Review: The Desert Princess by Jill Eileen Smith

The Desert Princess (The Loves of King Solomon #1)
By: Jill Eileen Smith
Publisher: Revell
ASIN: B00GHXRCSW

Review:

I've been long overdue for the opportunity to read a Jill Eileen Smith novel. Having devoured all three installments of her first series, The Wives of King David, her subsequent stories have -- sadly -- found themselves lost in my toppling to-be-read pile. Happily, The Desert Princess provides the perfect solution for those like myself craving a quick trip into her richly-imagined biblical world. This brief novella is the first of a proposed series exploring the Solomon through the eyes of the women in his life. And with 700 wives and princesses and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3), Smith has a veritable wealth of potential "loves" from which to choose her characters...but with a catch. Compared to the sheer number of women in his life, the verses devoted to fleshing out any of their characters and experiences are incredibly sparse. But Smith has more than earned the right to a little artistic license in my view, for her stories exploring the lives of Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba reflect her knowledge, understanding, and passion for scripture and the history reflected within its pages.

The Desert Princess tells the story of Naamah the Ammonite, mentioned once in scripture as the mother of Solomon's son, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21). Smith sets her story during one of the most turbulent periods of David's reign -- when he fled Jerusalem from his son Absalom. She posits that Shobi the Ammonite who provisioned David and his company, mentioned in 2 Samuel 17:27, could have been Naamah's father -- and thus Solomon's introduction to the woman who would bear his heir. And thus the stage is set for a lovesick princess to fall in love with David's favorite son. There's more supposition than fact here, which I am typically intolerant of in biblical fiction. However, Smith has little to go on when characterizing Naamah, so allowances must be made.

My biggest issue with this novella is that it is simply too short to do justice to Smith's talent for bringing biblical stories to life within the pages of her writing. That aside, this is a promising start to the Solomon series, as she uses the heavily fictionalized Naamah to frame Solomon at a critical point in his youth -- favored but not yet proclaimed David's heir. Naamah's interactions with Solomon hint at the wisdom to come by revealing his facility for wordplay as well as his penchant for pleasure. I look forward to discovering how Smith both frames an older Solomon in further novellas and gives a plausible, sympathetic voice to the now silent women who once inhabited his world.

About the book:

Solomon captured her heart. But can she hold on to his?

King David is running for his life with his young son Solomon in tow when Naamah first encounters the prince. Her father is loyal to the king, and that loyalty will be sealed years later--through the marriage of Solomon and Naamah. 

For her part, Naamah is happy to wed the handsome prince and enter into palace life. But all is not well in Jerusalem. Solomon must navigate constant threats to his life--even from within the palace walls. And when peace is restored, can Naamah ever be truly happy as she watches the love of her life taking more wives?

Join bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith as she weaves a tale of young love, heartbreaking betrayal, and the power of forgiveness, all against the vivid backdrop of one of the most tumultuous times in Israel's history.

Review: Ismeni by Tosca Lee

Ismeni (Prequel to The Legend of Sheba)
By: Tosca Lee
Publisher: Howard Books
ASIN: B00MS0FZAU

Review:

Despite her beauty, thanks to being born under the shadow of the feared Dog Star, Ismeni prays for a quiet, notoriety-free life. Instead, the girl who craves normalcy and loves a humble stable boy captures the eye of a prince, an honor not to be refused, and against all odds and expectation, despite her broken heart, is elevated beyond her wildest dreams. And when tragedy threatens her firstborn daughter, Ismeni fights with every scrap of strength within her for the child's future, with one prayer on her lips -- "'Seek wisdom...and rise.'"

Little is known of the legendary Queen of Sheba save her famous visit to Solomon, a legend birthed from thirteen brief verses in 1 Kings 10. That brief interlude between two ancient monarchs captivates the imagination to this day, with appearances in film, opera, and ballet. The story of a powerful queen capturing the attention David's famously wise son, particularly in a time and culture where patriarchy was most often the order of the day, has long captivated my imagination. But before Sheba could make her famous pilgrimage, the stage must be set for her rule -- and that is the story Tosca Lee delves into with this prequel...the story of Ismeni, Sheba's mother.

Lee has long been on my list of to-be-read authors, and thanks to this short story I now know why. If this sample of her writing is any indication, each and every accolade I've ever read for her past novels is richly deserved. Ismeni is absolutely exquisite, a richly imagined story gorgeously told. This is easily the best example of the best way in which to showcase a writer through e-book bonuses or short stories. This is a tale masterfully rendered on the page, beautifully plotted, fostering a level of suspense and emotional involvement in the outcome that, frankly, should be impossible in a mere fifty-two pages. But thanks to Lee's capable skill, Ismeni's story shines.

Ismeni is an exquisite story, tugging the heartstrings and setting the stage for one of history's most famous queens. This short tale possesses all the flavor of an epic spun in an unforgettable web by a master storyteller. Lee has rocketed to the top of my list of must-read authors. Beautifully done!

About the book:

A mysterious beauty, a destiny set in the stars. Born under an inauspicious sign, young Ismeni is feared by her own people. The single thing she prays for: to live an invisible life. But that is not to be for the young woman who has captured the attention of the king’s youngest son. A story of love, passion, and twists of fate through the eyes of the woman who will one day give birth to the legendary Queen of Sheba.

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing In The Field of Grace River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2014) by Tessa Afshar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.

But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

Based on the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that ultimately changes the course of Israel's destiny and the future of the whole world.

If you would like to read the first chapter of In The Field of Grace, go HERE.

Review: Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner

Sinners and the Sea
By: Rebecca Kanner
Publisher: Howard Books
ISBN: 978-1-4516-9525-0

Review:

A large, wine-colored birthmark has stained the nameless girl's forehead since birth, setting her apart as other, different, one to be feared. Left nameless for fear of bringing further calamity upon her life, she has lived as an outcast, only ever craving a name, a place to belong, and a sense of identity -- but instead feared as the spawn of a demon. At nearly twenty, long past the age when most girls have married and started families, the girl and her beloved father eke out a bare existence as outcasts among their own people. As tempers flare, and neighbors threaten to forcibly remove the marked girl's presence from their midst, her desperate father strikes a bargain with the one man who will look beyond his daughter's mark. Noah, a righteous man in a land of sinners, seeks a woman to wed and give him sons. Desperate to live, and desperate to save her father, the girl agrees -- and is given in marriage to Noah, a man hundreds of years her senior, who speaks to a God she doesn't know and whose purpose will change her life forever.

I'm always eager to try new authors who dare to explore the scriptures through the lens of fiction. For her debut, Kanner has taken the arguably unorthodox route of bringing to life the nameless woman who was Noah's wife, an individual referred to a scant handful of time sin Genesis, and only in passing, but whose impact on the world to people of faith is undeniable. Within the pages of Sinners and the Sea, Kanner seeks to illuminate this shadowy figure -- who was this woman, mother of nations through her three sons, forever immortalized in scripture yet never given a name, an identity? By giving a voice to Noah's wife, Kanner restores the feminine narrative to this history writ in patriarchy, examining the fall, the flood, and the world's rebirth with a voice whose impact was always present, undeniably important, yet has remained shrouded in mystery.

Noah's life and the story of the flood encompasses barely four chapters in Genesis, most of which covers time on the ark and subsequent descendants. There is little social context given in the pre-flood verses, and so, although "the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and...filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11), I was ill-prepared for the utter bleakness and depravity our marked heroine encounters when she journeys to Noah's home. Sorum is a land of outcasts, violence, and horror, with Noah as the proverbial "voice in the wilderness" speaking his message to a very un-receptive audience. Reading Kanner's account of the pre-flood society is not for the faint of heart, though it is eye-opening in its unvarnished depiction of unbridled excess and depravity.

I confess to being somewhat troubled by the novel's characterizations of Noah, and later his sons. This is an unabashedly feminist text, and as such I applaud it and the author for giving voice to the female side of the population in biblical times. Noah's wife is not an Esther, given a grand platform on which to stand -- in her everyday life she is, if you'll pardon the term, rather ordinary -- but that doesn't make her life or contribution or place in the Judeo-Christian tradition any less important. However, given the limited verses mentioning Noah or his sons, here they are painted an almost wholly unsympathetic light. Indeed, Noah is not redeemed to some degree until the very end of the novel, where he finally opens up about his struggles with doubt and fear to his still-nameless wife. Without clear scriptural basis, painting Noah and sons, particularly Japheth, with broad brushstrokes of extreme religious radicalism to the point of villainy is unsettling at best to this reader.

Sinners and the Sea is, in many respects, a gorgeously-rendered novel. Kanner has a gift for description and her prose has a fluidity that spins a heady web, pulling you into the story of Noah's nameless wife and her struggle to reconcile her mark, her lack of identity, with her husband's all-consuming purpose. In many respects this is the biblical version of a dystopian novel. Compared to novels I've read that have brought Jacob, Joseph, and David to life, Kanner's depiction of Noah's time has the other-worldly feel of a nightmare-ish fable. Seen only through the eyes of Noah's nameless wife, God is almost wholly absent, as Noah's faith is a foreign, strange thing to his wife.

I have mixed feelings about this book as a work of biblical fiction -- from the world, to the making of the ark, to the passengers who board it, there seems to be a greater mark of artistic license than I generally look for in fiction of this ilk. That said, this is a heart-breaking, thought-provoking story. With her stark, high-impact prose, Kanner paints a bleak portrait of the depths to which man can sink, where everyone is, to some degree, painted in varying shades of gray -- for much like the fiery madam Javan, Kanner forces readers to consider the oft-times dual nature of humanity, and how even in the midst of utter depravity, light can be found. While Sinners and the Sea takes a great deal of license with the biblical account of the flood, it is a powerful portrait of a woman coming into her own in a male-dominated world. A sinner can be a saint, and the righteous can fall short and sin, but I take comfort in God's constancy and provision, and that reminder is, perhaps, this dark, challenging, thought-provoking book's greatest gift.

About the book:

The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.

Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.

But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beauti­fully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.

*Thanks to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the review opportunity!

Rebecca Kanner's Sinners and the Sea tour!

*I'm still reading Sinners and the Sea, so unfortunately I'll be late with my review. Till then, read below for a spotlight on the book and contest information!*

HF Virtual Book Tours invites you to follow the virtual tour for Rebecca Kanner's Sinners and the Sea from April 14-May 29.


Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Howard Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audio CD

The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.

Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.

But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beauti­fully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.

Watch the Book Trailer

Praise for Sinners and the Sea

"Kanner animates a harsh, almost dystopic world of fallen people struggling to survive. Noah's unnamed wife is a powerful, memorable character." - Publisher's Weekly

"[Noah's wife] proves her strength and character as she tries to protect her family... from the outside forces that threaten. Kanner successfully undertakes a formidable task retelling a familiar religious story through the eyes of Noah's wife. The narrative's well-articulated, evenly balanced and stimulating—but it’s definitely not the familiar tale that’s so frequently illustrated in children’s books" - Kirkus Reviews

"SINNERS AND THE SEA is a rare find--a bold and vivid journey to the antediluvian world of Noah. Kanner's is a fresh, irresistible story about the unnamed woman behind the famous ark-builder. Compelling and masterfully written." - Tosca Lee, NY Times bestelling author of HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE.

"What a remarkable debut! Rebecca Kanner's SINNERS AND THE SEA is a haunting, beautifully written story of struggle and redemption told through the eyes of the Biblical prophet Noah's wife. Kanner pulls no punches: She gives us humanity in all its wickedness -- bloodthirsty, greedy, cruel -- and the horror and heartbreak the inhabitants of Noah's ark might have felt as, unable to help, they listened to the screams of the dying and witnessed the utter obliteration of life on Earth. By the end of this book, I was in tears, for Kanner does lead us out of the valley of the shadow of death into a new world of promise and hope. SINNERS AND THE SEA is a profoundly moving tale, thrilling and fast-paced, and one of the best books I have read in a very long time."- Sherry Jones, author, THE JEWEL OF MEDINA and FOUR SISTERS, ALL QUEENS

“Rebecca Kanner brings the antediluvian world of giants, prophets, and demons alive, setting her narrative in motion from the first chapter and never letting it rest. She is a writer of great dexterity, performing tricks at a full sprint.” - Marshall Klimasewiski, author of THE COTTAGERS and TYRANTS

“Kanner does a masterful job of penetrating the depths of the Biblical Flood narrative and weaving in the complicated reality of challenging relationships and longings for personal fulfillment. Her desire to go beyond the traditional understanding of the lives she explores introduces us to a courageous and insightful young writer whose first book will take its place alongside other exciting modern re-readings of the ancient Biblical text.” - Rabbi Allen of Beth Jacob congregation in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Honored by Forward newspaper as one of America’s "50 most significant Jewish leaders"

"We think we know Noah's story but he was not alone on the ark; what was the experience of his wife, his family? Rebecca Kanner's vividly imagined telling recreates the world of the bible, and asks powerful questions about the story and about ourselves." - Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, named the most influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine (2012). Author of WHY FAITH MATTERS

"We sympathize with this unnamed woman because—as remote as her world seems to be from ours—she longs for all that we want for ourselves: to be known, loved, and accepted by her family, her community, and ultimately her God... After reading Sinners and the Sea, you’ll never look at the Biblical story of Noah and the flood in the same way again, and isn’t that Biblical fiction’s greatest purpose? To see the old stories with fresh eyes and perhaps find new meaning..." - Stephanie Landsem, author of THE WELL

"Rebecca Kanner has created an autobiography of Noah’s wife, and an imaginative one it is." - American Jewish World

"[Kanner] gives an intelligent voice to Noah's wife." - Jewish Book Council

"First-time novelist Kanner has written an utterly absorbing novel, one that flows seamlessly." - Historical Novel Society

"A fascinating look into a feral civilization of turmoil and hardship." - Historical Novel Review

"A stirring, fascinating story written beautifully." - Historical Fiction Connection

"Kanner beautifully evokes life on the claustrophobic, smelly vessel. Riveting... It will certainly spark hours of book club discussions." - St. Paul Pioneer Press

Buy the Book

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About the Author

Sinners and the Sea is Rebecca Kanner’s debut novel. Rebecca is a Twin Cities native and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Washington University in St. Louis. Her writing has won an Associated Writing Programs Award, a Loft mentorship Award and a 2012/2013 Minnesota State Arts Board Grant. Her personal essay, “Safety,” is listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2011. Her stories have been published in numerous journals including The Kenyon Review and The Cincinnati Review.

Along with other authors including Anita Diamant, Michael Cunningham, Joyce Carol Oates, Russell Banks and Ron Hansen, Rebecca will be featured in the upcoming title Truthful Fictions: Conversations with American Biographical Novelists.

You can learn more about Rebecca, and find links to selected stories and essays, at www.rebeccakanner.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, April 14
Review & Giveaway at West Metro Mommy

Tuesday, April 15
Review at Cheryl's Book Nook

Thursday, April 17
Review at A Bookish Girl

Friday, April 18
Review at Reading the Ages

Monday, April 21
Review at Booktalk & More
Review at Judith Starkston

Wednesday, April 23
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Friday, April 25
Spotlight & Giveaway at Caroline Wilson Writes

Monday, April 28
Review at JulzReads

Tuesday, April 29
Review at The Most Happy Reader

Wednesday, April 30
Review & Giveaway at Book Lovers Paradise

Friday, May 2
Review at History from a Woman's Perspective

Monday, May 5
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Tuesday, May 6
Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, May 7
Review at Ink Sugar Blog

Friday, May 9
Review at Our Wolves Den

Monday, May 12
Review at The Calico Critic

Tuesday, May 13
Review at From L.A. to LA

Wednesday, May 14
Review at Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews

Thursday, May 15
Spotlight at The Tower of Babel

Friday, May 16
Review at Layered Pages

Monday, May 19
Review at A Bibliotaph's Reviews

Wednesday, May 21
Review at My Reader's Block

Friday, May 23
Review at Seaside Book Corner

Tuesday, May 27
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Thursday, May 29
Review at bookworm2bookworm's Blog

Giveaway

To enter to win one of 2 copies of Sinners and the Sea or a $25 Amazon Gift Card, please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on May 29th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter on May 30th and notified via email.
Winners have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

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Review: In the Shadow of Jezebel by Mesu Andrews

In the Shadow of Jezebel
By: Mesu Andrews
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2170-1

Review:

The kingdoms of Israel and Judah stand on the precipice of destruction. To the north in Israel, the Giverah Jizebaal (Jezebel), the queen mother, rules with an iron hand, determined to see the Baal worship and corrupt government that she instituted with her husband Ahab grow and flourish under her son Joram's reign. And to the south, in Judah, Jehoram sits on the throne in Jerusalem with Athaliah, Jezebel's daughter at his side, a queen every inch her mother's equal in word and deed. Although not Athaliah's daughter by blood, Jehosheba strives to make her adopted mother happy, enduring the rigors of training as a Baal priestess, her future assured. Then a letter is delivered to the court, purporting to be from the prophet Elijah -- a foe Athaliah and Jezebel thought long dead --promising Yahweh's coming judgement on Jehoram and his family for their embrace of idolatry. In defiance Jehoram makes plans to cement their alliance with Israel, sending his youngest song Ahaziah, along with his queen and favorite daughter as political emissaries. But instead of being a fulfillment of the destiny she's dreamed of, instead of strengthening her relationship with her volatile mother, entering Jezebel's orbit rips the veil from Jehosheba's eyes, revealing the extent to which she's become a pawn in the dangerous scheme of two queens determined to claim the Israeli and Judean thrones for Baal. When Jehoram's prophesied day of reckoning arrives, Jehosheba finds herself traded in marriage to Yahweh's high priest and enters the most sacred dwelling of those she's been taught to regard with fear and disdain. Within the halls of Solomon's Temple, at the side of a husband she never wanted, she begins to wonder if the God of her fathers is the answer to her heart's cry for peace -- but is she brave enough to lay claim to a very different destiny than the one Athaliah long planned for her life, where Yahweh's grace covers all her fears?

A new Mesu Andrews novel is always a highly anticipated event in my reading world, and In the Shadow of Jezebel is no exception. Andrews possesses an extraordinary gift for breathing fresh life into Old Testament texts, bringing the history and passion of the lives chronicled within the pages of scripture to life with a fresh intensity and relevancy. I was particularly intrigued by the subject matter she chose to tackle for this fourth novel, as this is the second novel I've read that explores the story of Jehosheba and Athaliah -- the first being Ginger Garrett's gorgeous Dark Hour. Taking as her basic scriptural basis 2 Kings 8-11 and 2 Chronicles 21-22, Andrews crafts a rich exploration of the history, customs, and intrigue surrounding this pivotal period in Jewish history. This is biblical fiction at its finest -- a story that takes a few slim pages of scripture and breathes life into the characters sketched upon its pages, so that once again they are more than characters, they are living and breathing individuals whose passions, mistakes, and triumphs leap from the annals of history with a stunning vibrancy. Fiction of this ilk is a powerful reminder that the Bible is more than a religious text or "life manual;" there is a history to this faith, a history peopled with individuals as gloriously unique and fallible and in need of a savior as those of us seeking to walk in their steps today.

Andrews's flair for characterization positively shines with Jehosheba, who receives scant mention in the scriptures -- in 2 Kings 11, she is hailed for saving her young nephew Joash from his murderous grandmother, while 2 Chronicles 22 adds the detail that she was the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest, and as such able to conceal the child within the environs of the temple grounds. Since there is little known of her life prior to the moment she takes center stage during Athaliah's reign, serving as the vessel through which Yahweh preserves the Davidic line of kings, Andrews crafts a backstory that is wholly plausible, engrossing and heartbreaking by turns. Emotionally abused and manipulated her entire life, until she marries Jehoiada, Jehosheba has no concept of her value as an individual, or of how to build healthy relationships, or of a faith that speaks grace and forgiveness, rather than condemnation and abuse. Her journey toward faith and healing is painfully honest, as Andrews never glosses over the deep-seated effects of emotional and physical abuse. Though the road is rocky, she walks a path strewn with grace and provision, empowering her to become a woman of grace -- a heroine for the ages who overcame her past to play a critical role in seeing God's promises fulfilled.

Similar to Love's Sacred Song, which explored the story of Solomon, In the Shadow of Jezebel is a fascinating study in the political, social, and religious aspects of Judean society. There is the faint air of a historical political thriller here, with Jezebel's pernicious influence crossing borders to wreak havoc, by planting her daughter in the Judean court and seeking to spread Baal worship and consolidate power, wealth, and influence via Baal's "queens of destiny." The sights and sounds of court life are vibrantly recreated on the page as Andrews's research and passion for the period shines, transporting readers to a world long since returned to dust. Even more fascinating is the insight she provides through Jehoiada and Jehosheba's lives and roles as regards the Jewish faith and Temple protocols. And speaking of Jehoiada, I loved how Andrews handled his developing relationship with Jehosheba with such delicacy, especially considering the multiple decades difference in their respective ages (Jehoiada lived to be 130 - 2 Chronicles 24:15).

In the Shadow of Jezebel is a stunning re-creation of a pivotal, dangerous time in Judah's history, where for all the darkness of idolatry and corruption, the redemptive light of God's never-failing promises and provision shines all the brighter. Once again Andrews has delivered a masterful example of why I love biblical fiction -- it's powerful potential to illustrate timeless truths with freshness, vibrancy, and passion. And, to remember that there but for the grace of God go you or I -- as in the case of Jehosheba's beloved brother, Ahaziah, forever immortalized in scripture as one who "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 8:27). But was this godless king always so? Or, is it possible, as Andrews posits within the pages of her novel, that Ahaziah is a tragic example of one who chose to reject the faith of his fathers out of expediency, and so embarked on the slippery slope of compromise until, one day, the call he'd run from became the final judgement that could denied (2 Kings 9:27). Villains are not born thus -- choices are made. When the darkness seems overwhelming, may one remember, like Jehosheba, to listen for the still, small voice calling us to be brave, and then may we leap into the unknown, trusting in the provision of a God whose promises never fail.

About the book:

In a kingdom controlled by cruel and manipulative women, one princess will discover the power of truth and love.

Trained as a priestess in the temple of Baal, Princess Jehosheba strives to please the demanding Queen Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel. But when a mysterious letter from the dead prophet Elijah predicts doom for the royal household, Jehosheba realizes that the dark arts she practices reach far beyond the realms of earthly governments.

Forces to marry Yahweh's high priest in order to further Athaliah and Jezebel's power plays, Jehosheba enters the unfamiliar world of Yahweh's Temple. Can her new husband show her the truth and love she craves? And can Jehosheba overcome her fear and save the family -- and the nation -- she loves?

With deft skill, Mesu Andrews brings the Old Testament to life, revealing a fascinating story of the power of unconditional love.

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Harvest of Gold
River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2013)
by
Tessa Afshar
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The scribe Sarah married Darius, and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage-Sarah has grown to love her husband. Sarah has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband's love still seems unattainable.

Although his mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother's people. Will the road filled with danger, conflict, and surprising memories, help Darius to see the hand of God at work in his life-and even in his marriage?

A hidden message, treachery, opposition, and a God-given success, will lead to an unlikely bounty.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Harvest of Gold, go HERE.

Review: Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews

Love in a Broken Vessel
By: Mesu Andrews
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2169-5

Review:

As a young prophet-in-training, studying under the likes of Amos and Jonah at the prophets' camp in Judah, Hosea dreamed of the day God would make complete the prophetic call on his life, granting him his first prophetic mission. But when the message comes, it contains a caveat the likes of which Hosea never dreamed. Called to return to Israel, the homeland he'd left twelve years before to study God and His word, Hosea is filled with a mixture of fear and honor when God grants him his first prophetic mission to return to Israel, admonishing the people to abandon their idolatry and return to Yahweh. But the message is only half the mission -- for Hosea is to marry a prostitute, an unfaithful harlot, and in loving her -- in binding himself physically and spiritually to a woman who embodies everything a righteous Israelite would find abhorrent -- become a living, breathing example of God's never-failing love for His faithless people. When the woman in question turns out to be Gomer, Hosea's childhood friend, long thought lost, Hosea is shaken to his core -- for loving this woman will test his faith in God's promises like he'd never thought possible. For this woman, this known harlot, threatens to break his heart far beyond the bounds of human endurance, filling Hosea with a love that only a God who loves us in our brokenness, who loves us in spite of ourselves, in spite of our failings, could comprehend.

Gomer lost all faith in the goodness of man when her father, the man who should have protected her innocence, sold her to the priestesses of Asherah for personal, political gain. When her affair with a Baal priest threatens scandal, Gomer is left at the door of a brothel, consigned to a life working the dusty Samarian streets. With survival her only aim, she has long since resigned herself to doing whatever she must in order to protect herself from harm. When she earns the ire of a powerful general for disrupting the king's sacrifice to Molech, her shocked surprise at Hosea's appearance is quickly overcome by his offer of marriage and what it means -- the rare chance to escape the brothel. But life as a prophet's wife presents its own set of challenges, and with little faith in Hosea's promises and even less in his God, Gomer finds herself returning to her former life again and again -- anything that facilitates her control over her life, protecting a heart battered, scarred, and shuttered by years of abuse and neglect. Time and again Gomer rejects Hosea and his God -- and time and again Hosea, propelled by faith in his God, offers her mercy. Could even her life, shattered and cracked beyond all human hope of repair, be redeemed into fresh life and purpose if she but surrenders to Yahweh?

With her third novel, Mesu Andrews continues to astound with her gift for bringing scripture to life on the page, and like its predecessors, Love in a Broken Vessel speaks powerfully to God's never-failing love and provision, bringing stories thousands of years old to life with a compelling, undeniable relevancy. The scriptural background for Hosea and Gomer's personal lives is relatively limited, especially when compared to the scripture covering Job and Solomon for her previous books. The Book of Hosea is one of the Old Testament's slimmest texts, and of the fourteen chapters only the first three discuss Hosea and Gomer's marriage, setting the stage for its use as an illustration of God's relationship with unfaithful Israel in the subsequent eleven chapters of prophetic poetry. Thus their lives are ripe for fictional interpretation, but as always Andrews carefully grounds her suppositions in scripture, research, and historic fact, lending her construct of the Hosea/Gomer relationship an undeniable sense of authenticity.

Hosea and Gomer's story has been brought to life before, perhaps most notably Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, which transplants the story and characters into the setting of a prairie romance. Personally, for me, that lessens a critical component of the story -- their lives and marriage in relation to God's plan for Israel, His chosen people. By recreating their lives against the backdrop of the turbulent times in which they lived, Andrews succeeds in bringing to life the scriptural text with a spiritual relevancy that evokes the times in which they lived and the timelessness of the message, sketching the continued relevancy of the scripture today against her dramatic backdrop.

Love in a Broken Vessel is most similar in tone and content to Andrews's debut, Love Amid the Ashes, with its stirring, challenging examination of the role suffering plays in a believer's life. It's always been a bit easier for me to see Hosea in terms of his prophecies, but this novel is a stark, poignant reminder of the prophet's very human side, and the very real cost (and struggles) that came with his obedience to God in all things. When reading Hosea, it is potentially easy to fall into the trap of viewing the personal aspects of the text as ancillary, forgetting -- or merely not connecting -- the potent personal drama playing out between Hosea and Gomer with the tumult the straying nations of Israel and Judah faced during their lifetimes.

Like her previous efforts, here Andrews once again brings the "bones" of scripture to vibrant life, restoring the relatability and passion to Hosea and Gomer -- all too easy to classify as "characters" in scripture, while here the full scope of their lives is vibrantly reimagined on the page. I loved Hosea's passion for God and the raw honesty with which he grapples the full implications of what God is working out in his prophetic ministry as well as his personal life. But Gomer - oh! - she broke my heart. Perhaps one of Andrews's best-realized characters, the tragedy of her life -- the numerous betrayals, the pain of living to endure rather than thrive -- just broke me. By fleshing out Gomer's character, restoring her humanity, Andrews gives full sway to the heart-breaking reality of God's heartache over Israel's idolatry on a national/global level through this extraordinarily personal account of a woman who, over and over again, rejects the redemption and restoration Hosea and his Lord offer -- all because she's bought into the lie that she's come too far to be redeemed.

Where Job faced suffering from a position of faith, Gomer does so as an outsider, as one unprepared and ill-equipped to believe in sovereign God who loves her. While in our humanity one might often mistake silence or the absence of action, of prevention, for a lack of care, here the balance is redressed -- human failings, choices, free will, are heart-breakingly wrought out, but through ever tear, every disappointment Andrews weaves a ribbon of faith that brilliantly illustrates God's sovereignty, redemption, and passion for His people. Rich with history, intrigue, and personal and political turmoil, Love in a Broken Vessel is a stunning story of God's love, of His delight in His children, of His passion for welcoming the prodigal, healing the wounded, and restoring the broken. This is a tale that will stay with you long after you finish the final pages -- a story of conviction and encouragement, one to savor -- an extraordinary gift that will encourage and inspire. Bravo, Mesu -- very, very well done.

About the book:

An epic journey of intimacy, rejection, betrayal...and hope.

God gives Hosea a difficult command -- marry a prostitute in order to show God's people the nature and depth of His love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim the Lord's message, the woman God directs him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only means of escape, Gomer does what she's good at -- she survives. Can Hosea's love for God and God's love for Israel restore Gomer's broken spirit?

With her powerful combination of in-depth research and masterful storytelling, Mesu Andrews brings to life one of the most complex and fascinating stories of love and forgiveness in the face of utter betrayal.

*My thanks to Revell for the review copy, and my apologies for being late with posting this review.

Review: The Strength of His Hand by Lynn Austin

The Strength of His Hand (Chronicles of the Kings #3)
By: Lynn Austin
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 0-7642-2991-5

About the book:

He has achieved enormous wealth and power -- yet there is no heir.

The legacy Hezekiah has established as one of Judah's great leaders is threatened: his beloved wife, Hephzibah, remains barren. Desperate to provide a successor to her husband's throne, Hephzibah makes a forbidden pact with the fertility goddess Asherah.

Feeling repulsed and betrayed by her act of idolatry, Hezekiah destroys the pagan shrine. But in his rage, he himself is critically injured. As Hezekiah struggles to redeem his wife and save his nation, the aged prophet Isaiah arrives with divine instructions for the king to put his house in order and choose a successor.

With his life -- and the future of his kingdom -- hanging in the balance, Hezekiah once more cries out to the Lord...

Review:

After surviving the threat of Assyrian invasion, Hezekiah has seen the kingdom of Judah blessed with extraordinary peace and prosperity. Life seems almost perfect, except Hezekiah lacks an heir. Desperate to retain her husband's affections and secure his succession, Hephzibah vows to sacrifice her firstborn to the pagan goddess Asherah. When Hezekiah discovers her idolatry, he flies into a rage and is critically injured in the resulting fire. Deeply and bitterly wounded by his beloved wife's betrayal, Hezekiah wavers between life and death with nothing less than the future of the kingdom and his people at stake. When God grants Hezekiah a reprieve, the broken king sets about attempting to solidify his legacy, risking everything for a chance at personal glory by signing alliances with neighboring -- pagan -- nations, alliances that bring Assyria once again to Jerusalem's gates. Will Hezekiah find the strength to return to the faith of his youth and once again trust in the never-changing God of Israel to redeem the results of his sinful pride and save his people from annihilation?

The Strength of His Hand is the third volume in Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series to cover a portion of Hezekiah's reign. Taking 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-39 as her basis, Austin explores Hezekiah's reign at its critical midpoint -- facing death and the systematic dismantling of all the religious and political reforms he'd overseen since his coronation, the Hezekiah we meet at this point is a more vulnerable, almost desperate, man than the assured, faith-filled ruler we were introduced to in the first two volumes of this series. One of the main reasons I love biblical fiction is how it can flesh-out and humanize the individuals forever immortalized in the pages of scripture, reclaiming them from character status and reminding us that they were once living and breathing human beings, ever bit as fallible as we are today. The first two novels in this series sketched a fascinating, compelling portrait of Hezekiah -- but Hezekiah at this point in history, at least as brought to life by Austin -- is frankly unlikable. There is so much time spent on Hezekiah's illness, his regrets, his penchant for making decisions that go against every belief he's professed to hold dear up to this point. But the portion of Hezekiah's life covered in this novel is presented in too repetitive and redundant a manner to make for a truly compelling read. Hezekiah faces some truly appalling prophecies as a result of his decisions -- i.e., when Isaiah prophesies the Babylonian exile (2 Kings 20: 16-19), and the best reaction Hezekiah can muster is relief that this won't happen in his lifetime. One never really gets a clear sense of Hezekiah's remorse until the novel is nearly over, and given the far-flung repercussions of his actions, it is to my view a missed dramatic opportunity.

The strongest characters in this novel are members of the supporting cast -- Eliakim, the man responsible for overseeing the construction of Hezekiah's tunnel in Song of Redemption (and now the Secretary of State), his wife Jerusha, the former Assyrian captive, and Hephzibah, the disgraced queen. In many respects Eliakim as a hero figure foreshadows the leading men of Austin's later works -- atypical, sincere, intelligent, bookish types. I loved Austin's exploration of how the pressure of Eliakim's new government position forced a new set of societal expectations on him -- expectations that clash with the grace-filled tenets of his faith. It is his wife Jerusha, the once-broken and bitter Assyrian slave who reminds Eliakim of the need for grace and forgiveness when she is compelled to reach out to the shunned queen. I love how Austin has developed Jerusha's story, particularly in how she doesn't shy away from the ever-present traumatic impact of Jerusha's years in captivity. I found Hephzibah's battle with guilt and unforgiveness extremely well-drawn and realistically presented, and Jerusha's unexpected friendship with Hephzibah is a lovely portrait of grace and redemption at work in the lives of believers.

Lacking some of the spark that made the first two volumes in this series so fascinating, The Strength of His Hand is nevertheless a competently presented final chapter in Austin's exploration of Hezekiah's life and reign. I look forward to the fourth book in the series, covering the reign of Hezekiah's son -- I think perhaps a new generation's challenges will interject a much-needed infusion of life into the series.

Review: Love's Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews

Love's Sacred Song

By: Mesu Andrews

Publisher: Revell

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3408-4

About the book:

Wisdom came as God's gift, but sacred love was forged through passion's fire.

Standing in the shadow of his famous father, young King Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, longing for a love that is true and pure -- a love that can be his cornerstone.

A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah has known since she first laid eyes on Solomon that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father secures a promise from Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams will come true.

But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?

Mesu Andrews expertly weaves the words of the Song of Solomon into this touching story of the power of love from a master storyteller.

Review:

When Arielah was a child she accompanied her father Jeheosephat, a respected judge of Shunem, to Jerusalem, where she spied the young prince Solomon. And ever since that day she's carried in her heart the certainty that they would one day wed. Years pass, and the great King David lies on his deathbed, comforted by the prize of Shunem, the beautiful Abishag (1 Kings 1& 2), who serves as his "belly-warmer," an intimate but platonic relationship. Abishag's lack of any official status in the royal household becomes a lightening rod, symbolizing the northern tribes' discontent with their favored southern brethren, the tribe of Judah's, rule and dominance in Israeli affairs. With the once-mighty warrior king near death, the time is ripe for conflict to erupt between those who favor a united Israel and David's chosen heir, Solomon, and those who would usurp God's anointed and seek to advance the pre-eminence of Judah. Into this politically volatile climate steps Solomon, a prince of privilege possessing the promised gift of godly wisdom with which to govern his people -- but with an equally competing temptation to succumb to the paralyzing fear of failure. When Arielah is offered as a treaty bride in an attempt to appease the simmering temper of the northern tribes, Solomon accepts, but is wholly unprepared for his unconventional bride and the surrender the love she offers him requires. While the cost of the pure love Arielah offers seems impossible to grasp, with the future of his kingdom and very character at stake, can Solomon afford to reject the hope of love's sacred song?

After Mesu Andrews brought Job's story to life in her debut, Love Amid the Ashes, I was left eagerly awaiting her next novel. I must confess that beyond a rather rudimentary knowledge of Solomon's reign and his famous wisdom, I don't think I've ever given the man his due (I've always been more of a David girl). :) And while the Song of Songs is among the most passionate of texts, I never really connected with it -- perhaps because that slim book always seemed to lack context, a place in the greater narrative of the Old Testament that would put faces to the passionate declarations in those short eight chapters of verse. But ever since I began reading Love's Sacred Song, I feel as though God has been whispering the intent of that book to my heart, birthing within me a love and understanding for this book within the context of my faith. Through Andrews' intricately plotted, brilliantly recreated, colorfully evocative portrait of ancient Israel, the purpose and passion of Solomon and his Shulammite bride spring to life on the page in such a way that -- if one is willing -- you cannot help but be changed and inspired by the journey.

Love's Sacred Song is epic in its scope, embodying everything I love about biblical fiction, making characters on the pages of scripture once again living, breathing people full of passion and life, leaving you cheering for their victories and heart-broken over their (all-too relatable) mistakes. Andrews restores Solomon's humanity, much needed as his legendary wisdom too often leaves him seemingly unrelatable. Here Andrews gives us Solomon early in his reign, a young man attempting to establish himself outside the shadow of his famous father, often paralyzed by the fear of failure and subsequently blinded by pride and the trappings of position. Arielah is a woman you'd like as your friend, a window into the world of a royal harem and its politics and heartbreak, incomprehensible by today's standards. Yet, such was the reality she faced -- and that makes the challenge and victory of the love illustrated in Solomon's sacred song all the more powerful.

More than a love story, though, Love's Sacred Song speaks to the heart's cry of the Father and the unfathomable depth of the love He longs to lavish on each one of His children -- if we but accept it. If the marriage relationship is a gift, an earthly expression of the relationship God desires with mankind -- then the Song of Songs is much more than a picture of God-ordained, sacred love between a man and a woman as outlined in the Song. Since the church is the bride of Christ, the Song of Songs and the love that inspired it point back to the giver of every good and perfect gift, the only one, ultimately, who is capable of offering a lasting love because He knows us best, as He is the one who fashioned us in our mothers' wombs (Ps 139:13). And because He so loved, because the sacred passion He harbored demanded no less, His Son was sent to earth to suffer unspeakably at the hands of His creation, in doing so offer the ultimate bride-price -- His precious blood, covering our failings and reconciling mankind with the creator.

Rich with atmosphere and historical detail, including fascinating glimpses into everything from wedding customs to court protocol and intrigue, Love's Sacred Song is sure to delight historical and biblical fiction lovers alike. With lead characters who send sparks flying from the page and a host of well-drawn supporting players, Mesu Andrews's second novel is a rich, meaty read that will not only entertain, but if you'll let it, challenge and grow your faith, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the texts from which Song draws its inspiration. An intricately plotted page-turner, I particularly appreciated how Andrews seamlessly wove the scriptures that head each chapter into her narrative -- by giving a face and voice to the scripture, the words and their potential impact take root in your soul in a powerful, fresh way. This is fiction at its best, a masterfully crafted work that challenges, inspires, and will break your heart with its beauty all the while encouraging your faith even as tears threaten to fall -- because at its heart this masterclass in biblical fiction points straight back to the Master Storyteller. This novel is an extraordinary gift, one I won't soon forget.

Mesu Andrews Interview

I am absolutely thrilled to welcome author Mesu Andrews to the blog today in celebration of her latest release, Love's Sacred Song! Her debut novel, Love Amid the Ashes, was one of my favorite books of last year -- a moving retelling of the Job story (click here to read my review). My review of Love's Sacred Song is coming in the next few days -- rest assured it is every bit as good as her debut, a story I'm savoring as each chapter unfolds! Without further ado, here's Mesu --

Booktalk & More: In Love Amid the Ashes you explore the role of pain and suffering in faith and how that impacts one's relationship with God. What drew you to Solomon's story next and the very different subject matter of the Song of Songs, and what do you hope readers take away from the book?

Mesu: Solomon’s story was actually my first manuscript and started as an allegorical Bible study, but no one wanted to publish it—because I have no credentials. Which totally makes sense when you think about it. So we changed the format, making it fiction, and created more life-like characters, and wallah! Contracted in 2008, Revell requested a delay on publishing Solomon until March 2012 in order to release after Jill Smith’s Wives of King David series, which allowed me to write and publish Love Amid the Ashes during the interim. So my first book was actually published second!

I love the shadowy characters in Scripture, the ones few (if any) have written about. It’s fun to find previously obscure passages and show how they intertwine through separate books of Scripture and through ages of time. What a joy it is when readers tell me, “I had no idea that Scripture had anything to do with so-and-so!” Love it!

Studying Song of Songs totally changed my relationship with Jesus, and this book has been a part of that. I never understood how to love an invisible God. Scripture says I’m to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. But how? When I can’t see Him with my eyes, touch Him with my hands, or hear Him with my ears?

Though Love’s Sacred Song is not strictly allegorical (because the characters are not totally good or totally evil), the thread of Christ’s story runs through it, and I see the ferocious, unrelenting love of my Savior for me. I found, in the pages of Song of Songs and while writing the book, a God that I truly love with a sacred love. That’s what I pray my readers will find as well.

Booktalk & More: Why Biblical fiction? I love a well-crafted tale that breathes fresh life into the "dry bones" of a story immortalized in the pages of scripture, but others may have concerns when it comes to "embellishing" the scriptural texts. What is your perspective and what would your response be to those who share the latter view, and do you ever share any such concerns?

Mesu: (Whew! That’s a mouthful! Tee-hee) Did you know there are books out there called “biblical fiction” that would never be categorized as Christian? I began reading biblical fiction in 2001 when there were very few Christian market choices. Some of the general market titles were startling because of the total lack of regard for biblical text. That concerned me deeply! I felt it tragic that someone curious about Hannah or Solomon would form their flawed opinions from those books rather than from biblical stories based on God’s infallible truths from Scripture.

Jesus used parables to teach, stories to make a lesson more memorable. Because our western culture is so far removed from the Eastern minds that wrote the biblical text, I think it’s important to understand some of the setting, geography, and world events surrounding the circumstances of the biblical stories we see in God’s Word. The Truth becomes more memorable when it’s placed in its historical context by Christian authors who are committed to meticulous research.

When I’ve chatted with other biblical fiction authors, we all agree. Our purpose is NEVER to replace the reading of Scripture, but rather to awaken readers’ curiosity and send them back to the Bible for answers.

Booktalk & More: A major Hollywood studio has optioned Love's Sacred Song for a film. Who would you like to see play the leads of Solomon and the shepherdess Arielah?

Mesu: Did they really? Wouldn’t that be cool! This was actually a question on my cover questionnaire from Revell for Love Amid the Ashes. I always thought Harrison Ford would have made a great Job.

I’m thinking the guy they got for the Solomon cover was a good choice, eh? Yikes! Hmmmm. I, personally, think Gerard Butler is perfect for any part, but he’s a bit old for young Solomon. I saw a guy named Darren Criss—uh-huh. Yep. He looks like a fantastic young Solomon to me! And I think Minka Kelly is that natural beauty—with or without make-up—that could make a beautiful Arielah.

Booktalk & More: I'm intrigued by your casting choices -- I'll have to let you know if I come up with any other ideas! :)

Mesu: Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to share a bit with your readers! If anyone would like to keep in touch, they can visit my website @ http://www.mesuandrews.com/. Or sign up for free weekly e-devotionals @ http://www.mesuandrews.com/deep-o-tionals-2/acts-of-the-apostles/. Also, I’ve added pictures of a potential “Solomon” and “Arielah” to my Pinterest Board for Character Faces...check it out and leave a comment! Or give your own suggestions!

******

Mesu, thank you so much for your willingness to visit my blog and the time and thoughtfulness with which you answered each of my questions! I've thoroughly enjoyed our little chat, stop in anytime! :)

Review: Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin

Song of Redemption (Chronicles of the Kings #2)
By: Lynn Austin
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 0-7642-2990-7

About the book:

He has been challenged on every side -- can his newly discovered faith help him preserve a nation?

As King Hezekiah embraces God's Law, he leads his country into renewed prosperity. But following the will of Yahweh is a perplexing process, requiring unpopular choices -- for both his personal life and political career. Now his archenemy's demands for tribute are forcing Hezekiah into a precarious situation.

Jerusha, a young Jewish woman far from home, has seen firsthand what the dreaded invaders are capable of doing. As the powerful Assyrian army sweeps through the northern provinces, leaving little but devastation in its wake, Jerusha longs to escape. Her desperate will to live could become a link to Jerusalem's survival.

With Assyria on the march, moving closer to the heart of Judah, Hezekiah's decision to follow the everlasting One is about to face the ultimate test.

Review:

After surviving a tumultuous childhood, when Hezekiah is at last crowned king of Judah he determines to purge his country of idolatry and return to the worship of Yahweh. But years of idol worship are not set aside so easily by all of his subjects, and his sweeping religious reforms meet with stiff opposition. When the Temple is rededicated and the celebratory feasts are re-established, Hezekiah sees the beginning of God's answer to his heart's cry -- his people are turning back to God, and prosperity is returning to his ravaged land. Longing to shake free of the last vestiges of Ahaz's rule, Hezekiah decides to forego the annual tribute payment to Assyria, a risky move as the dreaded Assyrians outmatch the Judeans in strength and funds. Faced with the most terrifying army in the world, Hezekiah confronts his greatest challenge yet -- to bow to what the eye can see, to fear, or gamble everything on faith in an unseen and unshakeable God's promises.

Song of Redemption is a novel saturated in biblical history and the faith of the ancients that still has the power to speak to us today. Taking the accounts in 2 Kings 17-18 and 2 Chronicles 29-32 as her basis, Austin brings ancient Judah to life at the crossroads of idolatry and religious revival. Hezekiah and his contemporaries leap living and breathing from the page, very relatable human beings faced with one of mankind's oldest conflicts -- the choice between faith and fear. I absolutely loved seeing worship come alive through Austin's prose. Her well-researched, biblically grounded storyline breathes fresh life into the Old Testament texts, giving the reader a relatable example in Hezekiah as to what the Temple, what the revival of this time meant to the Jewish people. Austin's representation of Hezekiah's character is a sterling example of what I love about biblical fiction -- it can be a powerful reminder that the people immortalized within the pages of the Bible were not superhuman giants of the faith, but very much fallible human beings, assailed by the same struggles we face today -- the pitfalls of pride, fear, and doubt.

The first third of Song is a bit slow-going, but by the second third, when Judah is faced with annihilation by the Assyrians, the novel becomes unput-downable. This history absolutely fascinates me. Faced with the promise of an Assyrian siege, Hezekiah took steps to reinforce Jerusalem's walls and to secure the city's water supply from the Gihon Spring. The engineering of Hezekiah's tunnel is nothing short of miraculous, a fascinating slice of history Austin deftly brings to life. While I love Hezekiah's character, I think I most relate to the storyline Austin introduces involving Jerusha, an escaped Assyrian captive, and Eliakim, the chief engineer charged with improving Judah's defenses. Jerusha's faith and self-worth have been shattered by the atrocities she endured, while Eliakim places his faith in himself and what he can see, the work of his hands. They are powerful reminders of mankind's never-ending tendency to make any given problem bigger than the God we claim to serve and believe in. His capacity for redemption and His power to save know no bounds, and Eliakim and Jerusha's story is a challenge to live lives with faith unleashed.

While I was a bit struck by the dialogue, which at times seemed entirely too modern, that is a minor qualm. Song of Redemption is biblical fiction at its best, a story that brings the forefathers of the faith to vibrant life and will inspire you to look at the source material with fresh eyes, to live your faith out loud.

Review: Dark Hour by Ginger Garrett

Dark Hour
By: Ginger Garrett
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1-57683-869-2

About the book:

One of the darkest and bloodiest stories of all time comes not from a medieval battlefield but from inside one of the most opulent palaces ever built. The strategies come not from men eager to extend their influence but from women bent on exercising their wit and prowess in a kingdom not their own. Treason and murder are fair game. Marriage is manipulation, a means to an end. Children are the enemy. And the days of the House of David are numbered -- unless one woman can find the strength to conquer them all.

Review:

"The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you...Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:11,16).

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers" (Genesis 3:15).

Years before, God promised David that his descendants "shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 9:5). But in Israel that promise is a distant memory, dimmed with the passage of time, and the royal house has been infiltrated by idolaters with dreams power and a burning desire to see the Jewish faith permanently discarded in favor of gods such as Baal. The kingdom has become divided. In Israel, Ahab rules with the scheming Jezebel at his side. One of their daughters, Athaliah, is sent to Judah to marry Jehosophat's heir, the prince Jehoram. And Athaliah is every inch her mother's daughter, bringing to her marriage new gods and a burning desire to control the throne and rival her mother's power in the north.

In Dark Hour, the first novel in the Serpent Moon Trilogy, Ginger Garrett brings this small slice of Old Testament history to vivid, colorful life. Garrett's scriptural source material is 2 Chronicles 21-23, the story of Jehoram and his son Ahaziah, and how both were manipulated by Athaliah's machinations and perverse religious influence. She was nearly successful in her carefully planned attempt to usurp the throne and destroy the line of David. Athaliah, daughter of the infamous Jezebel, absorbed all of her mother's ways, and sought at every turn to undermine the Jewish faith and consolidate power to herself and her gods of wood and stone. Her nemesis is Jehoshebeth, the daughter of Athaliah's strongest rival among Jehoram's wives. Jehoshebeth's mother dies giving birth to her, and in her death throes prophesied that her child would be Athaliah's doom. Athaliah, confident in herself and the power of her gods, raised the girl to be ignorant of her true parentage and grew complacent, forgetting her dead rival's words until her pride and ambition led to her downfall. Athaliah ruled on her own for six years following a murder spree she ordered to eliminate her rivals to the throne. One woman dared to stand against Athaliah's murderous schemes and saved the life of Joash, an heir of David, who was eventually crowned and in so doing restored the Davidic dynasty to the throne.

Out of these brief scripture references, Garrett has crafted a stunning novel that illuminates this criticual juncture in biblical history. As Garrett states in her Author's Note, "[t]heoretically, other heirs of the house of David might have been alive to continue the bloodline. But God used Joash. It's startling to think that the future of Christianity, of the person of Jesus Christ, was held in the hands of one terrified woman defying an evil queen." Based on the 2 Chronicles account, little is known of Jehoshebeth. The Bible hints at the incredible bravery and devotion to God that it must have taken to risk all in incredibly dark and dangerous times. In Dark Hour Garrett carefully crafts a very real, flawed heroine who struggles with faith, courage, and destiny, and whose bravery stands as a shining example of God's faithfulness to His promises.

Dark Hour is biblical fiction at its best -- an absorbing, meticulously researched, well-written account of a dark chapter in biblical history. Garrett is a master storyteller and succeeds in a stunning fashion, fleshing out the scriptures and bringing ancient Israel and her people to vivid life. Dark Hour more than succeeded in holding my interest -- it inspired me to delve deeper into the scriptures for further study of the fascinating history illuminated in the novel. In her Author's Note Garrett states:

"For those of you, like me, who once believed the lie that the Bible is a tale of repressed women mastered by men and submitting through force, coming to the tale of Athaliah and Jehoshebeth is a shock. Athaliah did what no woman had ever done, ruling as sole monarch in Judah. Jehoshebeth was a formidable enemy and ultimately proved her undoing. I read the Bible now and am impressed with the role of women in the story..."

Well said. I very much look forward to more from Ms. Garrett. Read this novel and be fascinated and encouraged by this incredible story of God's promises and His faithfulness shown through the life of a woman willing to stand for truth.

Note: I originally reviewed Dark Hour back in 2006, and it was my first read by Ginger Garrett, and remains one of my favorite examples of Biblical fiction done extraordinarily well. As you can see from the cover image, as well as my review, Dark Hour was originally supposed to be the first of a three-book series -- the original publisher, however, moved in a different direction with their fiction line, and the remaining two stories (as noted in my Amazon review) about Samson and Delilah and Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah were left without a publishing home.

Happily that is no longer the case, and as I mentioned a few days ago, Samson and Delilah's story, Desired, is slated to release October 1st!