History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

  Priestess of Avalon (Avalon #4) Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson  Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Ace Release Date: 2008 Pages: 418 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: In the long-awaited return to Avalon by the beloved author of The Mists of Avalon and her collaborator, bestselling author Diana L. Paxson, Marion Zimmer Bradley fuses myth, magic and romance in a spectacular unfolding of one woman's role in the making of history and spirit...        My Review: Priestess of Avalon is the prequel to The Mists of Avalon . It follows the life of Helena Augusta, the mother of Emperor Constantine. In Priestess of Avalon , Helena is a British princess called Eilan. She trains to be a priestess of Avalon. Eilan eventually learns that she is destined to give birth to a child who will change the world. Therefore, Eilan walks a journey that no priestess of Avalon has ever walked before.      Eilan ...

In the Field of Grace Author: Tessa Afshar Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Romance Publisher: River North Release Date: 2014 Pages: 304 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.      But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.         Based on the biblical account of Ruth, In the Field o...

Harvest of Gold (Harvest of Rubies #2) Author: Tessa Afshar Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Romance Publisher: River North Release Date: 2013 Pages: 368 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : A hidden message, treachery, opposition, and a God-given success will lead to an unlikely bounty.     In Harvest of Gold (Book 2) , the scribe Sarah married Darius, and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage—Sarah has grown to love her husband. Sarah has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband’s love still seems unattainable.      Although his mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother’s p...

Land of Silence Author: Tessa Afshar Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Release Date: 2016 Pages: 382 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : 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 o...

Hannah: Mother of a Prophet Author: H.B. Moore Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Covenant Communications Release Date: 2022 Pages: 256 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Journey back in time to the dusty roads of Shiloh and witness anew the story of Hannah and her son, Samuel.        Hannah is no longer a young woman. In the twilight of her life, she holds her memories close to her heart. Above all, she treasures the miracle of conceiving Samuel after years of barrenness and the promise she made to the Lord to release her child to the high priest Eli’s care to train and serve in the temple. But Samuel’s story does not end at the gates of the temple and neither does his family’s enduring legacy of faith, patience, and deliverance. In this richly detailed and sweeping fictional account of Samuel’s life as a prophet in the making, discover how his mother, Hannah, made impossible decision...

Pearl in the Sand Author: Tessa Afshar Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Moody Publishers Release Date: 2020 Pages: 416 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Can a Canaanite harlot who made her living enticing men be a fitting wife for a leader of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes.      This 10th anniversary edition of Pearl in the Sand includes new features that will invite you into the untold story of Rahab’s journey from lowly outcast to redeemed child of God. Rahab’s home is built into a wall, a wall that fortifies and protects the City of Jericho. However, other walls surround her too, walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness… Years of pain and betrayal have wounded Rahab’s heart—she doubts whether her dreams of experiencing true love will ever come true…      A woman with a wrecked past—a man of success, of faith... of pride. A marriage only Go...

Deborah: The Prophetess of God Author: H.B. Moore Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Covenant Communications Release Date: 2019 Pages: 232 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: After years of mistreatment, the Israelites prepare to defend themselves against the oppressive Canaanites. Readying for war not only takes secret military training but also an Israelite leader who is willing to both stand against generations of oppressions and follow God. Deborah, a young Israelite woman, lives a quiet and isolated life with her father and brothers. As a shepherdess in the hills near her home, she knows well the perils of her work. But when faced with incredible danger, she witnesses a series of remarkable events that preserve her life. The hand of the Lord is apparent, and it is clear that hers will be no ordinary life.       Years later, Deborah is a faithful wife and mother when she learns t...

Star of Persia: Esther’s Story Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Christain, Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company Release Date: 2020 Pages: 368 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In an effort to complete a war his father had planned to win, King Xerxes calls every governor, satrap, and official in his vast kingdom to his palace in Susa to strategize and feast. When they finally leave, he decides on one more week of frivolity, which ends in the banishment of his favorite wife, something he never intended to do. But when he discovers Esther, Xerxes is sure he has a second chance at happiness. In her wildest dreams, Esther could never have imagined that she would end up as queen of Persia. Yet she knows better than to become complacent. Another of Xerxes's wives is vying for position, and his closest advisor has a deep and dangerous grudge against Esther's adoptive father. Caught in the middle of palace ...

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...