Egyp'ts Sister

Five decades before the birth of Christ, Chava, daughter of the royal tutor, grows up with Urbi, a princess in Alexandria's royal palace. When Urbi becomes Queen Cleopatra, Chava vows to be a faithful friend no matter what--but after she and Cleopatra have an argument, she finds herself imprisoned and sold into slavery.

Torn from her family, her community, and her elevated place in Alexandrian society, Chava finds herself cast off and alone in Rome. Forced to learn difficult lessons, she struggles to trust a promise HaShem has given her. After experiencing the best and worst of Roman society, Chava must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life.

My thoughts: While I have enjoyed a wide variety of Angela's novels, I have to say that her historical fiction is where her talent as an author shines. I'm not sure why I even picked up this book, since Cleopatra is one of my least favorite women in history. I'm so glad that I decided to read this story regardless though! It was a wonderful blend of history and fiction. I enjoyed getting to know the main character and liked that there was so much to her story. I highly recommend this one and look forward to reading the other books in the series, as it gives a unique look into what was going on in the world before the birth of Jesus Christ.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

In the Field of Grace

Without wealth or family, the widow Ruth left her people and followed Naomi, her beloved Hebrew mother-in-law, to rebuild Naomi's home in Israel. Provisions gone and starvation at the door, Ruth used all that she had left--a strong back and a willing heart--to gather grain in a field, abandoned after the harvest.

Tormented by others, Ruth is shocked to find the owner of the field watching her. Talking to her. Bringing food to her and Naomi. Boaz tells himself his kindness toward Ruth is repayment for the love she has shown to his cousin Naomi. But his heart knows better.

My thoughts: I have had this on my TBR list ever since it came out. I am embarrassed that it took me this long to get around to reading it! Once I started it, I could not put it down, since Tessa nails bringing the story of Ruth to life. I can imagine that it is a delicate balance between staying true to what we know about the story and times and bringing it to life by adding more characters to the story. I think she does a wonderful job of filling in the story of Ruth and Boaz. I loved that both of the main characters challenge the reader to be a better person. While I have enjoyed all of her stories, I think that this one is my favorite yet, since it's a wonderful story of loss and hope, pain and joy. I know I have a tendency to just focus on the blessings that people in the Bible received and not think too much about what they went through to get to that point. This book is a great reminder to trust God through the trials, since He always has our best interest at heart, and often there is a blessing on the other side of the trial.
I received this book from Moody in exchange for my honest review.

Land of Silence

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 thoughts: I almost gave up on this book, since Ellianna's story is not an easy one to read. Tragedy after tragedy strikes her family in the first part of the book, leaving her in a low place when her illness strikes. That said, I am so glad that I stuck with the story, since Tessa does an amazing job giving a background story to this miracle! I love how it brings meaning to Jesus addressing her as "daughter" in the Scriptures and that the story shows how tragedy can be turned into a thing of beauty if one doesn't hold onto bitterness. I'm glad I stuck with this one!
I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Big Pig Stampede

Goat Boy, a.k.a. Gideon, is the kid everyone loves to pick on. He’s like any typical Bible-time boy who spends his life traveling around Palestine milking goats, giving Roman soldiers a hard time, and getting into trouble on more than one occasion. Goat Boy is curious, enjoys a good adventure, and has a couple of mildly irritating friends. What’s not so typical is how he and his friends are in the right place at the right time to witness the amazing miracles and teachings of Jesus.

Witty, insightful, wacky. These are just a few words to describe Bob Hartman’s latest chapter-book series, Goat Boy Chronicles. In this unique collection of stories, Goat Boy and his friends experience the miracles of Jesus through their awkward adolescent eyes. The boys laugh, they make jokes, they observe, they puzzle over everything that Jesus does, and in their own quirky ways they become the eyes and ears of the reader as they witness the unfolding of the gospel story.

Bob Hartman’s passion is to retell Bible stories accurately and in a way that will help kids want to read them time and time again. Not just because the stories are “good for them” but because they are so creative, so clever, and so enthralling that they just can’t help themselves!

My thoughts: What a great way to get kids excited about Biblical events! I wasn't sure what to expect when I had a copy of this book sent to me to review, but it surpassed any expectations I had! Written in the style of popular series like Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this series is a fun way for middle school age kids to get a fresh perspective of the ministry of Jesus. I love that it is written from a young boy's perspective and that the book has several of Jesus' miracles in it. I highly recommend the book for young readers! The only slight downside is how Gideon and his brother treat one another, but it is a slight downside.
I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.

Until My Name is Known

The Exodus of the Jews from Egypt is a love story between God and His people. God woos His people to Himself as He prepares them to leave. Before leaving, God must fight Pharaoh for possession of His people. See how God changes all people: some for the better, others not. None stay the same. How will He change you? Can you trust a God Who destroyed a nation before your eyes? Would you want Him as your Friend?

See God free His people from Egypt’s bonds before a watching world. Trace His Finger in the lives He touches. The time: 2450 BC. The Place: Old Kingdom of Egypt where Pharaoh is god. His people worship him. Israel’s God arrives. He challenges Pharaoh. His power touches all people. They must change. Some do not concede. They suffer. Others yield. They find freedom.

Until My Name Is Known brings all to see the one true God. Read it to see Him. Today’s historians and archaeologists puzzle over the fall of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, But the world at that time heard of God. The world knew that He is the Lord. His Name was proclaimed in all the earth.

My thoughts: I thought that Sonya did a wonderful job bringing to life the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the Hebrew people. The story is well researched and shows the story from different view points, some different than I have thought about. She did an excellent job bringing the Old Testament to life! I know a lot of research and thought went into the story and I appreciated that it made me look at a story I take for granted in a whole new light.
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Dog Like Me

Nick Gregory regains consciousness after a horrific car accident to find he’s been transported back in time and that he has become Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and King Saul’s grandson. Aware that he’s experiencing another man’s life, he has to learn fast. When mega-church pastor, Nick Gregory, regains consciousness after a horrific car accident, he’s on the ground in agonizing pain. Nick realizes he is in a bizarre place – a foreign, parched, ancient land, having been transported back in time to 800 B.C. Unbelievably, he is in the body of a prince named Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan and King Saul’s grandson. Nick is fully aware of who he is and that he’s now living in Mephibosheth’s body, strangely able to speak and understand Hebrew. This experience helps him see that he, like Mephibosheth, is a broken man desperate for God’s outrageous grace and healing (2 Samuel 9:8). Returning to present day, Nick’s experience motivates a changed life.

My thoughts: This book took me by surprise. I can't say that I liked the main character at the beginning, but his story is very compelling and will challenge you to take out your Old Testament and read more about Mephibosheth. I like how the characters develop and that the author tackles some difficult issues.
I received this book from Worthy publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Empires End

Jerry B. Jenkins’s new novel is filled with adventure, drama, historic people and places, and even romance. Empire’s End tells the story of a man who single- handedly turned the Roman Empire on-end. It will be the heart-stopping story of the year! Only a few snapshots of Paul’s life are revealed in the Bible. In this fictional account, Jenkins tells of a devout Jewish scholar, who after only three years in the Arabian wilderness, emerges as the greatest Christian theologian in history. This novel explains how, after supervising the death of Jesus’s disciples, Paul would be moved to effectively conquer the Roman Empire with a message about a Jewish man named Jesus. You’ll be captured by the shocking “thorn in the flesh” that burdened Paul’s heart. Empire’s End will cause you to rethink whether Paul ever experienced the love of a woman or the embrace of a child.

My thoughts: Jerry B. Jenkins gives us a new look at Saul, who became Paul. In this thought provoking, fictionalized novel, the New Testament days are brought to life! I enjoyed reading about what the times were like that Paul lived in. I found it especially interesting to think of the death of Stephen, since it would of been hard to have grown up with the Ten Commandments saying to have no other God but the Lord, and to suddenly have to figure out how Jesus Christ figures into the equation. This is a wonderful, interesting story that will keep old and new fans alike reading to the last page!
I received this book from Worthy in exchange for my honest review.

Shadow of the Mountain; Exodus

Caleb and Joshua Roar to Life in this High-Impact Old Testament Saga

Two men were brave enough to tell the truth about what awaited the Hebrews in Canaan. This is their story. From the slave pits of Egypt to the efforts of an eighty-five-year-old Caleb as he drives out the last of the giants, Shadow of the Mountain is a vivid portrait of two of God's chosen champions, and a meditation on masculine mentorship and the challenges and blessings of growing older.

For the sake of his new God and his loyalty to his friend Joshua, Caleb will not spend his twilight years resting, but taking the battle to the enemies of God's people until his dying breath. From his early days as a mercenary for Pharaoh in Egypt watching the Hebrews suffer under the yoke of slavery, all the way through a desperate fight with giants in the dark forests of the hill country, this is a story filled with epic battles, gritty intensity, and supernatural events that made Graham's Lion of War series a hit. Shadow of the Mountain is sure to ignite a love for the Old Testament in popular culture.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book immensely, since it really brings to life Caleb from the Bible. Graham does a fabulous job of filling in the details (which, while fictional are very believable) of Caleb's life and what made him the man we recognize from the scriptures. I think this book is especially great for those who like military stories, since Caleb was a warrior.
One of my favorite things about this book? It shows how, no matter what your age is, you can still serve the Lord.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.