Book Review - Splendor of the Land

Time and place fall away as vivid details bring the reader face to face with the characters of Splendor of the Land, the third book in The King’s Men series by Connilyn Cossette. The cover of this book is rich with the textures of the setting, and it is only a taste of the treasure within. As her characters cross through untamed lands and venture into new cities, it takes little effort for the reader to feel the sand shift beneath their feet or the hot wind blowing across the back of their neck. And if her stories were the sum of her world building, it would be one thing, but the characters are crafted so carefully and easily become so familiar that one cannot help but become entangled in their lives. It is no surprise that I wept and laughed with Gavriel, Zahava, their families and their friends as this captivating story unfolded.

One is a prodigal, running from the shame of his lineage and barreling headfirst into chaos as if his life is worth nothing. The other is the apple of her father’s eye and trusted with a knowledge that will carry on her family legacy, wrapped in an unassuming package and easily overlooked. He a Benjamite and she a Kenite, they would not have been bound together, except for the nudging of guidance given to her father. Through joy and strife, their bond is formed as they are refined in life’s fire and the truths they were not prepared to see before become clear as Gavi and Zahava begin to understand who they are according to their Creator. I highly recommend clearing your schedule for this one, because putting it down is a challenge once you have started it. 

Splendor of the Land, book 3 of The King’s Men series by Connilyn Cossette, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

Book Review - The Strength of Samson

Tyler Kraft sheds light on Old Testament judge Samson in his new biblical fiction release, The Strength of Samson.. Beginning with the messenger’s first appearance and delivery of instructions to his mother Abigail and father Manoah, Kraft brings Samson to life before our very eyes and gives us an idea of what life might have been like for the only known Nazirite who didn’t actually choose that path for himself. 

Kraft has developed carefully created characters to support Samson through his lifelong journey. Their strengths and weaknesses are clearly written to help develop Samson’s struggle to be accepted and live a normal life when he was preordained to be anything but ordinary. The adventure seeking young Nazirite with a penchant for getting into less than desirable situations is not surprising as the adult Samson with a fondness for enemy’s women. Though Kraft’s Samson is not a particularly lovable character, he is an effective portrayal of man’s sinful nature being used by and ultimately redeemed by God. I appreciate Kraft’s attention to detail and exploration of Samson’s understanding of his calling and the world around him, as well as the inner turmoil that must come from constantly wearing the mantle of his people’s expectations. It is an opportunity to sit with Samson and gain a bit of insight.

The Strength of Samson by Tyler Kraft is available now from Amazon.

Thank you to the author of allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Queen’s Cook

Tessa Afshar concocts a beautiful Queen Esther story in her new release, The Queen’s Cook. This installment of the Queen Esther’s Court series focuses on Roxannah, daughter of an impoverished Persian noble, whose work in the kitchen is an aberration from the way things are done among women of her station and whose talent draws attention of both the favorable and unfavorable kind. Forced to work in order to keep a roof over her mother’s head, Roxannah is thankful for her position in the queen’s kitchens and does not want to jeopardize this security, but it does not take long for her to stand out in her own way. Such great talent draws Roxannah into the presence of her queen and then into the drama and intrigue of court life when she and the Jewish physician Adin learn of a plot against Amestris, Queen Esther’s nemesis and the powerful wife of their king. Opposition seems to come from all sides, and yet through the faithful encouragement of Adin and Esther, Roxannah comes to find the life and the light in the midst of her darkness. With delicate storyline layers of bitter struggle and sweet redemption, Afshar crafts a delicacy worthy of royalty.

The Queen’s Cook by Tessa Afshar is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House     Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.  

Book Review - Brave

As a reader of biblical fiction, I have a process that precedes actually reading a new novel. First, I look to the author to determine the original text from which they draw their work. Then I read the original text and sit with it for a time to digest God’s holy word before diving into the novel. I want to hold the fact separate from the fiction, but have grown to love the way the fiction fills in context and points toward God’s truth while helping us consider things we sometimes don’t want to stop to consider. One thing many of us hesitate to ponder for long is the relationship between David ben Jesse, God’s anointed king, and his wives. It makes sense that we do not want to linger on the polygamist relationship of a historical figure we tend to put on a pedestal as the icon of a man after God’s own heart. This is an incredibly sensitive subject to cover, but I have great respect for Mesu Andrews and her approach to it in her latest release, Brave. Because the fact of the matter is that even a man after God’s own heart is still a man. David did have multiple wives. And they are important enough that God inspired man to record them by name in the Old Testament.

Brave is the story of Ahinoam of Jezreel, who is interpreted by Andrews as a Kenite with exceptional dagger throwing skills and who works with her father to forge weapons for David’s ragtag army during the years of running from King Saul. She is spirited, fierce, and loyal. She is also not interested in marriage or being a silly woman, like the mother who abandoned her and her father so many years ago. Yet the Lord works in mysterious ways. In this instance, it is to bring Ahinoam and David together as husband and wife, to forge their relationship as the Lord gives and takes away. Giving and taking provision, giving and taking friendships, giving and taking family. Through it all, they must learn grace and forgiveness. They must learn to praise Him and seek His will. They must learn to keep their focus on Him instead of their human desires. Especially when Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel, also becomes David’s wife.

Andrews is a voracious researcher and I am always fascinated by the context provided in her novels. It is an honor to camp in the wilderness with Ahinoam, feeling the cool walls of the cave at my back, if only in my mind. It is hard to avoid building relationships with the characters she brings to life in text, particularly this strong dagger throwing, God seeking match for the future king. Brave’s narrative switches between Ahinoam’s point of view and David’s, and though I initially thought I just wanted her POV, it did not take long to see that his is essential for greater understanding. Brave is an enlightening read, if not an easy one, and I now wait as patiently as I can for the next installment of the King David’s Brides series.

Brave, book one of the King David’s Brides series from Mesu Andrews, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Shield of the Mighty

Connilynn Cossette recently released the latest installment of her The Kings Men series with Shield of the Mighty. In this story, Zevi battles his past and present to save his future. As a captain in the newly appointed King Saul’s army, Zevi is tasked with recruiting soldiers and artisans and gathering tributes for the king from the one tribe he dreads to face: the one that turned him out as an orphaned child and delivered him into the begrudging hands of relatives who did not want him. And one that wants nothing to do with supporting a Benjamite king. It is in his former hometown that he comes face to face with an artisan who just might be able to save them all in the eyes of King Saul; one who has no love for the king or his recruitment. But without her, their hometown forfeits any hope of protection by the army and will inevitably fall in a horrific way to the unspeakable acts of horror by the Philistines. Zevi cannot allow this to happen. Not to Maresha and not to her.

The incredibly talented and achingly beautiful widow Yochana would rather see King Saul deposed than create perfumes for his wife and daughters. Unfortunately, being captured by the his captain means she will soon end up face to face with the king. As she travels with Zevi and his men, information comes out that gives her a new understanding of what actually happened on the day her husband ran into battle. She also learns valuable information about the hauntingly handsome soldier that changes the way she sees him. When trouble strikes, Zevi and Yochana realize their only hope is in the King of Kings and his vessel just happens to be the Benjamite King Saul.

Cossette is positively brilliant with biblical historical fiction. Her passionate research shows as she crafts a rich world in which we can see the history of God’s people play out in a nearly tangible way. There is not a page when I am not in the setting, smelling the earth and the scents of the various plants Yochana uses in her fragrances and oils. Her characters are my family; the compound at Kiryat-Yearim is a familiar home to me. Complex scene settings, thorough and relatable characters, and intricate plots keep me enthralled from beginning to end. Shield of the Mighty is marked with consistency of her craft and a must-read in my opinion.

The Kings Men series new release Sheild of the Mighty by Connilyn Cossette is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Walmart

This is where I usually write a disclaimer, thanking the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. However, this disclaimer is where I thank my beloved husband for fully supporting my purchase of this book. As always, I’m full of opinions, which are my own and are completely honest.

Book Review - The Ark and the Dove

We know a bit about Noah and the flood. Not a lot, but this is clearly a story God wants His children to know. That is why He inspired man to include it in the Bible. Jill Eileen Smith takes this bit of knowledge and combines it with thorough research to give us this fictional account of what life may have been like for Noah and his family as they prepared for, endured, and thrived after life on the ark. We see the experience through the eyes of Emzara, wife of Noah. Zara must find wives for her sons and guide these young women as they support their husbands through the years of ridicule from neighbors, tense months of caring for the animals as they are all penned in on the ark, and the process of repopulating the earth once the waters have receded. These are all elements we rarely stop to consider, and yet they are worth pondering. Smith has developed each character carefully in line with the narrative of the Bible, even following through to the dispersal of the sons through the Tower of Babel and on through history. The Ark and the Dove spans a great era of biblical history with great insight and attention to detail.

The Ark and the Dove by Jill Eileen Smith is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House           Christian Book           Amazon           Walmart           Barnes & Noble

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - A Hope Fulfilled

There is a beautiful thing about biblical fiction: it always sends me digging into the Bible with fresh eyes in light of the context. A Hope Fulfilled is April W. Gardner’s contextual imagining of the book of Obadiah. The 21 verses of the minor prophet’s Old Testament prophecy are easy to skim over, but don’t be fooled by the book’s length. And don’t be fooled by the novella’s length, either. Gardner sets the stage with a Jewish servant in the household of an Edomite official who despises her the way Edom despises Judah and is more than happy to treat her poorly. With the Babylonian army at the gates, Tikvah must decide if she is willing to help one enemy with a task that ultimately fulfills part of Obadiah’s prophecy against another enemy. And because we all love the thread of hope of a happy future for the heroine, there is a surprise hiding within the Babylonian armor. As a novella, this story moves at what I call “novella’s pace.” It can feel rushed if you are settling in for a novel length exposition, but packs a lot of story in a few hours’ read. Kind of like the book of Obadiah, to which the author refers, so it seems fitting.

Not to be overlooked are Gardner’s companion books, which together with A Hope Fulfilled complete the A Fire and a Flame series. Knowing Obadiah is her commentary on the Old Testament book and But in Mount Zion is a Bible study of the book. It seems at first glance like the second shortest book of the Bible needs little explanation, but with context and study come understanding of the prophecy that calls down warning and judgement on a nation that has despised and abused the nation of Judah, while promising hope for God’s people.

A Hope Fulfilled, Knowing Obadiah, and But in Mount Zion by April W. Gardner are available online from Amazon. You can find more information on the A Fire and a Flame series on the author’s website.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Voice Of The Ancient

From the very beginning, with the four cousins hiding above and spying on the proceedings as the nation of Israel waits with bated breath for lots to be cast and a king to be called forth, Voice Of The Ancient moves furiously and eloquently through the bloody beginning of Saul’s reign. Zevi, Gavriel, Avidan, and Shalem are cousins on the cusp of manhood when the new king’s ragtag volunteer army is called up for battle and the pact of their blood brotherhood is put to the test. With two of them meant for the life of a soldier, the others must decide who they are and who they are meant to be in the eyes of the One Who Sees. And the One Who Sees has a plan beyond their rebellion. For Avi, that includes crossing paths with a young boy who is mistaken as his missing cousin and who is not actually a boy, but a woman in disguise for the sake of her treacherous journey to the safety of family she has never known. As Avidan and Keziah search for his missing cousin and her family, they learn together to listen to the Voice Of The Ancient for guidance.

Connilyn Cossette writes this coming of age story filled with turmoil and hope in a message about value and redemption from the One who gives both. I tried so hard to read it slowly and savor every detail, but was captivated from page one and finished it in a day. Connilyn has a great knack for truly immersing the reader in the lives of her characters. I am particularly fond of the longstanding relationships built throughout the course of her novels, which could be read enjoyably as standalone stories, but have a richness in the familiarity that has been developed through generations as I have read each of her novels.

Voice Of The Ancient, book 1 of The King’s Men series, by Connilyn Cossette is available now from you favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - In Feast or Famine

In her latest addition to the Egyptian Chronicles series, Mesu Andrews picks up the story of Joseph ben Jacob in the depths of Potiphar’s prison, where we left him at the conclusion of the magnificent Potiphar’s Wife. Though we know Elohim used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and therefore manage the great years of plenty and following years of famine to provide for nations, eventually reuniting Joseph with his long lost family, we do not know much about what actually happened in that time. With meticulous research and inspired imagination, Andrews takes us there to witness firsthand how political intrigue and the work of Elohim may have played out to heal the land, heal wounded hearts, and glorify the One God.

Layered eloquently within the known biblical story are elements of timeless themes that bring complex characters to relevance: the longing for a parent’s love, the turmoil of seething hate vs the balm of forgiveness, healing of hearts and of nations, a mother’s fierce drive to care for her children and balance those needs with the needs of the household or even a greater population. Asenath, locked away in a tower for fifteen years with only vague memories of the brutal attack that stole her mother and which she barely survived, chantress of On and destined to become Isis Incarnate, with a destiny determined and laid clearly before her must fulfill her purpose to heal the Two Lands. Joseph, restored from prison to become Egypt’s vizier, knows only Elohim can save and heal the nation’s wounds. Commanded to marry by a pharaoh who is wise beyond his years, the two may be committed to working together for the good of the Two Lands, but there are many obstacles to overcome.

Andrews writes with exceptional insight to captivate the reader, who is not merely an observer of one of the great stories in the lineage of Christ, but an active participant and part of the family of the One God. Come into In Feast or Famine prepared to feel the awesome works of Elohim in a soul deep way that, at least for me, often required stopping at the end of the chapter to digest and work through all that had been unpacked before me.

In Feast or Famine, the second book of the Egyptian Chronicles series, by Mesu Andrews is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book                Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Daughter of Eden

Daughter of Eden opens in a gloriously visceral manner, with the mists of the ground and the tickle of the river dancing upon the reader’s skin to transport us to that glorious garden and make it more real than I have ever experienced. Jill Eileen Smith writes to immerse us as completely as possible in the birthplace of God’s interaction with his creation. It is a gift to be savored sentence by sentence, sensation by sensation, and to really connect with the root of humanity. Smith slices into the Genesis we know and peels back a layer to reveal plausible insights into the lives and intentions of individuals I have never so thoroughly examined. The fall of man and inevitable change of relationships and personal perceptions are laid bare before the reader. I am sure it is possible to read Daughter of Eden as fiction and for enjoyment. However, I am not able to do that. Each section, sometimes just an individual sentence, needed to be mulled and savored before I could progress. It is worth every bit of the work of reading and rereading.

Daughter of Eden by Jill Eileen Smith is available now from your favorite local retailer or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Potiphar’s Wife

Are you a fan of the bad girls of the Bible? Do you like to see how God’s purpose is fulfilled even though evil seems to triumph? Do you like to think about what might have gone on behind the scenes of the events you read about in your Bible? 

Mesu Andrews pries open the tale of Potiphar’s wife in her new release and makes us wonder if she was genuinely horrid or if her circumstances shaped the woman we blame for Joseph’s time in prison. Potiphar’s Wife centers around Princess Zuleika, a strong and capable young woman whose father is king of the Zakros district of Crete and whose beloved husband will become king. Her world is turned upside down by a tragedy which rips her husband and mother away at the same time as it cripples the districts of the island she loves. The only hope to save her home is for her father to offer his most beloved possession in marriage to Egypt’s king. To fulfill her duty to her homeland, Zully is also ripped from her homeland and carried to Egypt before she the chance to mourn her losses.

Adding insult to injury, the beautiful and talented princess is handed off to Pharoah Khyan’s second in command. Potiphar is a crusty old soldier with no desire for a wife, and yet that is exactly what Zully must become. Torn from her family, passed over by the Egyptian king, and scorned by the noblewomen of her new homeland, Zully finds herself spiraling into the depression and madness she fought to resist. If not for a small group of slaves who are especially kind to her, there’s no telling how far she might fall.

This is the woman who flings herself at Joseph in desperation and seizes upon the opportunity to shame him. Yet this story is actually filled with strong women who work together. Ahira is one of those women, a Hebrew slave who is maid to Zully, and a woman both in need of healing and whose care heals others. Ahira’s devotion to her mistress is an opportunity for both to grow through their circumstances. Her care for Joseph is a ministry to him and to those who witness it throughout his dark days.

Potiphar’s Wife by Mesu Andrews is absolutely a must-read and is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online.

Christian Book                Barnes & Noble                Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine. 

Book Review - The Prince and the Prodigal

Jill Eileen Smith writes exquisite biblical fiction, and she has done it again with The Prince and the Prodigal. The Old Testament story of Jacob’s favored son, Joseph, comes to life with her words that help us view his experiences and those of prodigal Judah with fresh eyes to see and ears to hear that “… not only had God fulfilled his dreams, but He’d given him the greater blessing of reunion and reconciliation.”

In reading the account directly from the Bible, I know I was always quick to judge Joseph as the betrayed brother who is eventually redeemed and restored by God. It is easy to miss some very important aspects of the greater narrative. In dismissing the brothers as evil and driven by their hatred to commit sins tantamount to murder, it seems I’ve long overlooked the heart work God did in Judah’s life to bring him to the point of kneeling before the brother he so grievously wronged and begging mercy for youngest brother Benjamin, who was the only remaining son of Jacob’s beloved Rachel. There had to be some exceptional work in the hearts of all of the sons of Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah to lead them to the point where they would treat this remaining son of Rachel with care that spoke to Joseph’s heart and led to the kind of reconciliation that allowed Jacob to spend the remainder of his days in fellowship with all of his sons. Smith pens this book with great care to reflect the heart ache, the heart work, and the heart’s joy as God fulfilled His plan to love and care for His children.

The Prince and the Prodigal by Jill Eileen Smith is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Bookhouse        Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Between the Wild Branches

Connilyn Cossette has earned her place on my list of most inspired authors by proving book after book that her historical fiction gives context and helps the reader understand truths from our biblical history. That means my expectations were high for her latest release, Between the Wild Branches, book 2 of The Covenant House series. If you have not yet read my review of To Dwell Among Cedars, book 1 of The Covenant House, you can find it here. Then, sit back and let me tell you why you need to get your sweet mitts on this book right away.

Lukio was just a young boy when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to the Hebrews by the kings of Philistia, but he noticed that the young king of Ashdod stood alone in his desire to destroy the cursed box instead of giving it back to their enemies. Now he is the champion of Ashdod, Demon Eyes, invincible and betrothed to the king’s favored daughter, but holding on to his childhood love for the woman who is now the slave of his future wife. When Lukio learns what has happened to Shoshana in the decade since he left her, he knows he must use his position and resources to secret her from the palace and return her to safety in Kiryat-Yearim. Little does he know that her rescue and his decision to give his life for hers will expose the vanity of the life he has carefully crafted and the reality that he can truly find his place grafted among the family who never quit praying that Yahweh would protect their Natan and return him to them.

Cossette’s illustration of grafting us into the family of the One True God is tended as well as the gardens Lukio’s sister nurtures in To Dwell Among Cedars and is an exquisite example of the way we can be transformed from our sin sick Philistine selves into Yahweh’s beloved children. We are treasured and longed for by Him the way Elazar and Yoela do Lukio, even when we are foolish and don’t recognize that His grace and mercy are freely extended to us. With the character of Lukio, Cossette held a mirror before me and revealed that God sees me as a beloved branch, fit for nurturing, pruning, and developing desirable fruit.

Between the Wild Branches, book 2 of The Covenant House series, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book Barnes & Noble Amazon

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Jewel of the Nile

There are books that are read and shelved. You read them and move on, having enjoyed the foray into the lives of the characters and soon to forget them as new characters in a new novel move to the forefront. Other books are enjoyable fiction that get into your soul in a very non-fiction way. The characters and their events are fiction, but the truths are fact and prompt the reader to delve more deeply into that truth and what it means personally. Jewel of the Nile by Tessa Afshar is an excellent example of this.

Chariline has grown up an orphan in the care of her emotionally distant aunt and barely tolerated by her grandparents. When whispers reveal that her father may actually be alive, Chariline feels compelled to search to the ends of the earth to find him. In the search for her father, she must excise the scars of her heart and lay them before the One who will never abandon her. However, Chariline is not alone in feeling guilty, unworthy, unlovable, and confused about reconciling those old hurts with the Lord's truth.

In Jewel of the Nile, we are treated to the continued storyline of dear Theo, who I have loved since his appearance in Thief of Corinth and Daughter of Rome. Theo has much to teach Chariline and much to learn from her, as well. I love the way Afshar weaves their stories around beloved New Testament characters and historical figures, using rich historical detail to immerse the reader in the setting. Jewel of the Nile is a treasure among tomes, and should be savored for its rich delights.

Jewel of the Nile is available June 1 from your favorite local bookseller or online.

Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.