Book picks similar to
Esther: A Story of Courage by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole


historical-fiction
biblical-fiction
christian
christian-fiction

Song of Eve


June Strong - 1987
    She portrays a world where the children of God are despised. This book shows how God can touch lives and bring new meaning. It is one of the saddest and yet most beautiful stories ever told.

Rahab's Story


Ann Burton - 2005
    Here is Signet's second installment of Women of the Bible, a compelling new series for fans of historical romance and fiction. Accused of witchery, Rahab is banished to certain death in Jericho. Now the girl once known as Beautiful Rahab must join the ranks of the city's prostitutes. She keeps her faith in God, but when Jewish spies appear, begging her to hide them, she must decide: stay safe and deny them-or help her fellow believers and transform herself from harlot to heroine.

Joseph & Asenath


Alex Chappell - 2005
    His unwavering faith doesn't save him from his elder brothers' treachery. She serves a Hyksos storm god. He worships the God of Israel, but love will bind Joseph and Asenath together. Journey through Hebron's hills, cross Shechem's grasslands, and explore ancient Egypt's wonders in this timeless Old Testament tale.

The Penny


Joyce Meyer - 2007
    Her theory proves true the summer she's 14, when she makes the decision to pick up a penny embedded in asphalt and consequently ends up stopping a robbery, getting a job, and meeting someone who changes her life forever-Miss Shaw. Together they form a friendship that dares both of them to confront secrets in their pasts-secrets that threaten to destroy them. Jenny helps Miss Shaw open up to the community around her, while Miss Shaw teaches Jenny to meet even life's most painful challenges with confidence and faith. This unexpected relationship transforms them both in ways neither could have anticipated, and the ripple effect that begins that summer goes on to bring new life to the people around them, revealing how God works in the smallest details-even in something as small as THE PENNY.

Sinners and the Sea: The Untold Story of Noah's Wife


Rebecca Kanner - 2013
    But this virtuous woman has the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories live anew.Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a land of outcasts. Noah, a 600-year-old paragon of virtue, rises to the role of preacher to a town full of sinners. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons, but is faced with the hardship of living with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than with her. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite a pious upbringing, have developed some sinful tendencies of their own. But her trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world.Kanner weaves a masterful tale that breathes new life into one of the Bible’s voiceless characters. Through the eyes of Noah’s wife we see a complex world where the lines between righteousness and wickedness blur. And we are left wondering: Would I have been considered virtuous enough to save?

Hadassah: One Night with the King


Tommy Tenney - 2003
    Both a thriller and a Jewish woman's memoir, Hadassah takes readers to ancient Persia (now known as Iran), into the inner sanctum of the palace and back out into the war zones of battle and political intrigue. This gripping drama of a simple peasant girl chosen over many more qualified candidates to become Esther, Queen of Persia, captures the imagination and fires the emotions of men and women alike.

The Salt Covenants


Sylvia Bambola - 2015
    But when she is noticed by Friar Alonso at La Casa Santa, the Holy House, she is forced to flee the Inquisition by entering into a loveless marriage and sailing with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. But all too soon Isabel is forced to struggle alone in her new life and new faith. With all the risks and hardships how is she to survive? And will she ever find love in this strange land? And what of the dangerous Enrique Vivar? Will his hidden agenda cost her her life?

Deborah: Prophetess of God


H.B. Moore - 2019
    Moore, comes the new biblical novel about Deborah the Judge, a woman who rises from oppression and leads her entire nation to victory.After years of mistreatment, the Israelites prepare to defend themselves against the oppressive Canaanites. Readying for war not only takes secret military training but also an Israelite leader who is willing to both stand against generations of oppression and follow God. Deborah, a young Israelite woman, lives a quiet and isolated life with her father and brothers. As a shepherdess in the hills near her home, she knows well the perils of her work. But when faced with incredible danger, she witnesses a series of remarkable events that preserve her life. The hand of the Lord is apparent, and it is clear that hers will be no ordinary life.                 Years later, Deborah is a faithful wife and mother when she learns that the Third Judge of Israel has died--and she has been called to take his place. It is a tumultuous time in history, and soon, Deborah--prophetess, judge, and military leader--faces a seemingly insurmountable task: alongside the commander of the Israelite army, Deborah must lead ten thousand soldiers in their final campaign against their Canaanite oppressors with only her faith in God to guide her. More Biblical Novels by H.B. Moore:Esther the QueenRuthEve: In the BeginningAnna the ProphetessThe Moses Chronicles

Naomi and Her Daughters


Walter Wangerin Jr. - 2010
    Master storyteller Walter Wangerin Jr. pens the historically accurate biblical tale of Naomi and Ruth in this riveting novel. Contemporary echoes of love, deceit, war, and political instability will resonate with readers today, while rich descriptions and gritty realism cast new light on the ancient narrative. A powerful story that you won't soon forget!

The Guardian Duke


Jamie Carie - 2012
    Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind.When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.Endorsements:"Get lost in Ireland in this rollicking adventure with a brave, headstrong heroine and a relentless yet honorable duke determined to save her from a dangerous quest. With rich characterization and an intriguing plot, Jamie Carie's

Pompeii: City on Fire


T.L. Higley - 2011
    But when the rich patrician Cato escapes Rome, intent on a life of leisure, he is unprepared for the hostility he encounters. In the same place, but at the opposite end of society, Ariella has disguised herself as a young boy to be sold into a gladiator troupe. Survival is her only ambition.But evil creeps through the streets of Pompeii, and neither Ariella's secret nor Cato's evasion is immune to it. Political corruption, religious persecution, and family peril threaten to destroy them, even before an ominous mountain in the distance spews its fire.As Vesuvius churns with deadly intent, Cato and Ariella must bridge their differences to save the lives of those they love--before the fiery ash buries Pompeii, leaving the city lost to the world.

Woman of Sin


Debra B. Diaz - 2010
    Alysia of Athens, pampered daughter of a wealthy physician, is taken from her home and sold into slavery when her father is accused of treason during the turbulent reign of Tiberius Caesar. She is purchased by Paulus Maximus, a powerful Roman legate who pierces through her determination to hate her captors. When trouble caused by his jealous stepbrother forces her to run away, she finds herself in the battle-torn land of Palestine, where she meets a man named Jesus who will change her life forever. But in her flight from the intrigues of Rome to the palaces of Jerusalem, Alysia finds she cannot escape her enemies, neither the one who stole her heart, nor the one who wants to destroy her.

The Gilded Chamber: A Novel of Queen Esther


Rebecca Kohn - 2004
    This sweeping, meticulously researched novel restores Esther to her full, complex humanity while reanimating the glittering Persian empire in which her story unfolded. Esther comes to that land as a terrified Jewish orphan betrothed to her cousin, a well-connected courtier. She finds a world racked by intrigue and unfathomable hatreds and realizes that the only way to survive is to win the heart of its king. Passionate, suspenseful, and historically authentic, The Gilded Chamber illuminates the dilemma of a woman torn between her heart and her sense of duty, resulting in pure narrative enchantment.

The Measure of a Lady


Deeanne Gist - 2006
    Both goals prove more difficult than she could imagine as her brother and sister are lured by the city's dangerous freedom and a missionary-turned-gambler stakes a claim on her heart. Rachel won't give up without a fight though, and soon all will learn an eloquent but humorous lesson about what truly makes a lady. *Speak Politely. Even when you're the only respectable woman around, protesting the decadence of a city lost to gold fever. *Dress Modestly. Wear your sunbonnet at all times. Ensure nobody sees your work boots muddied by the San Francisco streets. *Remain Devoted to Family. Protect your siblings from the lures of the city, even against their wishes. *Stand Above Reproach. Most difficult when a wonderful man turns out to be a saloon owner. *Rise Above Temptation. No, not even just a little kiss.... When these rules become increasingly difficult to uphold, can Rachel Van Buren remain a beacon of virtue in a city of vice?

Tried and True


Mary Connealy - 2014
    Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It’s a risk—they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as “boys”—but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?