The Legend of Sheba - fiction, Biblical

The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen

By Tosca Lee

In the tenth century BC, the new Queen of Sheba has inherited her father’s throne and all its riches at great personal cost. Her realm stretches west across the Red Sea into land wealthy in gold, frankincense, and spices. But now new alliances to the North threaten the trade routes that are the lifeblood of her nation. Solomon, the brash new king of Israel famous for his wealth and wisdom, will not be denied the tribute of the world—or of Sheba’s queen. With tensions ready to erupt within her own borders and the future of her nation at stake, the one woman who can match wits with Solomon undertakes the journey of a lifetime in a daring bid to test and win the king. But neither ruler has anticipated the clash of agendas, gods, and passion that threatens to ignite—and ruin—them both. An explosive retelling of the legendary king and queen and the nations that shaped history.

Wow!  What a great novel!  The book has a great narrative, entwining what little we know of the mysterious Queen of Sheba and the famous king Solomon in stirring pursuit of wisdom, truth, and deity.  The historical aspect of the book gave me so much understanding of the culture and practices of the ancient world.  I loved how the author showed the emptiness of the human soul in a search for the One True God, and how the Queen struggled to understand how a people could worship a nameless, faceless God.  I felt that I gained a better understanding of why, perhaps, Solomon was so apt to marry wife after wife, and still be left wanting.  It seems that even having great wisdom and unfathomable riches (and wives!) is not enough without an all-consuming pursuit of God.  I give this book an A+ - a great read for adult audiences.  (It’s clean, but there are many adult situations that are appropriate only for older audiences.)

This book is set to release on September 9th.  

I received an advance copy of this book from Tosca Lee and Simon & Schuster in an agreement to post my honest review.  I found out about the opportunity by following Tosca on Facebook, so go check her out!