Mary Magdalene by Diana Wallis Taylor

Book Description:
One woman desperate for hope. One Savior with the power to heal.
A beautiful girl blossoming into womanhood, Mary has high hopes for a life filled with learning, family, and young love. In one dreadful night, all of that changes. The nightmares come first, then the waking visions of unspeakable terror, until Mary hardly remembers her dreams for the future.

Can the Most High deliver her from this torment? How long must she wait for healing?

This vivid portrait of the enigmatic Mary of Magdala comes to life in the hands of an imaginative master storyteller. Diana Wallis Taylor introduces you to a Mary who is both utterly original and respectful of the biblical account, opening your eyes to a redemption that knows no bounds.
My Thoughts:
This was a great read.  Mary Magdalene has always been a Biblical character that people have wanted to know more about.  She is a beautiful young lady who is filled with life when tragedy strikes.  She is from then on known as 'Mad Mary' and nothing of her dreams and planned future look like they will ever happen.  She is ostracised from the community where she is always been known and horrible things happen to her!
We know from scripture that Jesus healed her and she loved and followed him.  Much after that is just speculation but this author did a wonderful job of making a fictional story for a real life character!  The illnesses that Mary faced were well written and not overly dramatized and the storyline itself is wonderfully written where it just flows.
I rate this a 5/5.  It will stay on my bookshelf.

Thank you to Revell for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

"Available June 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

Book Description:
Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?

Jill Eileen Smith thrilled readers with The Wives of King David series. Now she brings to life the strong and celebrated wives of the patriarchs, beginning with the beautiful and inscrutable Sarai.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book.  This is a fictional account of Sarai (Sarah) and Abram (Abraham).  For their wedding vows, Abram vows to never take another wife and Sarai vows to give him an heir.  The struggle Sarai has is such a seemingly simple vow is not in her control.  She struggles with being barren and comes up with some ideas to remedy the problem, but what problems will those solutions bring?
Sarai's character was good.  You felt her conflict and struggles.  It was good for me to 'get to know' the people I've always known in the Bible stories through this book.  I know it is fiction but it was well written and believable as to what the characters did and said.  Abram was great too.  I thought the author did a good job with all of her characters really.
I rate this a 4/5.  It is a nice story of Biblical Characters.

Thank you to Revell for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.