirst-century Corinth is a city teeming with commerce and charm. Determination and serendipitous acquaintances―along with her father’s precious dye―help her become one of the city’s preeminent merchants.īut fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming his first European convert. With only her father’s secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to establish her business on her own. Then unbearable betrayal robs her of nearly everything. And along the way, she changes the world.īut before she was Lydia, the seller of purple, she was simply a merchant’s daughter who loved three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making dye.

One woman rises up to take the reins of success in an incredible journey of courage, grit, and friendship. The foundation of an influential trade in a Roman world dominated by men. Some of her awards include: a Christy Award for Best Historical Romance 2014 (Harvest of Gold) an INSPY Award for General Fiction category 2017 (Land of Silence) and an ECPA Christian Book of the Year Award In the Bible Study Category 2021 (The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings). Her books Thief of Corinth (2018), Daughter of Rome (2020), and Jewel of the Nile (2021) are inspired by minor characters from the book of Acts, whereas Tessa’s non-fiction book The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings (2020), is based on the book of Ruth. She spent two decades serving in women and prayer ministries before becoming a speaker and full-time writer. Now permanently residing in the United States, Tessa–who converted to Christianity in her twenties–holds a Master of Divinity from Yale.

Tessa Afshar is an Iranian-born American bestselling and award-winning author of biblical and inspirational historical fiction set in biblical times.īorn in the Middle East, where she stayed till she was fourteen, Tessa moved to England, where the likes of Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte stole her heart.

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar