CFBA…..Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingHarvest of RubiesRiver North; New Edition edition (May 1, 2012)byTessa AfsharABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was voted “New Author of the Year” by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader’s Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.
ABOUT THE BOOK

Remarkable Talent Threatens to Cloud a Life

The prophet Nehemiah’s cousin can speak several languages, keep complex accounts, write on tablets of clay, and solve mysteries. Her accomplishments catapult her into the center of the Persian court – working long hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and becoming the queen’s favorite scribe.

Not bad for a woman living in a man’s world: so why does Sarah feel like a failure?

A devastating past has left Sarah with two conclusions: that God does not love her, and that her achievements are the measure of her worth – a measure she can never quite live up to.

Darius Pasargadae is accustomed to having his way. A wealthy and admired aristocrat, the last thing he expects is a wife who scorns him.

Can two such different people help one another overcome the idols that bind them?

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

Ok, I’m still reading and Tessa has written another awesome book.  I Love, Love Pearl in the Sand, and this one is just as good!!  I will write reveiw when I finish reading it, in a day or so!

 

 

 

If you would like to read the first chapter of Harvest of Rubies, go HERE.

Pearl in the Sand By: Tessa Afshar

Pearl in the Sand By: Tessa Afshar

 Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Moody Publishers; Original edition (September 1, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780802458810

ISBN-13: 978-0802458810

ASIN: 0802458815

Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches

Blurb from Publishers Website

Beauty Comes at a Price

Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes.

Pearl in the Sand tells Rahab’s untold story. Rahab lives in a wall; her house is built into the defensive walls of the City of Jericho. Other walls surround her as well–walls of fear, rejection, and unworthiness.

A woman with a wrecked past; a man of success, of faith…of pride. A marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.

 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was born in a nominally Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her mid-twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves as the leader of Women’s and Prayer ministries at a church in Connecticut.

My Review

Rahab grew up in Jericho with her family. Needing money to provide for his family, her father sold her into prostitution at the age of 15. This started her wealthy life as a harlot, resulting in her owning an Inn inside the walls of Jericho to accommodate her business. When 2 Israelite spies came into the city Rahab rescues them and invites them to her Inn, hiding them from the soldiers who came to her door looking for them. In exchange for helping them escape, the spies promised Rahab safety for herself and her family when Israel attacks by dropping a red rope from her window. Israel would pass over her Inn during the attack on Jericho.

As the story unfolds, Rahab and her family are not well accepted by the Israelites in the beginning, causing her a lot of hurt and disappointment. And then there is Salmone. He seems to always intimidate Rahab, making her feel she is not good enough for his people. Slowly, things begin to change between the two of them, and finally they were married. But this only caused more problems because of Rehab’s past life style. Salmone didn’t want the subject of her past life to ever be discussed between them, and Rahab knows that her past is a part of her, and they need to deal with it as a couple.
Will Rahab be able to deal with her past, leaving it in God’s hands? Can Salmone forgive her for her life as a harlot, and make their marriage one that honors God?

Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t find this book before now. I love reading about Rahab, because most people like to talk about her being a harlot, but never about her change of heart and following God. Rahab knew more than anyone what she did was sin. It’s so sad that her father sold her into prostitution when she was young. But the amazing part is, when God saved Rahab, and her life changed completely. Though God had forgiven her, she struggled with putting her past behind her and forgiving herself. I loved how Salmone help her in doing this in the story. And his marriage proposal was so very sweet. I just sit and cried!

Now, when I read about the battle of Jericho, I will always think of Rahab, and how she saved the lives of the 2 slaves, and how she and her family’s lives were saved by the red rope hanging from her window. A picture of how we are saved because God sees His son hanging on the cross for my sins.

With most of the characters, it took me a while to get to know them. I read this book much slower than I usually read, I kept going back and reading parts over and over to really get everything out of the story. As I slowly begin to know the characters, it gave me a feel of what went on those years so long ago. Even though this is fiction, as I read the battle of Jericho in the Bible, I try to put faces with the names, and realize even more how they were real people in a real time in history. I learn so much from reading this book. So many things I hadn’t thought about before. And I stress again….THIS IS a Fiction Book, but since I am no writer, it’s a blessing for me to read Tessa’s story of Rahab, putting her in a real life situation. It gave me a glimpse of what her life was like.

I think anyone would benefit from this book, even you guys. It is very well worth the read! And a very big Thanks for Moody Publishers for providing me a complimentary copy of this book to read for review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are mine alone.

Author Tessa Afshar’s Website

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