Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette

Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

Description

Cossette Consistently Brings the Old Testament to Life in an Engrossing, Fresh New Way

Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting and survival. When her family is killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving.

Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring her to a Hebrew healer back at their camp, he is soon confronted with a truth he can’t ignore: the only way to protect this enemy is to marry her.

Can Alanah’s fierce heart and strength withstand the ensuing threats to her life and all she’s come to love?

My Review:

I enjoy well written and deep biblical fiction and this book fits the bill. It was not a “all is happy” type of story so much as more historically accurate, with some of the gore of the culture. It really teaches you what some of the teachings and cultures were like of the Canaanites as well as the Israelites.

I enjoyed the previous two books in the series, but I believe this one could stand alone if you wanted it to. There are some other characters from previous books mentioned, but still it could stand alone.

If you enjoy good biblical fiction that will make you pull out the bible and your history books to compare, pick up this one!

This book is available for purchase from several retailers. “Wings of the Wind”

Counted with the Stars by Connilyn Cossette

 

Description:
A Story of Love, Desperation, and Hope During a Great Biblical Epoch

Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all.

To save her older brother and escape the bonds of slavery, Kiya flees with the Hebrews during the Great Exodus. She finds herself utterly dependent on a fearsome God she’s only just beginning to learn about, and in love with a man who despises her people. With everything she’s ever known swept away, will Kiya turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?

My Review:

Another lovely beautiful fiction read from today. This one is told through the eyes of an Egyptian slave,  to whom a Hebrew girl befriends.

I throughly enjoyed this story although the hero of the story was a bit irritating to me. Kiya was flawed and throughly human as was her hero, which made the story all that more appealing. You could imagine it happening as they experienced the plagues, the escape, the uncertainty and lack of faith in an unseen, all knowing God.

The author, in this debut novel, really brings you into Egypt and helps you to experience what life would have been for all those in the situation. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was provided for review by NetGalley. The opinions contained herein are my own.

This book releases April 5th and is available for preorder. Counted with the Stars 

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

 

Description:
Before Christ called her daughter . . .

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body . . . and soul?

 

My Review:

A beautiful tale of biblical fiction about a woman mentioned in one story of the bible. The woman that Jesus called daughter and healed of a very personal malady.

If the lovely cover does not draw you in, the story will. While the story does contain some harsh elements of the time period, including assault, death, and other issues, it is not a depressing story. This is for sure a more adult level read or for mature teens.

I really liked the small tidbits thrown in about weaving, dyeing cloth and the young Lydia that visits in the story. I also really found that the author wove the love and graciousness that the menfolk in the book had, despite the few harsh men characters. Since the authors background is what it is, I loved that especially.

This book was given for me for review by NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions expressed herein are my own.

It is available for preorder to be release May 1st. Land of Silence

Bathsheba by Angela Hunt

Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

About the Book:

After sending his army to besiege another king’s capital, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier’s wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king’s household.

Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, Angela Hunt paints a realistic portrait of the beautiful woman who struggled to survive the dire results of divine judgment on a king with a divided heart.

My Review:

Many people like to avoid biblical fiction because they don’t want to add to the bible. For myself, I read a biblical fiction book like Angela Hunt’s and it drives me to the bible. I especially loved all the footnotes in the end, references, and notes on the research behind this book.

Bathsheba was a beautiful woman. Her beauty to her, seemed as if a curse. This story is told in first person from two points of view, Bathsheba and Nathan, the prophet. It fully will make you dig into the bible and see, perhaps for the first time, how this lovely woman has been maligned and harshly judged throughout history. You will see that, perhaps for the first time, God’s heart in this sad state of affairs.

I loved the quote that was found near the end… David says he loved Bathsheba the most because she forgave the most.

As we see in our lives today, when men in roles of leadership sin, it affects not just him and his family, it affects the others in the church around him. David repented for his sin, but it still followed him the rest of his days. He had to live with the consequences even though he repented sincerely. I feel like we often want to say “He repented, it means what he did was not that bad. Let’s push it under the chair now.” We forget about the maligned, the hurting, in our effort to protect the reputation of the church. In this, we have even taken the story of Bathsheba and done victim blaming, because we don’t want to think the worst of David.

This book was written very well, with excellent research and is one that will stick with me for quite some time.

The Pharaoh’s Daughter By Mesu Andrews

Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

Book Synopsis: (From publisher website)

“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.  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?

My Review:

“Fear is the most fertile ground for faith”. This interesting statement that this author makes in this book sets the stage for a unique biblical fiction. It is not actually focused on a biblical character though. This book is about the woman that drew Moses from the Nile and really focuses on her life.

Since much can be learned from history, I was amazed at what I learned from this book. The Egyptian lifestyle was somewhat brutal and this book does go into some detail about some of the brutality. It is not graphic in the sense of reality, but I would not recommend it for young teens or those that are sheltered.

When I set this book down, it was one that you did not want to pick up another one for awhile. My mind was spinning with the beauty of the story. Yet another story about a strong woman that God used to save His people that was a Gentile. It spoke to me about how strong women were praised by God.

I loved how the word pictures were created in this book without glorifying evil or magnifying it. It spared nothing as far as description, yet gave you room to create your own visions of the historical setting.

I highly recommend!

This book was provided by Blogging for Books and the publisher. The opinions contained herein are my own.

The Crimson Cord by Jill E. Smith

Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

Book description (From author’s website): 

Wife to a gambler who took one too many risks, Rahab finds herself sold as a slave to cover her husband’s debt. Forced into prostitution by Dabir, counselor to the Syrian king, Rahab despairs of ever regaining her freedom and her self-respect. But when Israelite spies enter Jericho and come to lodge at her house, Rahab sees a glimmer of hope and the opportunity of a lifetime.

In one risky moment, she takes a leap of faith, puts her trust in a God she does not know, and vows to protect the spies from the authorities. When the armies of Israel arrive weeks later, Rahab hopes they will keep their promise, but she has no idea what kind of challenges await her outside Jericho’s walls–or if she will ever know the meaning of love.

My Review:

Portrayed as a wife of a gambler, whom took too many risks, I believe women from now will relate to this story of Rahab. We do not have the same laws that allow us to buy and sell one another as they did in those times. However, I see women in similar situations that feel as if they were bought or sold into a lifestyle.

Biblical fiction can be tough to write well. Jill Smith hits the mark in this story of Rahab. I felt as if I was living and walking alongside her. I could understand her desperation and lack of choice regarding her lifestyle. You will have deeper insight into the history that goes along with the bible story. This book is one that will make you want to re-read her story in the bible and exclaim over it.

I believe it is one of the best stories or retellings that I have ever read about Rahab, Joshua, “the spies” and Jericho.

This book does speak of abuse at the hands of the people that imprisoned her, wicked acts that the people of Jericho participated in, as well as what happened to Achan in detail. It would not be a book for younger teens, but could be a good biblical discussion book for older teens.

This book was provided for me for review by NetGalley. The opinions contained herein are my own.

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko

 

Book Description:

Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi’s, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.

But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor. Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi’s chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

Based on the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that ultimately changes the course of Israel’s destiny and the future of the whole world.

My Review:

Tessa Afshar is very skilled when it comes to the retelling of a biblical fiction story. She can make you dig deeper into the bible, find things hidden in the story that you never thought about before. There are many biblical fiction stories written on the book of Ruth, but this one find some other tidbits that you will marvel at. Once again, I found myself thinking about how there were some really incredible women from history and in the bible, that really were quite amazing. This story will get you thinking about how brave two young widows were, when one older, one younger struggled to survive in a very hard time. They became the forerunners of King David and ultimately, the line of Jesus. This story is very chaste, and is not full of romance, but has an underlying theme throughout of love and devotion, much like the bible has. If you let your teen daughters read the bible, they will enjoy this story that makes them want to dig into their bible more.

This book was given to me for review from NetGalley. The opinions contained herein are my own.