On This Foundation - Fiction, Biblical

On This Foundation (The Restoration Chronicles Book 3)

By Lynn Austin

Nehemiah has come to serve as the cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes in the citadel of Susa though his brothers have returned to the Jerusalem with the Remnant.  When an official delegation arrives in Susa from the Promised Land, Nehemiah is shocked to find one of his brothers there to present a petition to the king – a plea to the king to provide protection and relief for the Jews who returned to a defenseless city and famine in the land.  Nehemiah’s heart is heavy with grief over the disgrace of Jerusalem, but would risk his life by speaking to the king without being asked.  But God, in His mercy, allows Artaxerxes to notice Nehemiah’s grief with compassion and kindness – granting Nehemiah a leave of absence to rebuild the walls, supplies for the task, and the task of governing the people while there.  Can Nehemiah survive the plots of God’s enemies to see him and his countrymen destroyed before the wall once again rises around Jerusalem?  And can a mere servant rise up and lead a people divided to work in harmony and restore the city?

WOW!  I think I say this about every Lynn Austin book – but this book is great!  I love how she can take a story from Scripture and fictionalize it without losing the integrity of God’s Word.  You can read along in Scripture to find out “what happens next?”.   I could identify with the emotions of the people of Israel as they wept and mourned for their sins against God, yet realized that God’s love and mercy is greater still.  Overall, I give this book (and the entire Restoration series) and A+ - buy one for you and stick a second one in your booklover’s stocking.

I received a free copy of this WONDERFUL book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

A Noble Masquerade - Fiction, Christian Historical

 

A Noble Masquerade (Hawthorne House Book #1)

by Kristi Ann Hunter

Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts as ladylike as can be, but inside she longs to be free from society’s formalities and be herself.  While she is the image of grace in public, she has allowed herself to pour out her true feelings on paper in the form of letters written to gentleman she has never met and who is presumed dead.  The letters are never meant to be viewed by anyone but Miranda, and most certainly never mailed – but when the new valet “mistakenly” mails one Miranda is beside herself with worry at who might discover her misdeed.  Even more shocking – she receives a reply from this man everyone thinks is deceased.  Will Miranda be exposed and disgrace her family?  Or will the mystery man be revealed and truth discovered?

I really enjoyed reading another great clean Christian fiction romance.  I appreciate the time and effort Kristi Ann Hunter put into creating a wonderful read.  The characters and story line were very engaging and kept me reading and reading.  I am looking forward to more of the Hawthorne House series.  Overall I give this book an A – cozy up to the fire with this lovely book.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus - Fiction, Bilical

 

Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus

By Cliff Graham

Caleb and the Hebrew army await the siege of yet another fortress that stands between them and their Promised Land.  As he prepares his army to face the remnant of the race of giants in the land, Caleb recounts his early life to his nephew, Othniel.  To his great surprise, Othniel discovers that Caleb’s story is not one of slavery to the Egyptians like his Hebrew brothers, but rather a story of deliverance from the charms of living among royalty in Egypt.  Born a Kennazite, Caleb traveled to Egypt when he came of age with the hopes of earning a living as a skilled laborer.  Caleb soon found himself trying to establish his worth to join the ranks of the king’s royal guard, the Red Scorpions – a brutal proving that most men either abandon or perish attempting.  Caleb became a mighty warrior by the training of the Egyptian military, and secured a position in the palace itself - the king’s personal guard.  The day Moses and Aaron entered the courts of Pharaoh, Caleb was an eyewitness to the nomads’ demands of the king in the name of the God Yahweh – and soon a sufferer of the plagues the Hebrew God poured out on the hard-hearted Pharaoh and his people.  Caleb finds the God of the Hebrew people drawing him away from the fickle gods of Egypt, and calling him to follow these people out of slavery into the Land of Promise.

What a great fictionalized account of a man the Bible doesn’t give us much information about – except to tell us of his bravery in the face of insurmountable odds and that he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.  I so enjoyed reading this account of the Exodus from one who started on the “other side” of the miraculous story.  It is well accounted here, that, in truth, the Lord does seek to make all people His own.  The reader does need to be prepared to read about some of the brutality of Egyptian military training and of war – the author kept the narrative clean, but truthful.  Overall, I give this book an A+ - loved it, and I think you will too!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

The Pharaoh's Daughter - Fiction, Biblical

The Pharaoh’s Daughter

by Mesu Andrews

Anippe lives in the shadow of the fickle gods of Egypt.  She saw her mother taken in the pangs of childbirth by Anubis and has always know he might require her life at any moment.  Terrified to face the afterlife, Anippe swears to never bear children for the husband her father has chosen for her.  So, when she finds a condemned Hebrew boy floating in a basket in the Nile river, Anippe decides that the gods have given her a child to call her own.  She plans to deceive her husband who is away fighting the Hittities, and claim the boy – Mehy - as her own.  Can she find peace with the gods who have always ruled her life, or will they require more of her than she could ever supply?

Wow!  I LOVED this book!  What a great look at the story of Moses from the eyes of the Egyptian princess who adopted him as her own.  I loved the extensive research the author put into this book as she showed a new perspective on the period of the slavery of the Hebrews in Egypt.  The ruthlessness of the Pharaohs – worshiped as gods by the people - even toward ones they claimed to love was startling.  However, we see that El Shaddai – God of the Hebrews – can work for the good and He loves even those who don’t know Him for the purpose of drawing them to Himself.  I am excited to see this story continue in the next book as we discover how God will shape the life of the one whom He has chosen to rescue His people from their slavery.  Overall, I give this book an A+: and excellent Biblical fiction read!

I receive a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Press in exchange for my honest review.