Musings by Erin

Connilyn Cossette is one of my go-to authors for Biblical Historical fiction. She began with the Out of Egypt series that followed the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and beginning the battles for the Promised Land. The follow-up series is the Cities of Refuge series that speaks of the cities of refuge in the Old Testament that were set up in the newly established Israelite territory for those who had accidentally killed someone to flee from the next of kin, or avenger of blood. Until the Mountains Fall is the 3rd book in the Cities of Refuge series. It follows the story of Rivkah, a young widow, and Malakhi, her late husband's brother. They are betrothed in a Levirite marriage in order to carry on her dead husband's name, but Rivkah cannot stomach the thought of marrying the boy who has tormented her from her youth, and so she runs. This story has a great "prodigal son (or in this instance, prodigal daughter)" message to it. I enjoyed the Biblical cultural ...

I recently had the pleasure of reading this lovely historical romance novel. Inspired on a post office tour, author Rachel Fordham was intrigued by the dead letter office, which is where mail went that couldn't be deciphered. Clerks in the dead letter office would open the letters and search for clues as to where they should go. If sufficient clues were found, the letters could be forwarded along. If not, they were tossed out. Since these days, it is a federal offense to read someone else's mail, even if you do work at the post office, this process was fascinating to me as well! It was through the intrigue of the dead letter office that the idea for "Yours Truly, Thomas" was born. In this novel, Penny, who has a deep affection for written correspondence, works in the dead letter office in Washington DC. One day, a letter comes across her desk from a man named Thomas to a woman named Clara, and Penny's heart aches for the tender emotion he expresses. She longs ...

My most recent read was Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl. This is the second book in the Kaely Quinn Profiler series. While I enjoyed the story line, some of the emotional depth and conversation was a bit stilted for my liking. However, I would still recommend this one (and book 1 - Mind Games) to lovers of inspirational mystery and suspense. Here's the back cover blurb: When FBI profiler Kaely Quinn's mother is diagnosed with cancer, Kaely takes time off work to go to Dark Water, Nebraska, to help her brother care for their mother. Upon her arrival, she learns of a series of fires in the small town, attributed by the fire chief to misuse of space heaters in the frigid winter. But Kaely is skeptical, and a search for a pattern in the locations of the fires bolsters her suspicions. After yet another blaze devastates a local family, Kaely is certain a serial arsonist is on the loose. Calling upon her partner from St. Louis, Noah Hunter, and her brother's firefighter neighbor ...

If you enjoy Biblical Historical fiction, Angela Hunt is an author you don't want to miss! Most recently she has written a series called "The Silent Years" that take place during the 400 year gap between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. This series covers the Maccabeean revolt, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the Hasmonean Dynasty and the reign of Herod the Great. This book and subsequently, the series, ends just after the birth of Christ. Here's a summary of King's Shadow: The fourth and final volume in  The Silent Years  series. Two women occupy a place in Herod’s court. The first, Salome, is the king’s only sister, a resentful woman who has been told she is from an inferior race, a people God will never accept or approve. The second woman, Zara, is a lowly handmaid who serves Salome, but where Salome spies conspiracies and treachery, Zara sees hurting people in need of understanding and compassion. Powerful and po...