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Carol Ashby Books in Order

Explore Carol Ashby books in order, with Light in the Empire titles, short summaries, series notes, and straightforward advice on where to start reading.

Last updated: July 6, 2026

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Carol Ashby books in publication order

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15 books

Forgiven

by Carol Ashby

2016

Lucius Drusus survives an attack in Judaea only because Rachel, a Messianic Jewish woman, shelters him as an enemy. Love grows between them, but family grief, old violence, and Lucius's murderous brother threaten any hope of peace.

Blind Ambition

by Carol Ashby

2017

In Germania, rising tribune Decimus Lentulus is robbed, blinded, and rescued by Valeria, a Christian he should arrest. Her family's mercy unsettles his ambition and forces him to choose between Rome's power and a new way of life.

The Legacy

by Carol Ashby

2017

After their father's execution, Claudia and Titus Drusus are trapped by betrayal, revenge, and a ruthless brother. Escape, secret faith, and a final call to forgiveness push them toward choices that could free or harden their hearts.

Faithful

by Carol Ashby

2018

When Adela is kidnapped and Otto is dragged toward a Roman arena, Galen crosses the empire to save his friend. Adela joins the chase, and their desperate mission becomes a story of loyalty, vengeance, and faith under pressure.

Second Chances

by Carol Ashby

2018

Cornelia flees Rome with her daughter after learning her husband plans a brutal marriage alliance. A sea voyage with widowed captain Hector offers hope, but her ex-husband, class barriers, and old secrets keep closing in.

Hope Unchained

by Carol Ashby

2019

After Rome destroys her family, Ariana wins freedom by saving a tribune's wife, then races to rescue her enslaved brother and sister. A scarred former legionary escorts her across Dacia, and the journey tests both courage and faith.

True Freedom

by Carol Ashby

2019

A reckless fake kidnapping turns real, and slave Dacius nearly dies trying to save Julia from the plot around her. Hiding as free people gives them a glimpse of another future, if Roman law and family power do not crush it first.

Honor Bound

by Carol Ashby

2020

Marcus Brutus has spent years hating the Christian faith he blames for his wife's death. When injury leaves him in Licinia's care in Germania, he discovers she is the believer he long resented, and protecting her could undo his certainty.

Hope's Reward

by Carol Ashby

2020

Escaped gladiator Matti heads for Thessalonica hoping to find Christians like the woman who led him to Jesus. On the road he protects Felicia from her violent husband, but both carry secrets that could block any future together.

More Than Honor

by Carol Ashby

2021

Urban Cohort investigator Titianus hunts the killer of his old tutor, only to find danger circling a Christian family he once knew. As the hunter becomes the hunted, duty, truth, and love pull him in opposite directions.

What Matters Most

by Carol Ashby

2021

Just days before leaving the Urban Cohort, Titianus is drafted into a secret investigation of an assassination plot that may reach his own commander. Around him, Sabina and Glabrio face their own collision of ambition, family pressure, and desire.

Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings

by Carol Ashby

2023

Lusario expects to earn his freedom as a tutor, until he is handed over to settle another man's debt. In Carthago, new friendships and a risky chance at escape reopen a future that seemed gone for good.

Truth and Honor

by Carol Ashby

2023

Ambitious tribune Glabrio arrives in Carthago to find a missing officer and stop a counterfeiting scheme. His pursuit brings him close to Martina, whose hidden Christian faith could cost both of them the futures they thought they wanted.

River of Life

by Carol Ashby

2024

Driven from home for her faith, Neferu becomes tutor to Jason, a boy whose inheritance may get him killed. On a dangerous Nile journey, she joins Lusario and Caelus in a fight for work, survival, and a future worth claiming.

New

What Loyalty Demands

by Carol Ashby

2026

In Britannia, tribune Rogatus thinks two more years of service will buy the life he wants. Then unrest grows into rebellion, and Narina must keep her Roman friend and British cousin from becoming deadly enemies.

Where to start with Carol Ashby

If you want publication order: ForgivenBlind AmbitionThe Legacy
For the Lentulus and Crassus thread: Blind AmbitionFaithfulHonor Bound
For the Dacian arc of slavery and freedom: Hope UnchainedHope's RewardTrue Freedom
For Roman investigations and political intrigue: More Than HonorWhat Matters MostTruth and Honor

Carol Ashby sub-series and character series

Light in the Empire books in order

Explore this series
  1. Book cover for "Forgiven"

    Forgiven

    by Carol Ashby

    2016Light in the Empire, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Blind Ambition"

    Blind Ambition

    by Carol Ashby

    2017Light in the Empire, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Legacy"

    The Legacy

    by Carol Ashby

    2017Light in the Empire, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Faithful"

    Faithful

    by Carol Ashby

    2018Light in the Empire, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Second Chances"

    Second Chances

    by Carol Ashby

    2018Light in the Empire, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Hope Unchained"

    Hope Unchained

    by Carol Ashby

    2019Light in the Empire, Book 7
  7. Book cover for "True Freedom"

    True Freedom

    by Carol Ashby

    2019Light in the Empire, Book 6
  8. Book cover for "Honor Bound"

    Honor Bound

    by Carol Ashby

    2020Light in the Empire, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Hope's Reward"

    Hope's Reward

    by Carol Ashby

    2020Light in the Empire, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "More Than Honor"

    More Than Honor

    by Carol Ashby

    2021Light in the Empire, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "What Matters Most"

    What Matters Most

    by Carol Ashby

    2021Light in the Empire, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings"

    Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings

    by Carol Ashby

    2023Light in the Empire, Book 13
  13. Book cover for "Truth and Honor"

    Truth and Honor

    by Carol Ashby

    2023Light in the Empire, Book 12
  14. Book cover for "River of Life"

    River of Life

    by Carol Ashby

    2024Light in the Empire, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "What Loyalty Demands"

    What Loyalty Demands

    by Carol Ashby

    2026Light in the Empire, Book 15

Light in the Empire books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Forgiven"

    Forgiven

    by Carol Ashby

    2016Light in the Empire, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Blind Ambition"

    Blind Ambition

    by Carol Ashby

    2017Light in the Empire, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Legacy"

    The Legacy

    by Carol Ashby

    2017Light in the Empire, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Faithful"

    Faithful

    by Carol Ashby

    2018Light in the Empire, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Second Chances"

    Second Chances

    by Carol Ashby

    2018Light in the Empire, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "True Freedom"

    True Freedom

    by Carol Ashby

    2019Light in the Empire, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Hope Unchained"

    Hope Unchained

    by Carol Ashby

    2019Light in the Empire, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Honor Bound"

    Honor Bound

    by Carol Ashby

    2020Light in the Empire, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Hope's Reward"

    Hope's Reward

    by Carol Ashby

    2020Light in the Empire, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "More Than Honor"

    More Than Honor

    by Carol Ashby

    2021Light in the Empire, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "What Matters Most"

    What Matters Most

    by Carol Ashby

    2021Light in the Empire, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Truth and Honor"

    Truth and Honor

    by Carol Ashby

    2023Light in the Empire, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings"

    Crushed Hopes and Hopeful Beginnings

    by Carol Ashby

    2023Light in the Empire, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "River of Life"

    River of Life

    by Carol Ashby

    2024Light in the Empire, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "What Loyalty Demands"

    What Loyalty Demands

    by Carol Ashby

    2026Light in the Empire, Book 15

Author bio

Carol Ashby was born in Idaho and grew up mostly there. After grad school, she moved to New Mexico, where she would later raise her family and build a long research career. Long before she published fiction, she was already learning how to write clearly, carefully, and with an eye for detail.

Before turning to novels, Ashby worked at a research lab for more than thirty years, mostly in semiconductor research. Trained in chemistry, she wrote technical journal articles, book chapters, and even a book on gallium arsenide devices, work tied to lasers, LED displays, and other everyday electronics.

Writing was already part of her life.

What changed was the subject. Her fascination with ancient Rome began in a middle-school Latin class, and it stayed with her. In late September 2013, while thinking about Christians facing persecution in Iraq and the way the Roman Empire pressed believers to honor Roman gods, she started writing fiction. The first spark became Blind Ambition, though Forgiven was the first novel she published, in November 2016.

That background helps explain why the Light in the Empire books feel so solid underfoot. Ashby enjoys research, timelines, and even Excel files, and she has said she wants every historical detail to feel right. She built a large personal library on Roman history and later created a history site where she shares material on politics, law, slavery, family life, food, travel, and daily routine under the Caesars.

Research is part of the fun.

The fiction itself ranges widely across the empire. In books like Forgiven, Blind Ambition, True Freedom, More Than Honor, and River of Life, she writes about Roman officers, noblewomen, slaves, traders, provincials, and early Christians whose lives cross under pressure. The stories often begin with danger, mistrust, or divided loyalties, then move toward harder questions about forgiveness, faith, ambition, and love. Romance matters, but so do friendship, family duty, and the cost of choosing mercy.

A lot of her characters start on opposite sides of a conflict. That is one of her favorite engines for story. She has described her work as Roman-era adventures where believers and nonbelievers come to know one another well enough that faith becomes a real, risky question instead of a slogan. The result is historical fiction with a strong sense of place and a steady interest in how ordinary choices can reshape a life.

These days, Ashby writes from the high desert of New Mexico and keeps sharing Roman history with readers online. She has said she enjoys watching birds and other wildlife, playing piano, sewing, and traveling with her husband Jim. It suits her. The scientist never really disappeared, she just found ancient Rome waiting on the other side of the lab.

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Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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