A Light on the Hill

One of my favorite new genres is biblical fiction. It is taking factual events from the Bible, and creating a bit of a backstory to the characters we know about, but not everything about. It might even use a major biblical event as the setting for the novel, such as Connilyn Cossette has done brilliantly in her series, Cities of Refuge. The first novel in the series is A Light on The Hill, and takes the readers back just after the fall of the walls of Jericho.

Back to the lands filled with the idol worship of false gods, where temples were built to commemorate and worship those idol images. Moriyah was a young girl when she was kidnapped and branded on her face as a temple prostitute even though she never was violated in that manner. It would be a brand she would forever face discrimination and rumors about what those who knew of her perceived her to be. It would also make finding a suitable husband for her, almost an impossibility. What man would want to deal with a wife who had to remain covered by a veil whenever she went out in public. Yet even that did nothing to prevent the stares or public shame she had to endure.

When Moriyah learns that her father has found a suitable match for her, she believes God has finally heard her prayer. She believes the young man she meets on the night of a festival is the same man promised to marry her. However she soon learns that he is simply the youngest of the brothers, her father has arranged to marry her. He is not the one. The man she is forced to marry is the oldest brother and the only desire he has for her, is her dowry that her father has promised to any man who will marry her, vineyards beyond riches. She faces her own challenges dealing with not only her potential future husband, but he has vowed she will remain forever veiled so no one will ever look at her and see who she really is.

I received A Light on The Hill by Connilyn Cossette compliments of Bethany House Publishers. This is such a wonderful novel in that during my own Bible reading, I have read about the horror stories of the people who lived behind the walls of Jericho and the things they did they flew in the face of the God of the Bible. We see glimpses of that with Joshua and how he brought down the walls, and of the prostitute Rahab that hid the men of God who would have been killed had they been discovered. It was the same favor that saved the life of not only her but her family as well. This picks up after that has occurred and shows the fall out of the life of those trapped behind those walls that now have to deal with the repercussions of that lifestyle, even if they didn't agree with it. A wonderful discussion guide is included at the conclusion of this novel that makes for a great book club selection. For me, I can't wait to read the remaining novels that will follow this one, and thus the reason for giving this one a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about A Light on The Hill, Connilyn Cossette or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

A Light on The Hill by Connilyn Cossette

You can find Connilyn Cossette on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Light on The Hill, please visit Bethany House Publisher's website.

The Pharaoh's Daughter

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pharaoh's Daughter WaterBrook Press (March 17, 2015) by Mesu Andrews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, enjoyed fourteen years of pastoral ministry before moving to the Pacific Northwest, where Roy now serves as Academic Dean at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. Mesu writes full-time, snuggled in her recliner beside a cozy fire on rainy Northwest days. The Andrews’ enjoy visiting their two married daughters and a growing tribe of grandkids. Mesu loves movies, football, waterfalls, and travel.

Biblical fiction is her favorite genre to read and write. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Fear is the most fertile ground for faith.” “You will be called Anippe, daughter of the Nile. Do you like it?” Without waiting for a reply, she pulls me into her squishy, round tummy for a hug.
I’m trying not to cry. Pharaoh’s daughters don’t cry.
When we make our way down the tiled hall, I try to stop at ummi Kiya’s chamber. I know her spirit has flown yet I long for one more moment. Amenia pushes me past so I keep walking and don’t look back.
Like the waters of the Nile, I will flow.

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 which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a 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?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pharaoh's Daughter, go HERE.

Esther

I have to begin this review with saying the Biblical fictions are one of my favorites. We know the stories we read about in the books of the Bible don't contain every little piece of what happened but more of a synopis or summary of the book instead. I've read quite a few on the Book of Esther and was really looking forward to Rebecca Kanner's take on the story as well. While it may be based on the idea and concept of the story of Esther, the woman who would be queen, that is about all the Biblical aspects you will get from it aside from a quote from the Bible out of the book of Esther randomly at the beginning of certain chapters.

Now keep in mind, we don't know the detailed extent to what happened from the time of Esther's capture until she is accepted as the replacement queen for Vashti under the rule of King Xerxes. I had hoped to see the same biblical themes carried through the story but was more of an afterthought than anything. The plot from Haman and his family was a subtly that didn't move the story in the direction it should have with more jealousy being placed on Halannah, not finding favor as Queen over Esther. While we know it would have been important to save her faith while living in the palace, in this story, Esther maintains possession of an object given to her by one of the soldiers she develops feelings for and would have been considered a pagan object by those of the Jewish faith whom Esther was raised firm to believe in and understand.

The entire story was woven from what Esther does and who rallies behind her to help her rather than having faith in God to bring her to the place He ultimately has in store for her. If you take the Bible's story of Esther and this one, you can see there is quite the division between the two. I would have a really difficult time labeling this one a Christian based story since this one also deals with a lot of adult based themes more such as Esther's preparation to be queen and the night she must spend together with the King winning him over. There is a sexual undertone that you can't miss throughout this book. That being said, if you want a book that takes the concept of Esther, a young girl kidnapped to become queen your story, than this one is perfect. I would not recommend this to someone thinking it is a biblical version of the same story because it is not.

I received Esther: A Novel by Rebecca Kanner compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review. As I stated above, this is not the biblical version of Esther but a more adult and modern version of the story over what the Bible clearly points out. While it does contain some scripture it is not to help guide or educate the reader along the way with the purpose behind the story of how a Jewish woman would rely on her faith in God to save the Jewish people and win the heart of the King in the process, not through seduction, but on her godly character and morals. I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Eshter, Rebecca Kanner or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Esther: A Novel by Rebecca Kanner

You can find Rebecca Kanner on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Esther: A Novel, please visit Howard Book's website.

The Friends of Jesus

Six very different people. Yet all had an encounter with one man who would change their lives forever. They would be the same in some aspects but vastly different because of that one encounter and in many cases a continued relationship as being friends of Jesus.

In the book, The Friends of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury, we get an up close and personal look at the very lives of six people who were forever changed in remarkable ways by those who encountered Jesus. From Simon, once a man of political power and influence, brought low and left abandoned by his family and friends when he became a leper. It was only through his faith in Jesus Christ, that would offer him a new life and a new faith. Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, was one of Jesus' closest friends, who would have her own faith challenged and tested when her brother dies while waiting for Jesus. She learns what the meaning of belief truly is. Jarius, a man who had one of the highest places of authority in the council of the high priests. As they are making preparations to arrest Jesus, he learns his daughter is dying. He has to make a decision to be with his daughter during her final hours, or trust and hope that the Jesus they have been debating truly has the power to heal.

Mary Magdalene, is probably one of the most notable women from the Bible, aside from Mary, Jesus' mother. Hers was a life spent looking for answers in all the wrong places for happiness until she was seized by the power of seven demons. Her life would have remained an internal prison if not for the love and compassion from Jesus to dedicate the rest of her life to serving Him. Peter, the rock on whom Jesus would ultimately build His church upon is finding redemption and meaning to his life even after following Him for three years and would deny him three different times. For John, often called the one Jesus loved, learns how the first in the kingdom of God, will be the least and learn a life of what serving Jesus will truly mean.

I received The Friends of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review, outside of a free copy of this book and the opinions are my own personal. For anyone who loves a connection between the people who encountered Jesus in the Bible, you will absolutely love how Karen, deligates a separate chapter for each of these characters and how they seem to link together in the ways Jesus worked not only in their lives from an external perspective but a lasting internal one as well. For me the biggest eye opener was the statement from Gamaliel, one of the oldest Pharisees on deciding the fate of Jesus claimed, "Leave Jesus alone! Let Him go! For if His purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from the Father, you will not be able to stop Him. You will only find yourselves fighting against God." This is evident in the life of Christianity, it has never stopped, no matter what they threaten and the message is a timeless now as it was then. Well worth 5 out of 5 stars. Discussion questions are included at the end which would make for a great personal Bible study or for book clubs.

For more information about The Friends of Jesus, Karen Kingsbury or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Friends of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury

You can find Karen Kingsbury on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Friends of Jesus, please visit Howard Book's website. 

A.D. 30

I've been a huge fan of anything written by Ted Dekker. In fact, there hasn't been anything I've read that I haven't loved. Now whenever I get a request to review any novels from him, I don't even have to read the synopsis because I am already so excited to get my hands on another of his exciting series. His latest novel A.D. 30, was inspired by his wife, whom he references as Maviah, the main character in this novel. She has to utilize all her strength going beyond what she feels and pulls from an invisible source to deal with what life hands her throughout this novel.

But it wasn't so much the story that captivated me as much as Ted's chapter "My Journey into A.D. 30" at the beginning of the novel that really hit home for me as a believer. I too have struggled in my life as a believer so many times, when adversity hits home and we struggle to find that strength in Christ to measure up and move forward often times failing worse than a non believer might. It's a brutal honesty of his heart that resounded with me and made me want to venture into my own personal search in reading this novel. "What about you? You're saved in the next life as a matter of sound doctrine, but do you often feel powerless and lost in this life? Without a doubt, the answer for me and I am sure plenty of other readers will be a huge "Yes!"

Ted references Jesus in this novel as Yesua, the name He was called in His day. He takes readers into the search through this novel to discover "His Way through the lens of a foreigner - a Bedouin women who is cast out of her lofty position in the deep Arabian desert by terrible tragedy. Her epic, unnerving journey forces her to the land of Israel, where she encounters the radical teachings of Yeshua, which once again turn the world upside down." (5). As the alliances in which Maviah's people has broken down and betrayal runs rampant, she is the last hope, much like Esther was to her own people, to find salvation and restoration in meeting with Herod to broker an agreement that might save her father as well as her town of Dumah.

Along the way, her loyalty will be tested, her beliefs in the gods of Ancient Egypt will be questioned, and the faith and unconditional love she finds when she encounters Yeshua is bound to affect you in a remarkable way. It truly is a story of sacrifice for those you love and how far you might be willing to go, what the costs of revenge truly are, and how we can find strength in the midst of the darkest places in our life. Now I can't wait for the next novel A.D. 33 to come out. What an amazing novel that will impact you long after you finish the final page.

I received A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker compliments of Shelton Interactive and Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups,  for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. I absolutely love the richness of the details in this novel. I actually felt like I was part of Maviah's small caravan as she and her companions headed out across the desert oasis relying on the stars and the sand to help navigate the way to Sepphoris to reach King Herod before she is hunted down by the Thamud who are trying to stop her. It truly allowed me as a believer to experience the Way of Jesus as I never had until reading this novel. I love the interaction between Yeshua and Maviah and how she conveys how He literally saw not only her but through her to the deepest places of pain in her life, much as I would expect Yeshua would if we encountered Him. Well done again Ted Dekker, and now I wait anxiously for A.D. 33 in anticipation!!! Hands down a 5 out of 5 star novel!

For more information about A.D. 30, Ted Dekker or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A.D. 30: A Novel by Ted Dekker

You can find Ted Dekker on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on A.D. 30, please visit Center Street Publishings website. 

In The Field of Grace

If you have read some of the stories of the Bible, you get a broad sense of what happened. But like so many times we are missing some of the finer points, the motivations and those are found in the details. My newest favorite genre this year is Biblical Fiction. Taking a story we all know and love straight from the Bible and enhancing the details of 'what could of been!' It is never meant to take the place of those beloved stories but simply a way I believe to draw you deeper. To bring you right in the forefront of the action and make you believe you are there actually witnessing the events.

This is my second novel from author Tessa Afshar, and with it comes the retelling of the story of Ruth. If you are familiar with the story than you know that Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, decides to return to Israel after losing both of her sons. But before deciding to uproot Ruth from her own family roots, she relives her of any burden to stay with her along her to journey back to her home. Ruth vows that no matter what happens in life, she will always stay by Naomi side and so begins their adventure to Naomi's home. We learn that the harvest has been plentiful and even gleaners, are having success with picking up enough left over grain that they will not go hungry. Ruth decides to venture out to take care of their needs and finds her way into the fields of Boaz.

She first has to learn how to glean and being a Moabite woman, she is considered an outcast in town. With no one to help her, she decides to linger behind and take the leftovers if she can find them. But soon she garners the attention of Boaz, the owner of the field, who is smitten with her looks as well as her quiet presence. When he learns she is the daughter of Naomi, his cousin, he realizes he must offer to help but not in the way to embarrass her. He warns his men to offer her protection while working in his fields and to ensure that each day, she takes home more than enough to feed them both.

While they are both learning lessons along the way, dealing with grief, accepting God's will in both of their lives, and slowly falling in love along the way, we can see the same example being laid out before each of us. How God so lovingly romances all of us and shows us in innumerable ways just how much He loves us. I love the part of the novel where Boaz it trying to describe what the world is like to an unborn baby and he gets a lesson from God in the process in dealing with the grief and loss Boaz feels when he loses his wife Judith and their unborn child.

"Then the Lord asked me, 'Do you think he understands? Do you think he knows what your world is like now?'
"No, Lord,' I replied, 'How could he? He only knows his mother's womb. His world is too small. I could use every word the world has to offer and he would still not perceive our world. He has to be in it to understand it.'
"'No more can you understand My kingdom,' He said to me. 'No more can you perceive where your wife and daughter and newborn son reside now. Yet that world is no less real than your own.'" (pg 124).

I received In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar compliments of River North Publishing and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. This is such a beautiful love story not only between Ruth and Boaz but also between God and us.. There are just so many wonderful take aways from this novel I simply can't list them all. For those that have experienced loss and are looking for answers, I would encourage you to check out this novel and then follow it up with the story of Ruth from the Bible. It simply is breath-taking and full of life in many ways. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait to go back and pick up the other novels Tessa has written that I haven't been blessed to enjoy yet.

For more information about In the Field of Grace, Tessa Afshar or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

You can also find Tessa Afshar on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on In Field of Grace, please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's book tour page. 

The Well

Ever since reading The Thief, Stephanie Landsem's second novel in The Living Water Series, I felt I missed out on her debut novel, The Well. I was so impressed and lost in her novel, I had to read this one just to see where it all began and to satisfy the longing in my book lover's heart. You know when you find an exceptional author, you have to pick up everything they write. I was not disappointed in my discovery. Thank you to Howard Books for generously sending me this copy to read and review without any monetary compensation for a favorable review.

One of the things that make Stephanie's novels so exceptional is she doesn't leave out any details when taking a known event from the Bible and expounding on the details that we don't know. Given that very little is known about the Samaritan women at the well that Jesus encounters, I love how Stephanie elaborated on what her life must have been like to bring her to that fateful life changing encounter we all know about from the Bible.

In the novel The Well, the reader is transported back in time to the Samaritan village of Sychar, where we find ourselves meeting the famed adulterous woman, Nava who is once again bringing much shame and disgrace not only to the village but more importantly to her daughter Mara and her disabled brother Asher. Knowing that her mother has completely lost sight of what this could bring to her family if anyone discovers what she is doing, Mara takes on the role of the mother, providing for the care and feeding of her mother and Asher. Since they are among the poorest in the village, they are only able to get by with the charity of the women in town who leave whatever they can spare so Mara and Asher won't go hungry. But Mara knows the charity will only last for so long as she manages to care for her family any way she can.

Fate intervenes when Jesus comes to the town of Sychar and meets Nava at the well. Just when it looks like things will get better for their family, those in the town that seek revenge instead of grace won't stop until they ensure that the laws of God are upheld in town. But once her mother is brought before the court, will there be anyone willing to stand up for righteousness against the odds? You just might be surprised at how well Stephanie writes the conclusion of her debut novel.

I received The Well by Stephanie Landsem compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest opinion. The one thing I didn't realize is how she will preserve some of these characters for their reprising role in The Thief. I don't want to spoil it for you but trust me, if you love Biblical Fiction, you will definitely want to pick up The Well and The Thief. This is such an exceptional journey because you feel as though you're not just reading the story but actually living there. Just the violent act of stoning is something I am glad we don't do any longer and it seems it would be a painful and slow death at the hands of people who believe their are justified in their actions. This reminds me of mob-like vigilante's of the ancient days. I easily give this a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Well, Stephanie Landsem or where you can pick up a copy of The Well today, please click on the links below:

The Well by Stephanie Landsem

You can also find Stephanie Landsem on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Well, please visit Howard Book's website.