Esther: Royal Beauty  by Angela Hunt

Bible Story PLUS!

This retelling of the ancient Biblical story of Esther brings a new and refreshing look at the circumstances that brought the young Jewish girl into the world of the King of Persia. Each chapter of the book presents a look from either the perspective of Hadassah (Esther’s Persian name) or that of the king’s eunuch, Harbonah. Using this technique, Angela Hunt is able to craft a believable back story that keeps to the tradition and beliefs of the time while weaving a moving plot of characters that is able to hold the reader’s interest to the very end. This is an excellent read, expertly written by one of our finest Christian fiction authors. It is the first of the Dangerous Beauty series.  The future books in the series will take up the stories of Bathsheba and Delilah This book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for free in exchange for an honest review.

After a fashion by Jen Turano

Quirky Romance

The book opens with a bang as Harriet attempts to deliver hats to a wealthy young woman who promptly throws a hysterical fit and eventually gets Harriet fired.  In New York in the 1800s, it is not easy for a working class woman to find a job especially after getting fired.  So Harriet is forced to accept the job offer from the ex-fiance of the hysterical woman.  The man is Oliver Addleshaw and he hires Harriet to pose as his new fiance in order to impress an English Duke and secure future business deals.  Harriet is not comfortable with this as it goes against her Christian ethics but she has no choice.  The book is multi-faceted in both characters and plot with many dubious and contrived situations throughout.  It all seems to work together, however, with a surprising twist and a happy ending as the romance between Harriet and Oliver develops into its logical conclusion.  This book was provided by Bethany House Publishers for free in exchange for an honest review.