Dana’s Blog

Buried between layers of genealogy, an obscure biblical passage comes to life in Naomi Craig’s lively tale, She’erah’s Legacy. I really enjoyed the characters. She’erah is a strong-minded dreamer, an architect in ancient times. She’s also the granddaughter of Joseph (yes, that Joseph) and the daughter of his half-Egyptian son Ephraim. Her personality and goals push the limits of tradition,...

As a reader who enjoyed all of Mesu Andrews’ novels, I’ve found my new favorite. IN FEAST OR FAMINE is masterfully told historical fiction set in Bible times. The story world is magnificently rendered. You will see ancient Egypt, the intrigues, the glitter, and the danger. And I loved the characters! They have deep desires, pure and impure motives, and...

Is truth worth the price if it costs you everything? Tribune Glabrio places high value on truth and honor. So much so that he pursues investigations with dogged determination, even when his superior hints that his job might proceed more profitably if he would leave off questioning certain high officials. When Glabrio responds “Getting to the truth and delivering justice...

Meet Princess Zuleika – Potiphar’s Wife as you have never seen her before Mesu Andrews reveals one of the Bible’s bad girls as a Minoan princess tossed by circumstance into the Egyptian court in her novel Potiphar’s Wife. Desperate to save her island kingdom after an earth-shattering event wreaks havoc, she agrees to her father’s plan to offer her in...

She has broken a law that carries the death penalty ~ In second century Rome, Licinia doesn’t want to leave all she knows and loves, but she has broken a law that carries the death penalty – she is a Christian. Worse, she shared her faith with her friend, a Roman matron. Her brother Sextus, not a Christian himself, has...

For many years, after reading the beloved book CHRISTY and learning about the award bearing its name, I pored over the titles in the Christy lists picking my next great read. Today, my book RAIN is listed among these books by stellar authors and it seems impossible. Not that I didn’t work hard. Not that it wasn’t a long road. But many fine...

“Take me with you.” This audacious request changed everything for Rahab the Harlot. You’ve heard of her. A girl no better than she ought to be, Rahab made her living selling herself to the men of ancient Jericho. She was betrayed by her father, reviled by the city women, and disdained by her own family, who still didn’t mind taking...

I almost didn’t read this book. Even though I’d previously read Prophetess, another in The Daughters of the Promised Land series, I’ve always been uncomfortable with the story of Hannah–how could she give up her son? But I reminded myself how much I loved Prophetess and decided to read Hannah’s story. I’m so glad I did. Smith perfectly renders the...

We’ve all run into them, or more accurately, over them. No one likes them. Speed bumps jolt us, throw our wheels out of alignment, and slow us down to tortoise-approved speeds of two to five miles per hour. But slowing down isn’t always bad. On the road, speed bumps might save you from hitting a child on a bicycle or...

The Prophet Elijah stood tall among the heroes of the Bible when he fought the evils of idol worship. We’re told “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” (James 5:17 NLT) Elijah showed great faith in God. He waited for direction...