Recent Reads - Harvest of Rubies

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Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar - I don't know why I haven't read this book before, but I'm so glad I did. It's a poignant story and also provides insight into life in the Persian noble classes during the time of King Artaxerxes, which is shortly before Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. And Nehemiah is a character that appears a couple of times in this story.

The story centers around Sarah, a young Jewish woman who has a gift for writing and languages. Her father is a scribe serving the Persian court, and at cousin Nehemiah's urging, allows Sarah to start learning the scribe's craft when she is a young girl. Sarah delights in learning, and sees it as a way to finally connect with her distracted and distant father. As a young woman she is given an opportunity to be the chief scribe to the queen and works tirelessly at proving herself worthy of this great honor. In the course of her service, she deftly handles a legal matter, diffusing a situation that would have caused great embarrassment to the queen and a schism in the royal household. To reward Sarah, the queen arranges a very advantageous marriage for her, to a young noble named Darius.

Unfortunately, Sarah has no desire to be married and turns away all the assistance offered to her until the very last moment and the wedding celebration proves a disaster, and causes Darius to view his new bride with distaste and mistrust. The result is that Sarah and her maid are left on their own at his country home which is woefully understaffed. Sarah makes a couple of friends that help her find purpose and joy in the lonely life, and it seems that one purpose is to deal with the hostile steward in charge of the estate when Sarah suspects he is mismanaging Darius' property and money . . . or worse.

Even if Sarah and her friends can find proof, will Darius ever trust her, or even listen to her concerns? Is there any possibility he will forgive her or respect her? Can Sarah learn to see her own worth and value is not merely in her ability as a scribe?

I love that the characters in this story all have a believable mix of positive and negative traits. Sarah, Darius, the king and queen, and Sarah's father all show admirable qualities and flaws, although of course it is the characters of Sarah and Darius that get the focus. 

From the publisher:

The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls or parchement and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she's a woman in a man's court.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance, and she came to two conclusions: God does not care about me, and my accomplishments are the measure of my worth.

Catapulted into the center of the Persian court, Sarah is working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure―but success―that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Sarah soon learns that she has something of worth to offer beyond her ability with languages and sums; her very being proves to be a blessing to others, particularly the aristocrat Darius, whom she is given to in marriage.

Sarah and Darius' story continues in Harvest of Gold. Darius may be able to learn to love his wife, but can he ever learn to trust Sarah and her Lord?

*********************

This is part of a duology (#15) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Once Upon A Prince

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Once Upon A Prince by Rachel Hauck - I've had this book in my Kindle library for a very long time and finally decided it was time to read it. And I'm glad I did. It's a sweet romance that combines fairy tale charm with a contemporary setting and strong characters. 

Susanna considers herself just an ordinary young woman, working hard to succeed in her career and waiting patiently for years to marry her high school sweetheart (now a Marine). But all her carefully laid plans for her life crumble in the opening pages when he breaks up with her instead of proposing. Susanna is disturbed to realize that she was more in love with her plan than with her young man, and sets out to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. And then she meets Nate when she's in need of help, and he seems to show up as a sort of knight in shining armor for her, leading to a friendship.

While on holiday in America, Prince Nathaniel isn't looking for a romance, especially since there are restrictions on who a member of the royal family can marry. He enjoys lending a helping hand to Susanna though, and getting to know her. They do seem to get along so well, and as the days go by they both find themselves considering the possibility of love . . . but Susanna doesn't even know Nate is really a prince. 

Both Susanna and Nathaniel have many choices to make and must learn to trust God's purpose and timing for their lives. Both character arcs feature loyalty, honoring commitments, and being willing to obey God and follow him in everything. 

From the publisher:

The story that inspired the Hallmark Original movie! He's a royal prince. She's an ordinary girl. But this holiday could change everything.

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess―just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn't going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up with her instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simons Island is the queen of his heart. The prince has duties, and his family's tense political situation means he won't be able to marry for love or even choose his own bride.

When Prince Nathaniel stops to help Susanna, who is stranded with a flat tire under the fabled Lover's Oak, he is immediately enchanted by her. And even though he's a total stranger, Susanna finds herself pouring her heart out to him.

Their lives are worlds apart, and soon Nathaniel must face the ultimate choice: his kingdom or her heart?

This is a character-driven novel (#9) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

©2008-2024 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Isaiah's Daughter

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Isaiah's Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings by Mesu Andrews - What an honor it's been for me to be able to read this advanced copy of Mesu Andrews' latest novel, which releases on January 16th! I've read previous novels by Andrews, and love how she brings the lesser known characters of the Scriptures to life in dramatic but realistic ways. In Isaiah's Daughter, we get to know another woman of the Bible who is mentioned only briefly - as the mother of King Hezekiah's successor. In her author's note, Andrews says she became interested in Hephzibah because of the meaning of her name (which is "God's delight is in her") and because she was the wife of Judah's most righteous king but the mother of Judah's most wicked king. 

The fictional story surrounding this obscure woman is that she was orphaned as a little girl when the Assyrians attached Israel and was eventually taken in by the prophet Isaiah and his wife. Her trauma had rendered her mute, but as she and King Ahaz's son Hezekiah became friends, Hephzibah was able to speak again and she helped Hezekiah overcome the trauma of his brother's death as a sacrifice to Molech. The friendship turned into love, and Isaiah adopted Hephzibah as his daughter so that she would have the standing to be married to Hezekiah. Their love must overcome many more odds before they can even be married, and they face great challenges afterwards as well. Hezekiah is determined to turn the nation back to worshiping the one true God after the idolatry of his father, and later on he is faced with difficult decisions such as whether to continue to pay tribute to the Assyrians. Hephzibah is often frightened and confused, and sometimes disagrees with her husband, but overall she proves herself a wise counselor and a faithful wife.

Although a sweeping romantic historical novel with a beautiful love story, this story also has much to teach us. The over-arching theme is to trust God and his Word, to stand firm and steadfast in believing that God is in control and that he is good, even when the world around us is chaos and confusion.  All of the major characters - even the great prophet Isaiah himself! - must struggle with humility and trust at some point in the story.

From the publisher:

In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king.

Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name -- Zibah, delight of the Lord -- thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation.

By the same author: Pharoah's Daughter, Miriam, Love's Sacred Song, Love Amid the Ashes.

Isaiah's Daughter is scheduled to be released on January 16th, but can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

I received this book from Mesu Andrews and Waterbrook Press, a division of Penguin Random House, in exchange for an honest review.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Egypt's Sister

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Egypt's Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra by Angela Hunt - Chava's father is the tutor to the royal children in Alexandria, so she has been brought up as the dearest friend of the princess Urbi. The two share a close bond, and vow to always be together, but when Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne and becomes Queen Cleopatra, their friendship is tested. Tumultuous events force them apart, but Chava believes their bond will endure. And it does, at least until Chava must politely decline Cleopatra's offer of Roman citizenship for herself and her family. Chava and her family are Hebrews and will not agree to worship other gods, which is Cleopatra's condition of citizenship. To Chava's horror, she and her father are imprisoned because of this, and seemingly forgotten and dismissed by Cleopatra. Eventually they are sold into slavery, and Chava's last hope of being reunited with her family is shattered when she is put on a slave ship bound for Rome.

Chava endures the cruelty of the slave ship, and finds herself sold as a laborer on a farm estate in the country. She is determined to find a way to escape or earn her freedom so she can find her father and brother, and to confront Cleopatra. It turns out that she is on the estate of Octavian's mother, and after Octavian is named Caesar Chava is moved to Rome where she works hard to become a skilled midwife. She finds an unexpected friend among the powerful advisors to Caesar, and at long last has a way to return to Alexandria. After fifteen years away, will she be able to find her father, or her brother who escaped to Jerusalem? What has happened to the young scholar who once wanted to marry her? And will she have the chance to meet Urbi again face to face, and fulfill the promise that God had given her?

This was such a powerful story, weaving the imaginary character of Chava into the history of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and other real figures. Chava's belief that God had spoken to her about her friendship with Urbi, and her maturing and growth in her faith was very real and compelling. It certainly isn't a feel-good "happy ever after" story in the sense that we know that Marc Antony and Cleopatra had a tragic ending, but with the focus on Chava and her experience, there is an underlying message of hope and of God's faithfulness.

From the publisher:

You Don't Know Her Name. The World Remembers Only Her Greatest Friend: Cleopatra.

Raised together in the Alexandrian palace, Chava, the Hebrew daughter of the royal tutor, and Urbi, and Egyptian princess, become as close as sisters--and rivals with their dreams of greatness. When Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne as Queen Cleopatra, Chava believes their bond is strong enough to survive. But absolute power has a way of changing everything.

The ultimate betrayal rips Chava from everything she's ever known and sends her to the lowest rung of Roman society where she must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life, if she hopes to rise again.

By the same author: Bathesheba: Reluctant Beauty

Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Egypt's Sister

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

 My shock yielded quickly to fury. How dare Cleopatra leave me and my father in prison for so long! Did all our years of friendship count for nothing?
~Egypt's Sister: A Novel of Cleopatra by Angela Hunt, page 153

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

CHAPTER ONE

Though I was as close as a shadow to many of the greatest men and women in human history, no historian ever recorded my name. Though I walked down marble hallways and dined regularly with princes and princesses, no one ever thought my presence significant. And though I influenced a woman who molded the hearts of formidable men, I am never mentioned in their biographies.

But I have a story.

Here's the blurb:

You don't know her name. The world remembers only her greatest friend: Cleopatra.

Raised together in the Alexandrian palace, Chava, the Hebrew daughter of the royal tutor, and Urbi, an Egyptian princess, become as close as sisters -- and rivals with their dreams of greatness. When Urbi unexpectedly ascends the throne as Queen Cleopatra, Chava believes their bond is strong enough to survive. But absolute power has a way of changing everything.

The ultimate betrayal rips Chava from everything she's ever known and send her to the lowest rung of Roman society where she must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life, if she hopes to rise again.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - The Pharaoh's Daughter

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The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel by Mesu Andrews - Have you ever wondered about that Egyptian princess that rescued a Hebrew infant from the Nile and raised him as her own son? Who was she, and was it just simple compassion for a crying baby that prompted her to act? What happened to her after Moses was grown?  I know I've often wondered, and in this compelling novel, Mesu Andrews offers a well-researched and thoughtful account of what might have happened. Yes, it's fiction, but it's quite plausible!

Anippe is the daughter of Pharaoh Akenhaten, and at six years old she saw her mother die in childbirth. Traumatized by that event, she grows up living in fear of being pregnant, but once she is happily married to Sebak, she wants desperately to be a mother - she is just too afraid to go through a pregnancy herself. Her brother Tut has become Pharaoh, and in his grief at his wife's repeated miscarriages, he orders all the Hebrew baby boys to be killed at birth or thrown into the Nile. Anippe's husband has just left on a military campaign, and thought Anippe might be expecting, so when a basket containing a baby floats near her bathhouse, she sees it as a gift from the gods - allowing her to be a mother and give her husband a son, while escaping the terrifying ordeal of childbirth.

With grudging help from her sister, Anippe develops a web of deceit so that she can fool everyone into believing she is pregnant, and then has a son. In the process, she comes to know and trust some of the Hebrews on her estate - Miriam, who becomes her handmaid; Jochebed, the baby's birth mother and wet nurse; Mered, a Hebrew foreman on the estate; and Mered's wife Puah, one of the midwives. Time and again, Anippe escapes discovery and navigates the dangerous political climate as her brother Tut dies and her adoptive father vies for the throne. Finally, her father Horemheb establishes himself on Egypt's throne, but also reveals just how cruel he can be; and an ambitious guard reveals the secret to him. He orders Anippe to be killed, but a friend manages to spirit her away to safety - among the Hebrew slaves! - while Horemheb takes over the raising of Prince Mehy/Moses.

Will Anippe ever see her beloved son again, and will she accept her life as a Hebrew? Can she overcome her fears of the gods and trust in the One God of the Hebrews? This richly imagined story brings to life a mysterious Biblical character and sets the stage for the the events of the Exodus still to come.

By the same author: Miriam, Love's Sacred Song, Love Amid the Ashes.

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - The Winter Crown

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The Winter Crown: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Elizabeth Chadwick - This novel is the second in a trilogy focusing on the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. I started reading it not realizing that there was a novel preceding it, but it stood alone quite well, especially because I was already familiar with Eleanor's story.

The story opens with the coronation of Alienor (as she referred to herself in documents, and Chadwick used that spelling throughout) as Queen of England, alongside her husband, King Henry II. Early in their relationship, Alienor and Henry had a passionate relationship and although they argued, they did have a working partnership as rulers. Alienor knew her duty was to produce heirs to the throne, and her life became more wrapped up in her children. Her relationship with Henry deteriorated as he was unfaithful and didn't respect her political abilities as she wanted him to. This novel describes her growing discontent in the diminishing role Henry is pushing her into, and the power struggles between Henry and their sons. Eventually, young Harry rebels and two of his brothers go with him to the court of Louis of France. Alienor's advice to them and her own actions are treasonous to King Henry's suspicious mind, and this book ends with Alienor as his prisoner and hostage.  Alienor's story continues in The Autumn Throne, which I do think I will read soon, in order to remember how her life unfolded from that point on, at least from this historical novel's point of view.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was an unusual and powerful woman in her time, and most portrayals of her that I've read do not paint her in a flattering light, even while remaining sympathetic to her during the injustice of her imprisonment by her own husband. In Chadwick's novel, Eleanor is naturally the heroine because she is the central character, but her flaws and faults and attitudes are realistically shown as well. As I read, I was able to see events as Eleanor may have perceived them, which gave a new perspective to a familiar period of European history.

By the same author: A Place Beyond Courage, Lady of the English

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - The Winter Crown

This post contains affiliate links.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at Books and Beat. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

Alienor had no intention of "resting assured," because she did not believe him. If he involved her, it was for his own ends. "But the business of Aquitaine is mine first," she said firmly. "And it is my choice to involve you, not yours to involve me."

~The Winter Crown: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Elizabeth Chadwick, page 21

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON, DECEMBER 1154

   At the precise moment Theobald, Archibishop of Canterbury, placed the golden weight of a crown on Alienor's brow, the child in her womb gave a vigorous kick that resonated throughout her body. Clear winter light rayed from the abbey's Romanesque windows to illuminate the Confessor's tomb in the sacrarium and cast pale radiance upon the dais where Alienor sat beside her husband, the newly anointed King Henry II of England.

   Henry gripped the jeweled orb and the sword of sovreignty with confident possession. His mouth was a firm, straight line and his gray gaze purposeful. In the mingling of gloom ad light, his beard glinted copper-red, and he exuded all the glow and vigor of his twenty-one years. He was already duke of Normandy, count of Anjou, and consort duke of Aquitaine and had been a force to be reckoned with ever since leading his first battle campaign at the age of fourteen.

Here's the blurb:

As queen of England, Eleanor has a new cast of enemies - including the king.

Eleanor has more than fulfilled her duty as Queen of England - she has given her husband, Henry II, heirs to the throne and has proven herself as a mother and ruler. But Eleanor needs more than to be a bearer of children and a deputy; she needs her own true authority. As her children grow older, and her relationship with Henry suffers from scandal and infidelity, Eleanor realizes the power she seeks won't be given willingly. She must take it for herself. But even a queen must face the consequences of treason . . .

In this dynamic second novel in her Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, Elizabeth Chadwick brings to life a passionate royal marriage, where love and hatred are two sides of the same coin and in the attle for control the winner takes all.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - The Pharaoh's Daughter

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at Books and Beat. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! 

"There's a difference between not wanting a baby and not wanting to give birth, Ankhe." The truth was, the moment Anippe realized she might never have a baby, she wanted one all the more.
~The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel by Mesu Andrews, page 89

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading. 

PROLOGUE
[The angel of the Lord] replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." 
-Judges 13:18

   The royal linen closet is a dark hiding place, but I'm a big girl -- almost five inundations old -- so I'm trying not to be afraid.

   I wonder . . . is it dark in the underworld? Was Ummi Kiya afraid when she and the baby inside her crossed over this morning?

   The priest ordered me and my little sister to the birthing chamber. Ankhe is only three. She wouldn't go.

   The priest was angry, so he came to our chamber and grabbed Ankhe's hand. "You must see the beauty of Tawaret -- goddess of childbirth!"

   Instead we saw Ummi Kiya's blood poured out on the straw under her birthing stool. Her light-brown skin was white as milk. The midwives pulled out a baby boy, but he was as gray as granite.

Here's the blurb:

Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt's good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment that awakened in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to become the bride of Sebak, the kind but quick-tempered captain of Pharaoh Tut's army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives -- women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile.

When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt's gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son, Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.

As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan for them all?

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Queen of Sheba

This post contains affiliate links. 

Queen of Sheba by Roberta Kells Dorr - This novel gives the legendary Queen of Sheba a name - Bilqis - and lots of background. As the only child of the king, Bilqis claims the throne of Sheba, but is in a constant battle with her male relatives and the priests of Sheba's moon god to marry and provide an heir. She knows that if she gives in and marries her cousin that he and his father will control her and the kingdom. At the same time, Egypt's pharoah and some other neighboring kingdoms are pressuring her to join their coalition to attack Israel, because Solomon now has ships that can bypass their land trade routes. Bilqis hears about the great wisdom of Solomon and the power of Israel's God from a Hebrew trader and makes the bold decision to visit Solomon herself before deciding whether to join the coalition, or whom she will marry. 

Meanwhile, Solomon is growing weary of dealing with the constant jockeying for position among his wives, and is becoming depressed as he realizes that the son who will inherit the throne of Israel is a fool. (Also contributing to his depression is that he continues to grieve the loss of the only wife that he loved, the Shunamite maiden of the book Song of Solomon - Dorr tells her version of that love story in the book that comes before this in the series. I didn't know about it or I would have read it first!) He has allowed his many foreign wives to worship their pagan gods and has had temples built for many of them, thinking that it will keep peace and that as long as the temple for the one true God is bigger and more prominent, it's still good enough. All this makes for a believable transition from the king known for his incredible wisdom to a king foolish enough to disobey God's commands and marry foreigners and condone pagan worship within his own household.

Solomon is fascinated by the Queen of Sheba and finds a renewal of his own faith as he answers her many questions about the God of Israel and how He can be known and worshiped. Bilqis becomes convinced that God is the one true God and wants to learn all she can about Him, but she is reluctant to trust Solomon enough to enter into a marriage covenant with him.

Just as in the previous title by Dorr that I read, she has taken a character mentioned only a few times in the Bible, and built a fairly convincing novel around her. In I Kings 10 and II Chronicles 9, we are told that the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon "to test him with hard questions." She brought him very rich gifts, and was overwhelmed by his wealth and his wisdom. And Solomon gave her many gifts as well. That is all we know from the Bible. But other traditions and legends say that Solomon married the Queen of Sheba, and that their son was the next ruler of Sheba and the founder of a line descending from Solomon to the last king of Ethiopia, Hailie Selasse. I enjoyed this novel very much, because even though it imagines the scenarios that brought the Queen to Jerusalem and the rest of the interactions, it gives context to how it might have played out and the traditions that have followed.

By the same author - David and Bathsheba

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - David and Bathsheba

This post contains affiliate links. 

David and Bathsheba by Roberta Kells Dorr - There's much to speculate on in the Biblical story of David and Bathsheba. We're told of David's sinful actions in bringing Bathsheba to his palace, committing adultery, and then eventually murdering her husband in an attempt to cover the whole thing up. Then we're also told that after the death of their baby, he comforted her. And later on, it is their son that God chooses as David's successor to the throne. Is it truly a love story, or not so much? Roberta Kells Dorr does treat it as a love story, and does it quite convincingly.

In this novelized version of the story, Bathsheba is a very lonely young wife to a cold-hearted Uriah, and lives under the thumb of Uriah's pagan mother. She has begun to idolize the charismatic King David after seeing him from her window, so when he eventually sees her bathing and summons her, she goes eagerly, even though she has no idea what the reason is. What follows is basically a one-night courtship, and here the story differs from most of the other fictionalized versions I've read, because David gives Bathsheba the choice to stay with him or return to Uriah's house without having crossed that line. And she chooses to stay. The story continues to unfold according to Scripture, with the stunning revelation of Nathan the prophet and the death of the baby, and David's grief over his sin and eventual repentance and restoration. Dorr gives Bathsheba lots of personality, and she must also repent and receive forgiveness for her own sin. The love and connection between David and Bathsheba is tested in many ways, including the palace intrigues (the other wives, the bad blood between David's other sons, and the plots against him) and their own guilt and pride.

It did take me several chapters of reading before I was drawn into the story, perhaps because it opens when Bathsheba is still a little girl and Saul is in the last days of his kingship. Those chapters, and parts of the later story, focus on Bathsheba's grandfather, Ahithophel and he is a puzzling and not very likeable man. Dorr's telling does imagine a background that proposes a plausible explanation for his motives, and later foreshadows some of great-grandson Solomon's struggles. Despite the slow start for me, I did get into the book as it unfolded and loved it.

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays/First Chapter First Paragraph - Queen of Sheba

This post contains affiliate links. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by  Jenn at Books and Beat. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

She didn't wait for them to recover their senses and rise, but lifted her skirt and hurried from the room with all of her women following behind. She had proposed something more daring than the bravest men of Sheba even imagined. There was no turning back now; she would have to go through with the venture.

~Queen of Sheba by Roberta Kells Dorr, page 38

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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is a weekly link-up hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or two) of a book you're reading, or thinking about reading soon.

   It was the annual dry season and the first of the caravans had arrived in Jerusalem from the south. On hearing the news, Solomon with his son and a few of his friends retired to the more casual, tentlike quarters built on the roof of his new palace. This was an ideal place to view the varied assortment of bobbles and oddities with some real treasures brought from distant lands.

   The traders would go on to Hazor and then Damascus, where they sold most of their wares, but in Jerusalem they had always found Solomon to be one of their best customers. He knew quality and was not reluctant to pay high prices for an item he happened to like. However, now that his ships had made a successful trip down the Red Sea to Punt, the traders were afraid he would no longer buy from them.

Queen of Sheba by Roberta Kells Dorr

Here's the blurb:

In Queen of Sheba, Roberta Kells Dorr has woven historical and archaeological research with age-old legend to create a riveting tale of ancient plots and passions.

This stirring and epic account of a pagan queen's search for truth and love paints a captivating portrait of a woman struggling with her passions and responsibilities while it brings to life the ancient Middle East. Dorr tells of a beautiful, intelligent, and independent queen who constantly battles the priests and high lords of her kingdom who resent being ruled by a woman. Bilqis, the queen of Sheba, is a woman as modern as her story is ancient.

Disillusioned by her own religion, under pressure to marry but finding no suitor who meets her own high standards, and disturbed by the effect of Solomon's new fleet of ships on Sheba's precious trade routes, Bilqis travels to Israel to meet the legendary Hebrew king and divert a needless and costly war.

Bilqis is a woman who longs for love but is reluctant to forsake her independence, aware that she has much to lose if she makes the wrong choice. In Solomon, to her surprise, she finds both love and a new faith - the covenant between man and woman and the covenant between humanity and God. But she is still too independent to let anyone become close to her. Also, she must return to rule her own people. How Solomon finally wins her, and how this beautiful queen resolves the conflicts among herself, her old religion, and the intrigues of her kinsmen, make The Queen of Sheba an exciting, bold novel of love and faith.

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays - David and Bathsheba

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn at Books and Beat. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Bathsheba wished he would stay there, where she could see him within view of her window. She knew now why it was said that every woman in Israel was in love with the king.

David and Bathsheba by Roberta Kells Dorr, page 124

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/