Monday, April 7, 2014

The Queen's Handmaid By Tracy L. Higley: Enter to win a Kindle HDX from @TLHigley in THE QUEEN’S HANDMAID giveaway!


 I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Description:  


From the servant halls of Cleopatra’s Egyptian palace to the courts of Herod the Great, Lydia will serve two queens to see prophecy fulfilled.
  Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC
Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra's palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm's length. She's been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life.
But then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she’s had to family and flee to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme.
Trapped among the scheming women of Herod’s political family—his sister, his wife, and their mothers—and forced to serve in the palace to protect her treasure, Lydia must deliver the scrolls before dark forces warring against the truth destroy all hope of the coming Messiah.


Book Description:  

The Queen's Handmaid is the first book by Tracy L. Higley I have had the pleasure of reading and WOW. I am a big fan of Biblical Fiction so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Lydia is an orphan and has been raised as a servant in Cleopatra's palace.  Lydia has no family she knows of but has found a family in a few people in the palace including Samuel, Lydia's mentor and teacher and Banafrit, Cleopatra's personal cook.  Lydia has been doing pottery in secret to sell to try to get out of the palace and on her own. Lydia finds Samuel after her duties and finds him injured. With his dying breaths you tasks Lydia with delivery secret writings of the prophet Daniel to those watching for the Messiah. He also gives her a pendant that was her mother's, saying he and Banafrit knew her mother. Lydia finds herself being taken from Cleopatra's palace to Jerusalem to serve as Herod the Great's new wife's handmaid. Lydia finds herself in the middle of a mess as she attends to Queen Mariamme but finds out much of what is needed for her task. 

I really loved this book! As I stated, I haven't read anything by Tracy L. Higley until this book but I had a few of her books on my TBR pile. I had read many glowing reviews so I knew I wanted to read her books. Tracy L. Higley writes with authority on biblical history, the geography of biblical times, and the politics during that time. I could not put this book down, it kept me engaged from the start right until the end. I thought the characters were fantastic and Tracy L. Higley gives these characters such life and depth. I found myself drawn to the character of Queen Mariamme. She is a kind woman who loved God, her family, and would do anything to protect them. As I read this book I felt like I was there watching the events unfold right in front of me.  I learned a lot about this time in history that I did not know before. I was fascinated with all the facts in this book. Tracy L. Higley did a wonderful job weaving fact and fiction together into a cohesive work of fiction.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoy Biblical Fiction, Tracy L. Higley is a must read author in the genre. I cannot wait to start reading her other books that are in my TBR pile! I give this book 5 STARS.
 
Tracy L. Higley is celebrating the release of The Queen's Handmaid with a fun giveaway.

Retailers + Resources gave it this glowing review: "Rich in historic detail, Higley’s vivid writing brings to life the plots and intrigues that swirled through the ancient world as alliances were built and broken on the calculated schemes of power-mad monarchs." 
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  • A Kindle Fire HDX
  • The Queen's Handmaid by Tracy L. Higley
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced April 21st on Tracy's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Tracy's blog on April 21st to see if you won.

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