Miriam (Treasures Of The Nile #2) by Mesu Andrews

Synopsis: The Hebrews call me prophetess, the Egyptians a seer.

But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel 
and the messenger of El Shaddai.
When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing.

At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.
 
 Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of the Pharaoh?
 
Enter an exotic land where a cruel Pharaoh reigns, pagan priests wield black arts, and the Israelites cry out to a God they only think they know.

Review: 

I did not find this book to be as fascinating as the first book in the series. I was very disappointed in it, and was actually unable to finish reading it. I thought it dragged along far too slowly and had far too much description with not enough action.

Rating: Two stars

The Moses Chronicles Volume 1: Bondage by H.B. Moore

Synopsis: A gripping, historical fiction account of the events that lead to Moses’s flight into the wilderness, The Moses Chronicles: Bondage will take you back to a rich period of history replete with scandal, strife, love, and hope as God prepares a prophet to lead His chosen people.

Review: A fascinating rendition of the early life of Moses as well as the life of the rest of his Hebrew family during the same time period. We see the huge differences between the life of luxury Moses had in the court of the pharaoh and the sparsity of the life of the Hebrew slaves. 

What I enjoyed the most about this book was that Heather makes Miriam a more well-rounded person than what we get from the small mentions of her in the Bible. It makes her seem more real, even though the storyline is mostly presumption.

Heather is my favorite Biblical fiction writer, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Rating: Four stars

About the author
Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Alternate Goodreads Page: Heather B. Moore
Please join Heather's email list at: http://hbmoore.com/contact/
Blog: http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com
Website: www.hbmoore.com
Twitter: @heatherbmoore
Facebook: Fans of H.B. Moore

Literary awards: 3-time Best of State Recipient for Best in Literary Arts, 3-time Whitney Award Winner, and 2-time Golden Quill Award Winner

BLOG HOP, GIVEAWAY AND GUEST POST: Lilacs for Juliana by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Synopsis: Petite Juliana Beauchamps possesses a vivid imagination, which comes in handy as a librarian. When a handsome giant of a lumberjack comes to town and rescues her from possible tragedy, she’s shaken by the event. A dashing beer baron, James Yost, from Milwaukee, also pursues Juliana’s attention. Meanwhile, a library trustee determines push out the female librarians. 

Set in 1891, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Book Three in The Christy Lumber Camp Series focuses on Richard “Moose” Christy, the youngest of the sons, as he prepares to manage his first lumber camp. When Yost hires Juliana to organize his personal library, and her letters from Wisconsin suggest foul play, will Richard need to save her once again? And will his secret need to be revealed to win her heart?

The first two books of the series are:

     

Guest Post by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Secondary Characters – Amputation

When I recently wrote the third book in The Christy Lumber Camp Series, Lilacs for Juliana, I got to the end and there was a storyline thread that I wanted to wrap up neatly. The trouble was—the ending I imagined took me down a rabbit trail. You see, I wondered if my hero, Richard, might really come across one of Juliana’s deceased brothers—who’d perished in the Civil War. So I did a WHAT IF?

The scenario I had was of Richard finding a homeless man in Milwaukee, who ended up being one of the brothers. I began researching Civil War veterans in the 1890s. Then I went to Pinterest and found all kinds of horrific pictures of these poor men who’d had limbs (in some cases all!) amputated!

I had to go back to the drawing board. In the end, I didn’t see that this ending was realistic nor necessary. Although I’m not positive that all of Juliana’s three brothers killed in the Civil War are indeed dead, for this book it didn’t serve any purpose, other than distracting me, to have Richard discover one of them. So in the end, it served no purpose to have one of the brothers come back as an amputee who’d survived. Now I need to clean up that Pinterest board, because this was not an aspect of the novel!

Question:

The author has to think of the reader when writing. Have you considered that? Have you ever read a book where you thought—why did the author bother including that thread in the book? Why did they add that extraneous stuff at the end?

Giveaway For This Post: A paperback or ebook copy of Lilacs for Juliana, or any one of the other books in The Christy Lumber Camp Series. Comment and leave your email address to win.

Blog Hop Giveaway: To enter for a 6 inch Magenta (Hot Pink) Kindle Fire and a cover case, hoppers need to comment on at least SEVEN of the blogs. 

Blog Hop Schedule:

September 7th Heroes, Heroines and History

September 12th  Overcoming with God 

September 14th   BookBabble

September 16th   Cheryl B Book Blog

September 18th   D’s Quilts & Books

September 23rd  Sunnie Reviews

September 24th  Buzzing About Books

September 30th  Captive Dreams Windows

October 1st Singing Librarian Books

October 5th Perspectives by Nancee

October 7th Stuff and Nonsense

October 14th Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

About the author
Carrie Fancett Pagels (www.carriefancettpagels.com) “Hearts Overcoming Through Time” is a Christian historical romance author. "Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter" releases from Pelican Group/White Rose in 2015. "The Lumberjacks' Ball" (2015) is the second book in The Christy Lumber Camp Series. Her historical romance novella, Selah Award finalist, The Fruitcake Challenge (2014) hit the #1 spot bestselling in genre on Amazon and was also finalist for the Family Fiction Book of the Year. In July, 2014, Carrie won in Historical Genre for Family Fiction's The Story 2014 contest, with her short story The Quilting Contest, now available in published anthology from Salem Publishing. 

Carrie's novella, Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance, was an Amazon Civil War best seller and remained on the top-rated list for a year. Her short story "Snowed In" was published in Guidepost Books A Cup of Christmas Cheer. Nonfiction chapter contribution to Selah Finalist God's Provision in Tough Times by Cynthia Howerter and LaTan Murphy (Lighthouse of the Carolinas, 2013). 

Represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency. Founder of Colonial American Christian Writers group. Owner/administrator of the group blogs "Colonial Quills" and "Overcoming With God." Member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and FaithWriters. 

Was a licensed psychologist for over twenty-five years. Has an adult daughter and a middle school aged son. Married the love of her life, Jeffrey D. Pagels, in 1987.

Carrie is the former ACFW Zone Mid-Atlantic Zone Director and Virginia/West Virginia Area Coordinator and continues to serve as co-hostess of the Tidewater Area Christian Writers group. 

BOOK BLAST AND GIVEAWAY: Lost King by H.B. Moore

Lost King by H.B. Moore 

From USA TODAY bestselling author H.B. Moore Undercover agent Omar Zagouri has been ordered to Giza. A prominent Egyptologist was murdered, and a priceless artifact—the only complete version of the Book of the Dead—is missing. Omar is still reeling from the recent disappearance of his girlfriend, Mia Golding, but he puts his quest to find her on hold to track down the lost piece of history. Omar’s mission is not just to locate the sacred book; he must also rescue the two archaeologists kidnapped and forced to translate its hieroglyphics under threat of death. Their kidnapper is determined to discover the text’s rumored explosive revelation: that Moses did not receive the Ten Commandments from God but instead copied them from the Egyptians. Though Omar’s need to find Mia grows more urgent, he must focus on finding the enemy who will stop at nothing to ignite a controversy that will change history, and the world, forever.

AMAZON

  Author H.B. Moore
H.B. Moore is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than a dozen historical novels set in ancient Arabia and Mesoamerica. She attended the Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican International School in Jerusalem and received her bachelor of science degree from Brigham Young University. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore, and romance and women’s fiction under the name Heather B. Moore. It can be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Blog

Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 9/30/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

SERIES FEATURE: The Hawk and the Dove

Welcome Penelope Wilcock!

Clash of the Titles is proud to feature The Hawk and the Dove series by English writer Penelope Wilcock! With the first books written in the early 90s and the remainder published 20 years later, the Hawk and the Dove  series has captivated readers for decades. 

Set centuries ago, these books offer an authenticity not often found in historical novels of this time period. The author has woven truths through the books that resonate with the deepest struggles of our own hearts, but she has also lived out much of what she writes about. She has spent time working with nuns and monks, heavily involved in palliative care in the most primitive of modern facilities. Her experiences most closely mimic care that would have been offered in the medieval setting of her stories. Read more about this author's incredible journey and life in the interview below with International Christian Fiction Writers.

Read an interview with Penelope Wilcock

The Hawk and the Dove

14th-century Yorkshire, the time of Chaucer

Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot of St. Alcuin's Benedictine abbey. An arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove—his name in religion is "Columba"—he is respected, but not loved.

A sudden, shocking act of violence changes everything. As the story unfolds, this community of monks, serious about their calling but as flawed and human as we are, come to love their ascetic but now vulnerable leader.

They lived six centuries ago, but their struggles are our own: finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.

Read the first chapter

Praise for Wilcock's work:

“Not to be missed.” —Mel Starr, author of The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series

“Poignant, moving, rich with imagery and emotion . . . Modern readers will easily identify with each character in Wilcock’s timeless human drama. Highly recommended reading.” —Midwest Book Review

Penelope Wilcock is a full time writer and a former Methodist minister, prison and hospice chaplain, who lives in Hastings on England’s south coast with her family. Her popular blog, Kindred of the Quiet Way, attracts a wide international audience.