Jerusalem's Queen by Angela Hunt

From Amazon:
Born in the small village of Modein, a town made famous by the warrior Maccabees, Salome Alexandra knows better than to harbor grand dreams for her future. She pales in comparison to her beautiful older sister, and though she learns to read at an early age, girls are not valued for their intellectual ability. But when her father and sister are killed, John Hyrcanus, a distant relative, invites Salome and her mother to live with his family in Jerusalem, where her thirst for knowledge is noticed and indulged.

When her guardian betroths her to a pagan prince, she questions HaShem's plan. When Hyrcanus finally marries her to a boy half her age, she questions her guardian's sanity. But though Salome spends much of her life as a pawn ordered about by powerful men, she learns that a woman committed to HaShem can change the world.

Shelamzion. The peace of Zion. With her father and eldest sister killed in an accident, and a mother who grieves that it wasn't her second-born daughter taken from her, Shelamzion begins a new life in Jerusalem at her uncle John Hyrcanus's household. Her handmaid, Kissa, quickly becomes her confidant even though Kissa is five years older. Thrown into a world of battle strategy and politics, Shelamzion navigates the servant-slave relationship beautifully. Abandoned at heart by her mother, she learns from Alena, John's wife, and Shelamzion's role model. The household quickly realizes that she is clever and intelligent, even if they recognize that she's not particularly beautiful. Little does she know that her devotion to HaShem and her study of the Torah will prepare her for a different life than she ever imagined, even though she is beginning to see how little she is valued by her own family.

Hunt once again tells a compelling story during the 400-year silence between the old and new covenant of Scripture. In a world where the wealth of a man was demonstrated by the number of his wife's himations (a colorful mantle) and the age of 20 was too old to be considered a beautiful bride, Salome Alexandra watches her life unfold in mysterious ways when she is required to marry a man about 15 years younger. HaShem, however, has a plan for her as a judge in Galilee, and a queen in Jerusalem.

Salome Alexandra's marriage and country are soon unstable, but she remains faithful to HaShem. Teaching her sons faithfully, worshiping with other citizens of faith, and acting on the Torah in ways that she can, she helps her husband rule during a rugged time of history. She find friends in place of family, courage despite unfaithfulness and immorality, life in the faith of death, and even lives through the golden age of Jerusalem after massacre and apostasy. Shelamzion, the peace of Zion, brings temporary peace and prosperity to Judea as she yearns and waits for the promised Messiah who would bring eternal peace to a world of turmoil.

Happy New Year to all my readers. Here's to many more good books in 2019!


*I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

Wayfarer by K.M. Wyland

From Amazon:
In this heroic gaslamp fantasy, superhuman abilities bring an adventurous new dimension to 1820 London, where an outlaw speedster and a master of illusion do battle to decide who will own the city.

Think being a superhero is hard? Try being the first one.

Will’s life is a proper muddle—and all because he was “accidentally” inflicted with the ability to run faster and leap higher than any human ever. One minute he’s a blacksmith’s apprentice trying to save his master from debtor’s prison. The next he’s accused of murder and hunted as a black-hearted highwayman.

A vengeful politician with dark secrets and powers even more magical than Will’s has duped all of London into blaming Will for the chilling imprisonments of the city’s poor. The harder Will tries to use his abilities to fight crime, the deeper he is entangled in a dark underworld belonging to some of Georgian England’s most colorful characters.

Only Will stands a chance of stopping this powerful madman bent on “reforming” London by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Will is beginning to realize becoming a legend might mean sacrificing everything that matters.

Wayfarer begins with Will as a young apprentice seeking to rid his master of debt. He's heart-warming, if not a bit foolish at times. While trying to find better paying work, he stumbles across men who believed "the plague" was real. Gossip about unusually gifted or changed people who lived through miracles, it seemed. But Will denies that it exists...until he falls deeper into adventure than he ever dreamed. Adventure called Dr. Silas and Mr. Fitzroy.

Will's family died in the workhouse because his master only managed to save one, Will Hardy. He has plans and goals, but by the end of the book his life has taken on a new purpose and vision, even if it takes a whole adventure to refresh his mind. Will learns that sometimes people beneath your level in life can provide sweet friendship, and sometimes people above his station can give him vision and greater goals. And there are evil people in all ranks of life.

I love Will's relationship with Tom. Because Will grew up with no parents or siblings, Tom was his family and did his best to provide for Will like a father, while also training his apprentice. Indeed it was a task at times and would soon become more overwhelming than Tom probably imagined. Will's friendship with Rose teaches him to care for another in the way he would a younger sister. His protectiveness and Rose's independent ways creates an amusing bond at times. In Will's relationship with Mr. Fitzroy and Mr. Monarch, Will learns how people can be taken advantage of, what loss is, and how at the end of all things your social rank means nothing except that you treat all as equal in God's eyes.

Will unintentionally takes on the qualities of Spiderman (with a few limitations ;), and though charged with murder, he matures into a wiser young man and a good friend and brother. I love the friendship themes throughout this book and the sacrifices made and the character growth of Will were encouraging to read.

River to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart

From Amazon:
Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She's determined to find a way to buy Louis's freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she'll face an uphill battle.

Based partly on a true story, Ann H. Gabhart's latest historical novel is a tour de force. The vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page.

I requested this book because the description sounded a little like Uncle Tom's Cabin which I read a long time ago. As one who loves to hear about the abolition of slavery, this book brought other such stories back to mind.

Louis finds Adria at the height of her childhood trauma. As a seven year old, she escaped the death clutches of cholera herself, but was left an orphan. Louis and Matilda were slaves, but they too also escaped cholera and were left to run the hotel when the owner fled. Louis has a memory for faces and takes on the grief-ridden task of burying those who died of the plague. Aunt Tilda and Louis do their best to provide for Adria, but eventually come to the conclusion that racial barriers are still too strong.

Ruth Harmon has her own story in this book. Her husband, the school teacher, dies from cholera and she is left mourning. However, she's asked to step into her husband's shoes and give educational guidance to the town's children. And in the next weeks and months that follow, she's asked by Adria herself to become family to her.

I love the way Louis and Aunt Tilda teach Adria about Jesus, death, and life. It's gentle, but it's real because they've all faced hardship and trauma together. Ruth didn't really know how to be a mother, and perhaps Adria grew up differently than the average family, but they had one another and they made it work. The story fast forwards 12 years in chapter 8 and Adria is making the important decision about marriage. But the death of George Sanderson, the hotel owner, brings life changes to them all once again. Adria is left wondering she can do and how to pursue her passion for the abolition of slavery. Ruth has her own questions about romance, and Louis is a slave in a chaotic and changing time.

This is the fictional story of a real account. Louis dug graves to bury the victims of cholera, and in the end...well, you'll have to read the story and author's note for the conclusion. ;) It's a happily ever after ending, but all the characters learn that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.



*Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Movie Review | God Bless the Broken Road

Synopsis: 
God Bless the Broken Road tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their young daughter in his absence. The film combines elements of faith, country music, and stock car racing while paying tribute to those who serve in the United States Military.

Bless the Broken Road has always been a special song for me. Some of my first sweet memories are from teaching a friend to play the accompaniment for this song on her harp. And now they've made a movie based on the song's theme. 

Amber Hill leads the choir at church and focuses on raising her young daughter while waiting for her husband to return home from fighting in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, devastating news is brought to her and Bri, and they must learn to live life differently. Bri's loving Sunday school teacher plants the seeds of faith in her students and Bri's childlike trust is beautiful to watch. Amber's faith, however, is tested, and though others around her love her and protect her, ultimately she will have to find her own way along the broken road. 

The church friends, the mother-in-law (however different she may be to Amber), the race car kids' leader, the US military men, a car repair man (and his apprentice ;) show their support for Amber in various ways. It was so amazing to watch the community of the church gather around her and provide for her in physical, mental, and emotional ways. And they continued doing so even when she tried to make life work for herself. 

Though Amber believed in God, she doubted His goodness, and it takes more challenges in Amber's life to bring her back to a full relationship with God. This movie wasn't shallow or casual in it's approach to faith in God, and the little quotes and vulnerable moments bring theology to a practical level. Sometimes it is a broken road that God takes us along to make us understand knew things or to show us the old things we've forgotten. And in the end, Amber finds that those around her were instrumental in holding her up when she couldn't stand. 

I believe God Bless the Broken Road is already in theaters, so go check it out and support those who bring us Christian content through the art of film!





*Film has been provided courtesy of Pacific Northwest Pictures and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

The Return by Lacey Sturm

Back Cover: 
Have you ever asked yourself, "What's the point?" of this life. Of the same everydayness that can weigh on us. Is life really a gift from a loving God? If so, shouldn't our souls burn to love him back with our lives? What does that look like? 

In The Return, bestselling author Lacey Sturm offers a collection of thoughts on how Jesus helps us see the world with new eyes and makes the mundane things in life beautiful. It's a guidebook from a fellow traveler on how grace helps us--to overcome darkness, to release our empty rituals, to shine with his light. Not so God will love us more but because we long to love him back. And a life lived loving God back is a life that shines with heaven's glory. 

Are you striving to make life happen? Waiting to get to the real purpose of it all? Coasting in limbo or heading down the wrong path? Then may this openhearted take on responding to God's love give you hope and direction. 

This book is a mixture of art, stories, journaling, song-writing, poems, and thoughts. As one who journals frequently, I loved reading through Lacey's prayers, songs, and thoughts as she grew in her responses to God's love for her. Throughout the book's chapters you'll find two pages alongside one another that record a short personal Bible study, a prayer, a to-do list (or RAK: random acts of kindness), a new song, a recipe, and the evening Bible reading.

I love the practical way Lacey writes and records her thoughts. They stem from a solid foundation of Scripture and thought-patterns, so I would only recommend this to a mature believer. She doesn't necessarily include Scripture references for all her thoughts, and if taken too far, one could reach conclusions that she never meant.

Her past is a story of redemption, and she references it here and there throughout her mental and written journey. She has learned to live in worship, and she was born to sing and worship through it. Some find their strength in prayer or Scripture reading or meditation, but it seems like Lacey finds it through singing and composing music.

Lacey's chapters cover all parts of life including plans, opportunities, sacrifices, works, judgments, hospitality, and her body (to name a few). Each of these she writes about whether song, story, poem, or diary form and gently shares her personal thoughts and journey as she returns each of these parts of life to the Lord. It's a book about surrender really. How to return our bodies, thoughts, emotions, and actions to the Lord instead of hoping for the best or following rules to achieve what we want. It's about dealing with sin in the love of Jesus--not lingering in it because of the passion and communion we share in the Lord. It's about seeing grace and mercy--because it was first shown us at the cross. It's about making our lives shine with the glory of the Trinity.

While I thought some parts were more emotional and leaned toward the charismatic side of our faith, I could not find error in it, though I may not have the same practical lifestyle. I love Lacey's heart for the Lord and if we could all be in her place in her journey, perhaps we would love the Lord more and fellowship better.

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

Back Cover:
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, heart, and soul?

I rescued this book from the shelves of Value Village here and wondered what the story would be, since Tessa Afshar is a new author to me. I wasn't disappointed and I'm happy to add her pages to my bookshelves now.

Elianna means "My God has favored me", and thus was she named because her birth was seen as a blessing from God to her parents. Two siblings would later be added to her Jewish family--the second being a boy whom her parents loved especially. But tragedy soon strikes Elianna's family, and her father wrongfully lays the blame at her feet. Ethan, her betrothed, gives her space and time, loving her all the while. I love the relationship she and Ethan share--hers of doubting and sorrowing in her family, but Ethan choosing to share her pain and giving her the comfort and advice that he can.

With the passing of time, she watches her younger sister fall in love and lives through the horror of a bandit attack along with her father. Elianna finds purpose and meaning in taking over her father's wool and weaving business and she keeps the family alive when her father passes away. And despite this Ethan still is faithful to her and brings security to her life in a way she doesn't realize. Because of the guilt and oppression she lives with regarding their family tragedy, she pushes Ethan away, thinking that he deserves a better wife and life. She throws herself harder into weaving and selling, finding new dyes and material and using her connections to learn what the people desire to buy.

Once again tragedy strikes, this time her business in the way of a house fire. It seems as though her life as been filled with sorrow, and yet it will take personal physical uncleanliness to bring Elianna to Jesus' feet--literally. Keziah, her servant, and Joanna, her sister, remain constant and faithful friends to her as she spends her living on physicians, attempting to find a cure for her sickness, and yet she is never completely healed. Viriato and Claudia provide humor and relief from the Gentile side of Elianna's Jewish life, and I'm so glad Afshar created characters who found companionship in those outside their own culture and religion. Keziah and Joanna encourage Elianna's faith in God (sometimes with tough love) and tell her of a Prophet from Nazareth who heals. After spending her living on physicians, she doesn't readily agree with them, but as a last resort goes to hear Him speak.

This story is historical fiction regarding the woman with the issue of blood, and Afshar drew her story from the way Jesus called her daughter. Obviously, we know little of this lady, but we know she was healed physically and spiritually, and Afshar does an amazing job placing Elianna with real-life characters and scenarios. Whether or not the Biblical story had a woman behind it like Elianna, we won't know, but either way the story is one of tragedy and love, sorrow and hope, and pain and healing. And in the land of silence that surrounds Elianna, she learns to love and forgive and trust the God of Israel anew.

The Girls' Guide to Conquering Life by Erica and Jonathan Catherman

From Amazon: 
There's a lot a girl needs to know as she grows up and makes her way in the world. Having a reference guide of practical how-to life skills and character traits can empower her to become a confident and capable woman. Coauthors Erica and Jonathan Catherman offer this collection of step-by-step instructions on 100 things girls need to succeed, including how to
- introduce yourself
- change a flat tire
- respectfully break up with a guy
- leave a tip
- apply for a job
- ask for a promotion
- behave during a police stop
- create a personal budget
- calculate square footage
- wash your face
- clear a clogged drain
- iron a shirt
- wear a scarf
- shoot a basketball
- sharpen kitchen knives
- and much more

In fact, if it's in here, it's an important skill or character trait practiced by capable and confident women. With great illustrations and sidebars of advice from world-class experts, this all-in-one reference tool for young women in the making is the perfect gift for birthdays, graduations, or any occasion.

I remember requesting this book while waiting in the barn at the farm where I work. I thought it would be neat to see how an author would break down different life skills into smaller steps. The Catherman husband and wife team cover many aspects of life in their chapters. Each chapter begins with a page long introduction on the topic. The authors are straight-forward and encouraging in their approaches to varying life skills, and while I loved their honesty, I was a bit bothered by the fact that their guidelines and points of view were merely backed by the idea of "being a strong woman". While I am completely for the equality of value in men and woman as humans created in the image of God, I can't seem to find a biblical backing for some of the statements Erica and Jonathan present. I love how they desire to instill leadership skills and empower the next generation to live well, but they do seem to root much of their thinking in feminism. (While I understand that non-Christian authors will write from a non-biblical point of view, I was quite surprised to see it published under a typically Christian publisher. I do not necessarily takes issues with reading specifically non-Christian material in and of itself.)

Some of their relationship styles may not be to everyone's taste, but I believe the underlying principles are generally helpful. Whether or not you'd invite a guy on a "date" or choose to use a credit card or decide to swing a golf club in your free time is up to you. Either way the basic instructions for a variety of life skills is laid out step by step. Some of these instructions could have greatly benefited from picture illustrations (ie: gift wrapping, budgeting, ironing a shirt, etc.). While detailed writing instructions are good, there were times when the task itself was quite a bit easier than attempting to understand the picture-less directions.

All that said, I think this book would be helpful for pre-teens and young teenagers. I think most of the topics in this book are covered by many families when raising their children (and most are simply common sense), but it's always good to hear a review of them and have a list of directions nearby. Plus you might learn a couple new things as well.


*I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.