Book Recommendation - What a Wave Must Be

 

Angela Hunt has long been one of my go-to authors. She crosses genres fluidly, writing historicals, contemporaries, Biblical historical and women's fiction. Her latest release falls into this latter category. She is typically an auto-read author for me, so when I saw she had a book coming out, I just signed up without noting what it was about. I wish I had dug a bit deeper before digging in. While this was well written and showing hope and life after death, this book dealt with the hard and heavy subject of suicide. For friends who enjoy reading the heavier books, this is one I can easily recommend. But if you prefer lighter reads or are overwhelmed with deaths around you, maybe hold off on this one for now. Here's a bit about the book:

From master storyteller Angela Hunt, a powerful story of a family’s journey toward healing and hope after an unimaginable loss.

Seventeen-year-old Maddie is left reeling after the unexpected passing of her beloved father. No one has any idea why he betrayed them all so spectacularly, but that’s exactly what his death feels like: a betrayal. With their world shattered, Maddie’s grieving mother sends her to spend a few months with her grandparents, thinking a change of scenery will do her good.

Susan and Frank, Maddie’s grandparents, are heartbroken over the loss of their son, but they welcome Maddie as an addition to their long-empty nest. Maddie settles in and makes friends at her new school, but she still wrestles with why her father took his own life. Then an unexpected twist throws all their lives into fresh turmoil, testing the very fabric of their faith. How Susan helps her granddaughter find hope, even as they both struggle with grief, makes this touching tale of love and recovery a must-read.

Contains discussion questions, making it ideal for book groups.

I enjoyed the dual perspectives that spanned generations and ways of coping with death. This beautiful tragic story comes out on November 7, 2023, wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Angela Hunt's website: https://www.angelahuntbooks.com/

Angela Hunt's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/angela.e.hunt

My full 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5897617195

Book Recommendation - The Peasant King

 

When I want to read Biblical Fiction (fiction set in times of the Bible - sometimes including characters that are named IN Scripture), Tessa Afshar is second to none. Her upcoming release, about the rise of King Cyrus during the Israelites' Babylonian captivity is just one example of her stellar writing that brings the time and culture of the places we find in the Bible to life! Here's a little bit about the book:

Jemmah has always thought of herself as perfectly ordinary . . . until she faces extraordinary circumstances.

When her mother, the Persian king's famous senior scribe, is kidnapped, Jemmah and her sister must sneak undetected into enemy territory to rescue her. But infiltrating their adversary's lands proves easier than escaping them. Fleeing through dangerous mountain passes, their survival depends on the skills of a stranger they free from prison: a mysterious prince named Asher.

Asher is not who the world believes he is. Despite his royal blood, he has had to climb his way out of poverty to forge success from nothing. A manufacturer of some of the best weaponry in the East, Asher has only one goal: to destroy his father. But following his escape from prison, Asher is irresistibly drawn to Jemmah, unaware that she guards her own secret.

Jemmah must convince Asher to give up everything he has worked for, all for the sake of a higher purpose he's not sure he believes in. The fate of the Persian empire—and possibly the Judean people—hang in the balance and in the persuasive power of one ordinary woman.

This book releases November 7, 2023 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Tessa Afshar's website: https://tessaafshar.com/

Tessa Afshar's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5882303401