Book Review - The Pharisee’s Wife

It is widely accepted that Janette Oke books would be selected by readers based solely on the author’s name. After all, Oke is the origin point for many readers’ passionate journey through inspirational fiction. Her days on my must-read list stem from my early teen years, back when my grandmother purchased her novels via mail order and tried faithfully to keep up with my appetite for her clean and uplifting prose. In that spirit, I pounced on her latest release and savored it from cover to cover.

The Pharisee’s Wife unfolds methodically and in an unhurried pace, as the tale is told of a young girl who is given a high honor she does not want and must make what she will of it. Pulled from her family home and dumped into the home of a Pharisee in training who cares more for adulation than for her, Mary is then left to pick up the pieces and find her way forward when the unthinkable happens. This story of the early church is respectful and introspective. It is not surprising that the author’s note is as impactful as the novel itself. The urgency is not in the storyline, but in a decision each person must make at some point. And the climax of the story, well… Oke writes that (second) best, so you are just going to have to read The Pharisee’s Wife cover to cover to understand.

The Pharisee’s Wife by Janette Oke 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 - Vita’s Prayer

Imagine for a moment that you have decided to write a novel about the early church in Rome, taking on the lofty responsibility of conveying truth within the historical context, while weaving a tale that fully absorbs the reader into it. Now add the complicating twist of choosing to write this story in your non-native language. The challenge is great, but Grace Liu meets it with aplomb in her debut novel, Vita’s Prayer. There is no chance of missing her passion for the good news and the early carriers of it as she pours into characters that come alive and settings that live and breathe through her descriptions. One of the things I appreciate most is the character development, as motivations are revealed through understanding; even the most reviled are driven by something, sometimes more than greed. With a plot full of drama and intrigue, the reader is immersed in the dangerous world where mere mortals do the work of their gods and of the one true God.

Vita’s Prayer is available now from 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.