Blog Tour: A Reluctant Queen

A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther

About the Book:

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.


My Comments:
It is interesting the different takes people have on Biblical stories when they try to tell "the rest of the story".  A few years ago I read The Gilded Chamber : A Novel of Queen Esther, a general market book  that spent a lot of time talking about the purpose of a king's harem and how Esther was prepared to be part of it.  As a Christian romance,A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther is a lot more focused on the personal relationship as opposed to the intimate one (though intimacy is mentioned) and on Esther's faith.

I enjoyed A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther.  It was a fast-moving romance with enough historical detail to keep it interesting.  It keeps to the general outline of the Biblical story though some names are changed,and some events are invented.  One thing I like about Biblical fiction is that at least to me, many Biblical  characters don't seem real.  We don't have a lot of information about them--they play a part in a story and then disappear.  We don't really know their  personalities,their families,their histories, their motivations.  By filling in the blanks, by telling more than is written in the Bible (even if that more is a figment of the author's imagination) the authors of Biblical fiction bring these characters to life for me.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.  Grade: B+  To see what other bloggers think, visit the blog tour page.

To celebrate Joan Wolf’s debut Christian Fiction title, A Reluctant Queen, Joan and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away A Reluctant Queen prize package worth over $150!

One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen

* A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (for KINDLE)

To enter, just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the contest ends on June 20th. Winner will be announced on June 21st during Joan’s A Reluctant Queen Book Club Party on Facebook (details below)! Hope to see you there – bring your friends!

Join the fun on June 21st! 

Joan will be wrapping up the blog tour and Kindle giveaway promotion during her A Reluctant Queen FACEBOOK party on her FB author page. During the party she'll announce the winner of the Kindle, host a book chat discussion, test your trivia skills (Is Esther's story in A Reluctant Queen fact or fiction?), and more. Don't miss this chance to meet the author and make some new friends!