History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

  Cleopatra’s Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen Author: Jane Draycott Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Liveright Release Date: 2023 Pages: 336 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The first modern biography of one of the most influential yet long-neglected rulers of the ancient world: Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra.      As the only daughter of Roman Triumvir Marc Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, Cleopatra Selene was expected to uphold traditional feminine virtues; to marry well and bear sons; and to legitimize and strengthen her parents’ rule. Yet with their parents’ deaths by suicide, the princess and her brothers found themselves the inheritors of Egypt, a claim that placed them squarely in the warpath of the Roman emperor.      “Supported by a feast of visual and literary references” (Caroline Lawrence), Cleopatra’s Daughter reimagines t...

In Feast or Famine (The Egyptian Chronicles #2) Author: Mesu Andrews Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Waterbrook Release Date: May 9, 2023 Pages: 449 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : Thrust into an arranged marriage, the daughter of ancient Egypt’s high priest plays a pivotal role in Joseph’s biblical narrative in this powerful novel from the award-winning author of Potiphar’s Wife .      After four-year-old Asenath’s mother is murdered by Egypt’s foreign rulers, the child is raised to be a priestess by her overprotective father—high priest of Egypt’s sun god. For fifteen years, Asenath is sequestered in the upper levels of Ra’s temple, convinced it is her destiny to heal the land by becoming queen to the next Egyptianpharaoh. But when Egypt’s foreign king instead gives her as a bride to the newly appointed vizier—a Hebrew named Joseph—her entire world is shaken.    ...

  Potiphar’s Wife (The Egyptian Chronicles #1) Author: Mesu Andrews Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: WaterBrook Release Date: May 24, 2022 Pages: 453 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: One of the Bible’s most notorious women longs for a love she cannot have in this captivating novel from the award-winning author of Isaiah’s Legacy .       Before she is Potiphar’s wife, Zuleika is the daughter of a king and the wife of a prince. She rules the isle of Crete alongside her mother in the absence of their seafaring husbands. But when tragedy nearly destroys Crete, Zuleika must sacrifice her future to save the Minoan people she loves.       Zuleika’s father believes his robust trade with Egypt will ensure Pharaoh’s obligation to marry his daughter, including a bride price hefty enough to save Crete. But Pharaoh refuses and gives her instead to Potiphar, the captain...

Miriam’s Song Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Revell Release Date: 2021 Pages: 406 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In her eventful lifetime, Miriam was many things to many people: protective older sister, song leader, prophetess, leper. But between the highs and the lows, she was a girl who dreamed of freedom, a woman who longed for love, a leader who made mistakes, and a friend who valued connection.      With her impeccable research and keen eye for detail, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith offers this epic story to fill in the gaps and imagine how Miriam navigated the challenges of holding on to hope, building a family in the midst of incredible hardship, and serving as a leader of a difficult people, all while living in her brother's shadow. Follow Miriam's journey from childhood to motherhood, obscurity to notoriety, and yearning to fulfillment as she lea...

Cleopatra Victorious (Cleopatra Reimagined Book #2) Author: Helen R. Davis Genre: Alternative Historical Fiction Publisher: Savant Books and Publishings Release Date: April 30, 2020 Pages: 364 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: CLEOPATRA VICTORIOUS is the alternative history sequel to Helen R. Davis' award-winning novel, CLEOPATRA UNCONQUERED (Savant 2015). Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt, has triumphed at the Battle of Actium, which in the annals of history cost her and her lover, Mark Antony, their lives. She has won the battle, but will she be able to win the war and create a new place for her, her dynasty and Egypt in the annals of history?        My Review: The Battle of Actium was one of the most pivotal events in Western history. The battle marked the beginning of imperial Rome. This battle was so important to Western civilization that many began to wonder what would have happened had Cl...

Berenice II and the Golden Age of Ptolemaic Egypt (Women in Antiquity) Author: Dee L. Clayman Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: 2013 Pages: 288 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis:  Berenice II (c. 264-221 BCE), daughter of King Magas of Cyrene and wife of Ptolemy III Euergetes, came to embody all the key religious, political, and artistic ideals of Ptolemaic Alexandria. Though she arrived there nearly friendless, with the taint of murder around her, she became one of the most accomplished and powerful of the Macedonian queens descended from the successors of Alexander the Great. She was at the center of a group of important poets and intellectuals associated with the Museum and Library, not the least of which was Callimachus, the most important poet of the age. These men wrote poems not just for her, but about her, and their eloquent voices projected her charisma widely across the Greek-speaking world. Though the ra...

Arsinoe of Egypt and Macedon: A Royal Life (Women In Antiquity) Author: Elizabeth Donnelly Carney Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: 2013 Pages: 240 Source: My Private Collection Synopsis :The life of Arsinoë II (c. 316-c.270 Bce), daughter of Ptolemy Soter, the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, is characterized by dynastic intrigue. Her marriage to her full brother Ptolemy Ii, king of Egypt, was the first of the sibling The life of Arsinoë Ii (c. 316-c.270 Bce), daughter of the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, is characterized by dynastic intrigue. Her marriage to her full brother Ptolemy Ii, king of Egypt, was the first of the sibling marriages that became a dynastic feature of the Ptolemies. With Ptolemy Ii, she ended her days in great wealth and power. However, prior to that point she was forced to endure two tumultuous marriages, both of which led her to flee for her life. Arsinoë was the model for the powerful role Pto...

The Sekhmet Bed (The She-King #1) Author: Libbie Hawker Genre:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Running Rabbit Press Release Date: 2011 Pages: 355 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis: Is Ahmose's divine gift a blessing or a curse?      The second daughter of the Pharaoh, Ahmose has always dreamed of a quiet life as a priestess, serving Egypt's gods, ministering to the people of the Two Lands. But when the Pharaoh dies without an heir, she is given instead as Great Royal Wife to the new king – a soldier of common birth. For Ahmose is god-chosen, gifted with the ability to read dreams, and it is her connection to the gods which ensures the new Pharaoh his right to rule.       Ahmose's elder sister Mutnofret has been raised to expect the privileged station of Great Royal Wife; her rage at being displaced cannot be soothed. As Ahmose fights the currents of Egypt's politics and Mutnofret's vengeful anger, her youth and inexperience carry her ...

Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt Author: Stephanie Thornton Genre:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Berkley Release Date: 2014 Pages: 450 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis: Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.      Hatshepsut enters a loveless marriage with her half brother, Thut, to secure his claim to the Isis Throne and produce a male heir. But it is another of Thut’s wives, the commoner Aset, who bears him a son, while Hatshepsut develops a searing attraction for his brilliant adviser Senenmut. And when Thut suddenly dies, Hatshepsut becomes de facto ruler, as regent to her two-year-old nephew. ...

Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba by Marc Graham Publication Date: April 16, 2019 Blank Slate Press Paperback; 400 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis: Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings.    When Makeda, the slave-born daughter of the chieftain of Saba, comes of age, she wins her freedom and inherits her father’s titles along with a crumbling earthwork dam that threatens her people’s survival. When she learns of a great stone temple being built in a land far to the north, Makeda leads a caravan to the capital of Yisrael to learn how to build a permanent dam and secure her people’s prosperity.     On her arrival, Makeda discovers that her half-sister Bilkis (also known as Bathsheba) who was thought to have died in a long-ago flash flood, not only survived, but has become Queen of Yisrael. Not content with her own w...