History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

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...

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 ...

A Passionate Hope: Hannah’s Story (Daughters of the Promised Land #4) Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Revell Release Date: 2018 Pages: 370 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, share a deep and abiding love, for each other, for their God, and for his tabernacle at Shiloh. Greatly disturbed by the corruption of the priests, they long for restoration and pray for a deliverer. But nothing changes as the years pass. Years that also reveal Hannah to be barren.      Pressured by his family to take another wife, Elkanah marries Peninnah, who quickly begins to bear children. Disgraced and taunted by her husband's new wife, Hannah turns again to prayers that seem doomed to go unanswered. Do her devotion and kindness in the face of Peninnah's cruelty count for nothing? Why does God remain silent and indifferent to her pleas?      T...

Michal (The Wives of King David #1) Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Revell Release Date: 2009 Pages:  382 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: As the daughter of King Saul, Michal lives a life of privilege--but one that is haunted by her father's unpredictable moods and by competition from her beautiful older sister. When Michal falls for young David, the harpist who plays to calm her father, she has no idea what romance, adventures, and heartache await her.      As readers enter the colorful and unpredictable worlds of King Saul and King David, they will be swept up in this exciting and romantic story. Against the backdrop of opulent palace life, raging war, and desert escapes, Jill Eileen Smith takes her readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride as Michal deals with love, loss, and personal transformation as one of the wives of David. A sweeping tale of passion and drama, readers will love this...

The Prophetess: Deborah’s Story  Author: Jill Eileen Smith Genre: Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Christian Publisher: Revell Release Date: February 2, 2016 Pages: 370 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Canaan has ravaged Israel. The people are in hiding. All that stands between surrender and hope is one untested woman.       Deborah will never forget the day her father and brothers left to worship at the Lord's tabernacle--or the wails of her mother after finding their bodies at the city gates. The memories of Canaan's cruelty haunt her and all of Israel. Now in this dark time, the Lord calls on Deborah to lead His people away from the idols of other nations and back to Him.       Deborah never asked to be a prophetess or a judge over God's people. Still, she cannot deny His voice or the visions that accompany it. Can her family ever understand? Will her people believe God's calling on h...