Visit the Story of Esther in a New Way--"Star of Persia: Esther's Story" by Jill Eileen Smith—Review

My Review


"Star of Persia: Esther's Story" by Jill Eileen Smith is a retelling of the book of Esther from the Bible.  I love the story of Esther and Esther as a person.  She has always struck me as being so brave amid some very scary and life-threatening circumstances.  This retelling by Ms. Smith does a wonderful job of bringing this well-known story to life.  I love entering Esther’s world and the opulent world of the palace.  Ms. Smith transports the reader to the biblical time period.  I especially love how she makes these characters come to life, with fears, thoughts and motives.  I especially enjoyed reading more about Queen Vashti.  "Star of Persia: Esther's Story" makes me appreciate the biblical story even more and I loved reading the story from my Bible along with the book.  Fans of biblical fiction and the story of Esther will especially love this retelling.

Content:  I give this book a PG-13 rating.  Some examples of the content are: talk of sharing a bed; concubines; mention of people sleeping together; a man is said to be a drunkard; fade-to-black married sex; talk of sleeping together; a steamy scene when Esther first visits the king, but no sex.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Revell and Jill Eileen Smith for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author 

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Wives of the Patriarchs, the Loves of King Solomon and Heart of the King, the nonfiction When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams, and Star of Persia, Esther’s Story. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable, “helpful” cat Tiger. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

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Fascinating Biblical Fiction--"King's Shadow" by Angela Hunt--Review

My Review: 

"King's Shadow" by Angela Hunt is the fourth book in the “Silent Years” series, but can certainly be read as a standalone.  I was intrigued by the concept of this novel.  It deals with a time period in history that is not often written about and focuses primarily on lesser known characters (especially in the arena of Christian and Biblical fiction). 

This novel takes place during King Herod’s reign (the king who ordered the murder of all of the male babies in Bethlehem in the Christmas story).  It is told through the eyes of Herod’s sister Salome and her maidservant Zara. 

"King's Shadow" is not so much an inspirational novel, but more of a great story that takes place in the Biblical time period.  It has some inspirational content, but not as much as I expected.  Ms. Hunt is an amazing writer and I love this story about the political intrigue surrounding Herod and his family.  I learned so much about this period in history and the characters that are a part of the drama of the time (Cleopatra and Marc Antony, to name a few).  It is a tumultuous time.  It is fascinating to see what the political climate was like leading up to the birth of Christ and what happened in Herod’s life to make him the man he was (one who would order the mass murder of infants).  I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of history and Biblical fiction. 

Content:  I rate this book PG-13.  Being in Herod’s court means there is a lot of corruption.  Some examples of the content are:  a man attempts to rape a woman; sexual innuendos; references to bedding women and going to their chambers; mistresses; sexual references.

Rating: I give this book 4 stars.

I want to thank Angela Hunt and Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

About the Author:

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 140 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Turner and Hooch and Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards–one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City.

Afterward, the dog gave out pawtographs at the airport.

Angela admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology, unexplained phenomena, chickens, and “just about everything” except sports. Books, she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.

Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers in 2019.

Also in 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree. She completed her doctorate in biblical studies in 2008 and her Th.D. in 2015. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs and chickens, of course.  She is also an avid photographer, using her photos to help find homes for animals at local rescues.

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Ms. Afshar paints a vivid picture of the Biblical time period!--"Thief of Corinth" by Tessa Afshar--Review

Beautiful.  Moving.  Fast paced. All the feels.  “The Thief of Corinth” by Tessa Afshar is all these things and more!  I took two courses specifically on 1 and 2 Corinthians in college, so my heart has a special place for these books of the Bible.  Paul is also one of my favorite Bible characters, so I loved reading about him in this book as well!  Ms. Afshar truly makes first-century Corinth come alive!  She adds so much detail of the setting and time period that I could vividly picture this bustling city. 

Ms. Afshar uses a more edgy writing style and tries to be true to the time period by showing the good and bad.  Corinth was a very corrupt place.  I think Ms. Afshar does a good job of being realistic but not too graphic. 

I love that the story is told from a younger girl’s point of view (Ariadne) and reads more like a Young Adult novel, in my opinion.  But it can be enjoyed by young and old alike.  Ariadne faced a lot of rejection in her life and is part of a corrupt, fractured family, torn apart by divorce.  Even though the book takes place in Biblical times, teens and adults will find the themes very relevant today.  Some of these themes are family dynamics, searching for a parent’s approval, wanting to be popular, dysfunctional families and reconciliation.  I highly recommend this book!

Content:   This definitely falls in the edgy Christian fiction category.  I would give it a PG-13 rating.  See my above paragraph on my thoughts regarding the content.  Some examples of the content are:  a mention of men being drunk; men drink wine; a scene showing a slave girl has been raped; a mention of a child having been beaten; talk of prostitution at the temple of Aphrodite; talks about men competing in sports in the nude; a man committed suicide; mentions that people swear, but the word isn’t actually written.

Rating: I give this book a solid 5 stars!

Genre: Christian fiction; Biblical fiction; Historical

I want to thank Tessa Afshar and Tyndale House Publishers for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.




About the Author:
Tessa Afshar is an award-winning author of historical and biblical fiction. Her novel, Land of Silence, was voted by Library Journal as one of five top Christian Fiction titles of 2016, and nominated for the 2016 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Inspirational Romance.

Harvest of Gold won the prestigious 2014 Christy Award in the Historical Romance category.

Her book, Harvest of Rubies, was a finalist for the 2013 ECPA Book Award in the fiction category.

Her first novel, Pearl in the Sand, won her “New Author of the Year” by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader’s Choice Awards 2011.

Tessa 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 cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She serves on the staff of one of the oldest churches in America. But that has not cured her from being addicted to chocolate.

Contact Tessa at tessaafshar.com or on Facebook at: facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar.

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"By the Waters of Babylon" by Mesu Andrews Spotlight

 

“Experience the psalms like never before - through heart-pounding fiction! 

 

When Babylon destroys Jerusalem, as Yahweh warned through his prophets, the captives' bitterness and grief pours out in the Captives' Psalm: 

 

"[By the rivers of Babylon] we sat as exiles, mourning our captivity, and wept with great love for Zion. Our music and mirth were no longer heard, only sadness. We hung up our harps on the willow trees." (Psalm 137:1-2, The Passion Translation)

A young Israelite woman is among them, captured by a mercenary Scythian prince. Driven toward Babylon by both hatred and hope, she endures captivity to reunite with her husband.

But will he be there when she reaches Babylon? Will the prince risk the Scythian throne--and his life--to believe in the Hebrew God? Can they both find what they seek when they meet the prophet Ezekial. . . by the waters of Babylon?”


AUTHOR BIO: MESU ANDREWS is the award-winning author of Love Amid the Ashes and numerous other novels including The Pharaoh’s Daughter and Miriam. Her deep understanding of–and love for– God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for readers. Mesu lives in North Carolina with her husband Roy and enjoys spending time with her growing tribe of grandchildren.
 
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To purchase the novella click here, only $0.99 until after the first week of August!