A Reluctant Queen, book #9

So for the month of April in Book Club we decided to read A Reluctant Queen.  It caught my eye a few weeks ago when it came into the library as a donation and I was tempted then to bring it home and add it to the pile, but I passed.  Then last week at Book Club Deanie was telling about how this book caught her eye when she was covering it.  So even though it wasn't in stock at our beloved BAM! we decided to choose it anyway.  

I must admit I was surprised I read this in only 3 or 4 days.  It wasn't really a hard book to read, but I didn't expect it to catch my fancy like it did. Two things come to my mind to share:

1.  You can tell the author did a lot of research on this because the palace rooms and many of the settings were described in great detail.  Also, the clothing everyone wore was also described in great detail.  Now, I am one for detail, but it seemed a little overboard for me.

2.  I am not opposed to reading a book set in Bible times, but when it comes to "novelizations" of stories in the Bible, red flags raise up to me pretty fast.  Not that I am a Bible Scholar and know all the details of the stories, but to me you have to be very careful when reading between the lines in tried and true Bible stories.  Many moons ago, when this Book Club was still a day club, we read the Lineage of Grace series of novellas by Francine Rivers.  Besides The Red Tent, this was my first foray into novels about Bible stories.  I really liked the first few, but the one about Mary I held very far from my heart.  To me, it's one thing to "fill in the blanks" with Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, but when you get to "making up" things about what "might have been" with Jesus in the Mary book, well, that was a little too much for me.  That said, there were some questions I had about this book as I was reading through it.  Or devouring it, as the case may be.  I was familiar with the basics of the story, but some things that happened in the book just did not ring a bell with me.  Let me just say that I think The Author's Note that she wrote should have been in the front of the book instead of the back, and then I could have read it a little more freely. 

You've read it as a biblical tale of courage. Experience it anew as a heart-stirring love story.
She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart.
Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history.
The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue, and romance. (picture and description from amazon)

O:)
Melissa