3/15/16: Wow, I ended up re-reading this, not realizing I had read this before. It didn't at all trigger in my memory while I read it. This either says something about how memorable this novel is....or how bad my memory is getting. 
 All-in-all, it is well-written, good reading for those with gracious and kind-hearted spirits. For those who, like me, prefer some more realism, faith experiences that aren't so romanticised, and enjoy watching things like the Deadpool movie, steer clear. 
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 A decent read that manages to be enjoyable despite random oddities and a bewildering ending. 
 The novel is based on the premise that the centurion in the Bible whose servant is healed by Jesus is directed by Pontius Pilate to investigate the death of Jesus and whether there will be a revolt against Rome. In the meantime, the centurion seeks the hand of Pilate's niece, who is partially Jewish, for a political marriage, though of course there is no doubt that they would fall madly in love. 
 I was intrigued because the centurion's story is one of my favorites in the Bible, and also because one of my guilty pleasures is a romance where a girl on the side of Good (in this case, Jewish) falls in love with an enemy combatant. My hopes weren't too high though, since previous experiences with inspirational romances left me gagging from the saccharine improbability/unrealisticness of it all. The first couple of chapters, which introduced Leah, the Jewish girl, did nothing to disprove my prejudices, but once the centurion entered the story, the pace picked up and I found myself turning the pages to see how his investigations went. 
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 ***SPOILERS BELOW*** 
 Regrettably, the story did finally return to the predictably dramatic formula that's always employed when unbelievers feature in Christian novels, although the authors managed not to make it too melodramatic. It may not be a problem to other readers; it's just that my conversion experience is about 170 degrees apart from how it is commonly portrayed in fiction, so ... it's pretty hard for me to relate. And induces fits of eye-rolling. 
 The ending super-flops when in the last couple of chapters, it's introduced that, oh no!! The centurion's life/position is in danger, as well as any who may be related to him! All of which is exciting and good, until Pontius Pilate growls out "You will hear from me!", the centurion is led away, and then the centurion and Leah proceed to have a happy happy wedding celebration and life-changing God experiences with such joyousness that it felt like the authors completely forgot that Pilate was going to screw them over Very Soon. The centurion is free to muck about in Jewish sectors with no guards. Where is the house arrest?? 
 Other oddities include: 
 Why is the Jewish girl acting as a servant when she is Pontius Pilate's niece? Sure, her family's name and reputation were ruined, but if Pilate is going to be advertising her as part of the family, I would've thought she'd have a better position in the household. 
 The prevalent use of the words "mate" instead of "comrade/soldier-in-arms/something else that doesn't sound so Aussie or British", "lad" when I normally see plain ol' "boy", etc. 
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