You must be Brave to marry a King

Brave by Mesu Andrew’s brings to life the life of King David on the run from King Saul.  We are drawn in to the love story between David and Ahinoam.  This story is rich in details and history.  Andrew’s does not disappoint.  She brings this time when David is on the run to full color.  We see glimpses into the friendship with Jonathon the crown prince.  We get a richer understanding of David’s relationship with his family and possible reasons for the distance.  Some very familiar Psalms make an appearance in the story as well as some recognizable scenes from the Bible are played out as well.  This story was a brave story about Ahinoam and her unusual career and how that affected her emotionally.  I was enthralled with the storytelling.  I look forward to the next installment of this series.  If you are looking for a book to spark an interest in the Bible and the life of David this will whet your appetite.  #Brave is worth the read.  My thanks to #Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers for the  ecopy of the book in exchange for my review.

Savory details of Queen Esther’s Court

 

The Queen’s Cook by Tessa Afshar takes you back to Queen Esther’s time on the throne.  Tessa’s attention to history brings this era alive with beauty and charm.  This isn’t the typical story of Esther and how she rose to the throne.  We get to learn about her life at court through Esther’s own memories and people that were a part of her staff.  Adin is a Jewish physician who works at the court.  He is also friends with Roxannah who is a wonderful and innovative cook.  Roxannah’s father presents her with some problems, which she deftly overcomes, but also leaves her with inner doubts.  In typical Afshar fashion, we learn about these characters and their flaws along with bright threads of history and Biblical truth woven into the storyline.  You will have your mouth water and the description of the food that is prepared in the story.  You cheer and hurt with the characters as they struggle with the hard things of life.  Most of all you see the grace and elegance of Queen Esther as she shares about the life of the Queen in Artaxerxes court.

I loved this book.  I have always been fascinated by the story of Esther.  I loved this new take on her reign, and learning about her life at court.  I love how the characters grow and learn through hard experiences and how God is always there to help us find our true beauty if only we will let Him in to our lives and truly believe what he says we are.  Just like these characters I have my doubts, but with each story my belief grows a bit more.  Tessa always knows the right spices to add to the story to make it savory.  For anyone interested in learning more about Queen Esther, this book is a must read.  My tastebuds are awakened and wanting more of this series.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for the complimentary e-book to read in exchange for my review.

Up from Dust by Heather Kaufman

 

Up from Dust by Heather Kaufman was an interesting read.  I love Biblical fiction as it seems to breathe life into the Bible to make it fresh for me.  I was intrigued by the subject of the back story to Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  After reading the book, I am conflicted about my feelings on this book.  There were parts that I enjoyed, but some parts I felt were stretching the ideas a bit too much for my taste.  The back story of the siblings was interesting and the love interest for Martha was captivating.  I also thought how Martha and her love interest met in secret was a bit of a stretch for that time in history.  The other thing I found disappointing was the lack of friendship with Jesus in the book.  While Kaufman stayed true to the Biblical account of things, I was disappointed that the close friendship that Jesus had with these siblings was not developed in the story as I had hoped.  It is a good read,  I just had expectations that were left unfulfilled.  I did like how Kaufman had end notes to direct people back to the Bible and explaining a bit of her thought process to why she took the direction in the story that she wrote.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for my review of the book.