Book picks similar to
In the Shadow of the Queen by Kim Stokely


biblical-fiction
historical-fiction
fiction
christian

Providence: Hannah's Journey


Barbara M. Britton - 2016
    Determined to restore her family’s honor, she escapes Jerusalem in hopes of finding the prophet and convincing him to restore her deformities. Gilead, a young Hebrew guard sympathetic to her plight, willingly accompanies her. On their way, they are captured by a band of raiders and Hannah is forced to serve in the household of the commander of the Aramean army, an officer who is in need of healing himself. Meanwhile, Gilead is being used as sword practice for the Aramean soldiers. Hannah must act fast to save Gilead and herself, but survival will mean coaxing the prophet of Israel to heal an enemy commander.The story of Hannah is based on the servant girl from Naaman's story in 2 Kings 5.

Prize of War


Carole Towriss - 2017
    When Acsah can’t seem to choose a husband, Caleb feels he must step in, and she soon finds herself betrothed to a warrior. That’s the last thing she wants, however. Soldiers are never home.... Othniel has loved Acsah for as long as he can remember. When Caleb makes his unbelievable promise of picking a trusted warrior for her husband, he fights not only for Israel but for her hand in marriage. Once safely settled in Debir, Acsah relaxes, believing Othniel can stay home and never fight again ... until the giants come back and threaten nearby Anab. Can Acsah deny the people of Anab her husband’s skill and leave them to the giants … or can she trust God if her husband goes to fight once again?

The Days of Elijah


John Noble - 2018
      Elijah is a young prophet studying the Torah, when the soldiers of Queen Jezebel burn his school and massacre his teachers. He escapes, barely, but finds himself on the run and hunted as Queen Jezebel attempts to stamp out the worship of the Hebrew God in Israel and replace it with the worship of Ba’al. As the queen’s soldiers close in on him, Elijah discovers a little known promise in the Scroll of Deuteronomy and prays for something impossible – that God would turn the skies to bronze and stop the rain on the kingdom that has abandoned Him.   And God says yes.   As drought and famine grip the cloudless land of Israel, God tells Elijah to hide and sends him to the land of Tyre, to a widow and her son who are on the edge of starvation. In Tyre Elijah finds a darkness at the heart of the city, a darkness that threatens to consume Israel next. But even if he survives, will Israel listen to his warning? This is a re-imagining of the story of Elijah from the Bible.

Midwives of Moses


Jenifer Jennings - 2020
    That went against her faith. Her own God asked her to walk away. That went against her calling.Until she is ordered by Pharaoh to kill newborn Hebrew males, Puah thought she had an easy profession. If she obeys, it means the deaths of untold innocents. If she doesn't, it means her death.As Pharaohs rise and fall, Puah’s people are forced into deeper oppression. Men are forced labor and women are sent to serve their Egyptian counterparts. Only Puah and her recently acquired guild are free. For now.Moses, one of the hidden babies who was adopted by the Princess, is being groomed to take over. When he denies his right to rule and mistakenly kills an Egyptian, he is forced to flee into the desert.Forty years later, he returns as the instrument of God.With her medical training and passion for helping pregnant women, Puah places herself in the heart of hell on earth as the intensity of plagues increases.After the last plague falls, she must make the decision to stay in Egypt or face the unknown wilderness. Puah’s heart has always been for the women of Egypt. How can she obey God to walk away from them in their greatest hour of need? She can only make the choice once and morning won’t wait.

Faithful Daughter of Israel


Wanda Ann Thomas - 2019
    Her deepest desire is to find acceptance among her people. For that to happen she must live one more day, and one more day after that. Desperation drives her to turn to the only means of survival for women without friends or family—harlotry. At Jerusalem’s Dung Gate in the dead of night, a scarlet-caped Roman soldier nears, and Anna quakes at having to approach the imposing, broad-shouldered man. Confronted by the foreigner, who identifies himself as the fortress commander, Anna fears she has made a terrible mistake. JULIAN OF ALEXANDRIA is counting the days until he could escape this cursed assignment. He suspects his mother, his Jewish mother, is to blame for the bad luck of being stationed in Judea. Raised thoroughly Roman, Julian wants nothing to do with the Jews. Until Anna. Anna, the spirited Jewess who means to be a harlot. Except this frightened half-dead beauty seems an unlikely seductress. Though he should flee this attraction and fulfill his promise to his father to find a Roman wife, Julian makes himself Anna’s protector. Impossible choices face this desperate Jewess and her hardened Roman commander. Will their rigid beliefs and traditions separate them, or will they follow their hearts?

The Brother's Keeper


Tracy Groot - 2003
    He was the brother of Jesus Christ. The Brother's Keeper is a story imagined from the few known facts of the life of a real man. The book tells the story of the latter part of Jesus' ministry, up through his death and resurrection, as seen through the eyes of His own family. Tracy Groot takes readers, with James, on a journey from unbelief to belief as James grapples with the question of who Jesus is.

To Comfort A King


Debbie Gilliland - 2013
    Also left behind is Abishag’s betrothed, Joseph, who has already waited many months to claim his bride. Now, he must wait until Israel’s king no longer needs her. Torn from the comfort of her small village, Abishag is thrust into a world of unfamiliar customs, royal expectations, and palace intrigue. She is greeted suspiciously by the king’s concubines, warmly by Queen Bathsheba, and reluctantly by King David himself. Adonijah, the king’s son, is bitter over his father’s choice of Solomon as Israel’s next king. He determines to ruin Abishag to prevent her from being given as a prize to Solomon at their father’s death. Suffering personal losses, as well as scorn from much of the royal court, Abishag begins to question God’s goodness in placing her in the king’s service. Can she find someone there who understands that one who comforts the king is in great need of comfort herself? Will Abishag’s time with the king end in despair or joy?

Journey to the Well


Diana Wallis Taylor - 2003
    Now the creative mind of Diana Wallis Taylor imagines how the Samaritan woman got there in the first place. Marah is just a girl of thirteen when her life is set on a path that will eventually lead her to a life-changing encounter with the Messiah. But before that momentous meeting she must traverse through times of love lost and found, cruel and manipulative men, and gossiping women.This creative and accurate portrayal of life in the time of Jesus opens a window into a fascinating world. Taylor's rich descriptions of the landscapes, lifestyles, and rituals mesh easily with the emotional and very personal story of one woman trying to make a life out of what fate seems to throw at her. This exciting and heartwrenching story will fascinate readers and lend new life to a familiar story.

Blood of Adam


Rachel S. Neal - 2012
    Denah is not among them by choice. Her husband is a disgrace, her sisters-in-law are cursed, and the family adheres to the rigid demands of an outdated God. Denah simply wants the life she deserves. She will follow her own forbidden path to fulfillment, encountering blackmail, jealousy, and betrayal along the way. What she deserves turns out to be far different than what she imagines, and she must face the tumultuous consequences of her decisions before the past and future of all mankind collide in the shadow of Noah's ark.

Woman of Clay


Linda Caddick - 2012
    Then another, striking her on the temple with a head-splitting blow, stones slamming into her from every direction. She felt the terror of death and heard her own screams inside her head. “God, have mercy on me,” she whimpered."Self-deception, passion, and turmoil threaten to destroy everything Shana holds dear, even her own life. Driven by a burning quest for happiness, she sacrifices the love of a good man to satisfy a need she can't identify, paying a high price for the legacy of her father's rejection.A shocking face-to-face encounter with a controversial young rabbi reveals the truth. He claims her heart and gives his life in exchange, but still she must suffer the consequences of her choices. A cruel twist of fate presents her with a final test - her will or God's will? Love requires a sacrifice, but can all she has lost ever be restored?From bestselling biblical fiction author Linda Caddick, this poignant account of a woman’s journey from brokenness to healing through redeeming love, provides an enlightening, true-to-life experience of history during the time of Jesus, that illustrates the bible in a new way.

Jewel of Persia


Roseanna M. White - 2010
    But when a chance encounter forces her to the palace of Xerxes, she becomes a concubine to the richest man in the world. She alone, of all Xerxes' wives, loves the man beneath the crown. She alone, of all his wives, holds the heart of the king of kings. Traveling with Xerxes through Europe as he mounts a war against Greece, Kasia knows enemies surround her, but they re not the Spartans or Athenians. The threat lies with those close to the king who hate her people. She determines to put her trust in Jehovah even if it costs her her marriage. Years of prayers are answered when Kasia's childhood friend arrives at the palace after the war, but even as she determines to see Esther crowned in place of the bloodthirsty former queen, she knows the true battle is far from over. How far will her enemies go to see her undone? Combining the biblical account of Esther with Herodotus's Histories, Jewel of Persia is the story of a love that nearly destroys an empire . . . and the friendship that saves a nation.

In the Shadow of Jezebel


Mesu Andrews - 2014
    But when a mysterious letter from the dead prophet Elijah predicts doom for the royal household, Jehosheba realizes that the dark arts she practices reach beyond the realm of earthly governments. Forced to marry Yahweh's high priest in order to further Athaliah and Jezebel's power plays, Jehosheba enters the unfamiliar world of Yahweh's Temple. Can her new husband show her the truth and love she craves? And can Jehosheba overcome her fear and save the family--and the nation--she loves?With deft skill, Mesu Andrews brings the Old Testament to life, revealing a fascinating story of the power of unconditional love.

Marduk's Tablet


T.L. Higley - 2003
    Now, she's been charged with deciphering the symbols on this centuries-old piece of clay, which legend says contains omens with healing powers. On a harrowing journey through Israel and into ancient Babylon, she tries to uncover the secrets surrounding her father's death--while fighting to stay alive herself. Along the way, she must decide if she will find answers to her own spiritual questions in the ancient mythologies of reincarnation or in the pages of Scripture--and the hands of God Himself.

Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope


Texie Susan Gregory - 2016
    . . .And while it is still dark, God is at work.   Jochebed’s entire life has been a faith journey as she seeks her mother’s God. The daughter of a Hebrew slave and master basket weaver, Jochebed knows the stories of her ancestors but wonders if the Lord cares how they suffer under the hand of Pharaoh Ramses. . .and if the promised deliverance will ever really come.               Ramses, warned of Egypt’s destruction, vows to do whatever is necessary to protect his two great loves, Egypt and Nefertari, unaware that satisfying one will sacrifice the other.Shiphrah, the half-Egyptian midwife tasked to kill Hebrew male infants, yearns for a place to belong and remembers childhood stories of a merciful God.                Doubts are a constant companion to Jochebed, but her foundation of faith leads her to defy the most powerful man in the world in a deadly race to save her son and, ultimately, God’s chosen people.  Two women, each following the dangerous path God has set before them—this is their story.

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?