BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Mary, Chosen of God by Diana Wallis Taylor

 
 

To purchase your own copy, click here.

About the Book

“Blessed are you, Mary, chosen of God.” Mary is ordinary girl from Nazareth. She helps her mother with household chores, she daydreams about a handsome carpenter’s son named Joseph, and at night she lies on the roof and contemplates the stars. But one evening, a heavenly visitor comes with unexpected news—and her life is changed forever. Experience the life of the Messiah from the perspective of his mother, who must place her trust and obedience in Adonai, the Most High, as he fulfills centuries of prophecy in the middle of her daily life. Walk with Mary as she witnesses Yeshua grow, mature, minister, and even be crucified—and then raised again, to the kindling of her new faith.



Review: I have read a few other books by this author, and I always enjoy them. She has a true talent for writing Biblical fiction and making us feel as though we are right alongside the people she writes about.

Not only do we get a look at how she imagines life to have been for Mary on a day to day basis, but we also get the chance to learn more about the Jewish traditions and culture of the time. For me, that's always interesting and helpful in understanding people and their actions.

I also love the fact that this book is not just about the young virgin giving birth, but that it follows her for the rest of her life, to Jesus' death and beyond. It was wonderful to get a perspective on what she might have been thinking and feeling at various times in her life regarding events that were taking place around her.

I am sure this book will be another big hit for the author, and I look forward to seeing whose life she will explore next.

**I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Five stars

About the Author

Diana Wallis Taylor has written eight biblical novels, including Mary, Chosen of God, Martha, Journey to the Well, Mary Magdalene, Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate, and Ruth, Mother of Kings. Well-known in the Christian book industry for her biblical fiction, her most recent five books have received over 3,000 ratings on Goodreads. Taylor is a former San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild’s “Writer of the Year” and her biblical novels have earned her a variety of awards. Diana lives in San Diego with her husband, Frank. They have six grown children and ten grandchildren.

Blog Stops

October 4: Simple Harvest Reads (spotlight)

October 5: Proverbial Reads

October 5: I Hope You Dance

October 6: Book by Book

October 7: History, Mystery & Faith

October 8: Book Bites, Bee Stings, and Butterfly Kisses

October 9: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner

October 10: A Greater Yes

October 10: Back Porch Reads

October 11: The Power of Words

October 12: Book Babble

October 13: For the Love of Books

October 13: Mary Hake

October 14: Splashes of Joy

October 14: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

October 15: Bigreadersite

October 16: Henry Happens

October 17: His Grace is Sufficient

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Diana is giving away a gift basket that includes Mary, Ruth, Whitaker House’s study Bible, and The Lord is my Shepherd candle from Abba Anointing Oil!

Bathsheba Bathed in Grace: How 8 Scandalous Women Changed the World by Carol Cook

Description: YOU'VE HEARD THEIR STORIES ALL YOUR LIFE BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE BIBLE'S "REBEL" WOMEN?

Adultery, lies, deception, scandal, murder, cover-up, heartache, pain, and loss--stories with these sordid elements are relevant today. And women with shady pasts--labeled, shamed, and linked with tragedies--are part of our heritage. Bathsheba, a victim or temptress, Eve outside of Eden, Tamar posed as a prostitute, Leah stole her sister Rachel's fiance...Sarah gave Hagar to her husband and Rebekah masterminds a grave deception.

Review: Interesting take on several well-known "scandalous" women of the Bible (scandalous being in the eyes of the beholder, in my opinion).  

I was impressed by how deeply the writer threw herself into the lives of each of these women: she researched them thoroughly, dressed as them, and essentially let each of them tell their own story in their own words. She gives us an insight into the culture of the time and beautifully recreates the circumstances of their lives as they took matters into their own hands and then were able to receive God's forgiveness when they realized their mistakes.

I look forward to reading more of her work regarding other women of the Bible.

**I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

Woman Of Light by Teresa Pollard

Synopsis: Christian fiction inspired by the Bible, Judges chapters four and five.

On his deathbed, Deborah’s grandfather prophesied she would be a Judge for Israel. But the elders of Ramah vowed a woman would never sit in the city gates to listen to cases. So Deborah and her husband, Barak, returned to his hometown of Kedesh, in the northern part of the Israel, where trouble brewed nearby: King Jabin II had appointed Sisera to be commander of his army… and his nine hundred iron chariots.

Meanwhile, God brings disputes to Deborah for her to adjudicate, and soon she is holding court under the palm trees outside of Kedesh. Then God tells Deborah to hurry back to Ramah, and the family escapes just before Commander Sisera invades Israel and ransacks Kedesh.

But Israel has no standing army to respond, and not a shield or a spear was seen among forty thousand men. How will God use two such improbable people, a peasant woman and her husband, to lead Israel to victory against this formidable foe?

Review: A wonderful Biblically based story. It fills in some of the missing pieces of the story of Deborah from Judges. The author brings all the major players in the story to life in a way that draws the reader into the story and makes you feel you are right there among them.

Deborah's faith in the Lord and willingness to follow His leading is evident throughout the story. It is a good lesson for all of us to follow. 

This is a marvelous read. It was a real page-turner, and I hated any time I had to put it down to do other things.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Teresa Pollard is from Richmond, Virginia, and was saved at a young age. She has a Masters degree in English and Creative Writing from Hollins College and has served as a Sunday School teacher and children's worker for most of the last forty years. Married for forty years, she was devastated by divorce and the death of her youngest daughter, but God has blessed her with a new home and another grandson, and she now resides in Dacula, Georgia. Her website is TeresaPollardWrites.com

The Pharaoh's Daughter (Treasures Of The Nile #1) by Mesu Andrews

BOOK INFORMATION

• Series: Treasures of the Nile
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 17, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601425996
• ISBN-13: 978-1601425997
  
  
  Synopsis: “Fear is the most fertile ground for faith.”
  
  
• Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives—women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile. 
• 
  
• When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt’s gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.
• 
  
• As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all? 

Review: I enjoy Biblical fiction which makes people and events of the Bible more real to me, and this story definitely fits the bill. This is the story of Moses, although it focuses more on his adopted mother and her story, giving us a different perspective from the one we read in the Bible. 

The political intrigue of ancient Egypt plays out all around Anippe, involving her brother, her adopted parents, her husband, and everyone around them. We see Anippe grow from a pampered princess to a mature, responsible wife and mother--from a character I didn't really care for at first to one I grew to admire and respect.

The next book in the series will focus on Miriam, the older sister of Moses, who we began to get to know in this book. I look forward to reading it as well.

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Mesu Andrews is an author and speaker who has devoted herself to passionate study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep love for God’s Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her audiences.

Mesu and her husband, Roy, have two grown children and (Praise God!) a growing number of grandkids. They live in Washington, where Roy teaches at Multnomah University. They have a Rottweiler-pitbull named Bouzer who keeps Mesu company while she writes.

A Reluctant Queen (The Love Story Of Esther), Joan Wolf

Synopsis: You've read it as a biblical tale of courage. Experience it anew as a heart-stirring love story. She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart. Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history. The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue and romance.

Thoughts: I love the Biblical story of Esther...her courage is inspirational, and her love for her people is heart-rending. I was looking forward to listening to this audiobook, but I was genuinely disappointed in it.

The author was so focused on writing a love story between Esther and her king that she let the story drift away from what is written in the Bible. If it had been a purely fictional story about two other people, I would probably have enjoyed it a great deal.