Monday, May 5, 2014

Book Review: "The Queen's Handmaid" by Tracy L. Higley



"The Queen's Handmaid" is the second novel I've read by Tracy Higley.  I had a hard time getting into the other book I'd read by Tracy Higley, so I was thinking the same might be true this time as well.  However, I did not have that issue this time around.

Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra's household having been abandoned at birth.  She has a way of making everyone love her and depend on her, all the while trying to keep them at arms' length so she doesn't get attached to them and risk having them be taken away.  Her mentor, Samuel, entrusts her with a secret mission and a memento from her past.   She makes her way to Jerusalem through joining with Herod the Great's staff.  Will she fulfill her duty to Samuel and be able to uncover who she really is?

"The Queen's Handmaid" starts in 39 B.C. and spans a decade.  The book follows historic events very closely.  I actually went online and researched Cleopatra, Herod, Marc Antony, and other characters in the book to find the true story of history as I only had a very basic knowledge of who they were.  In a way, my research caused me to know what was going to be happening in the book because Tracy Higley followed history so well!  I was intrigued to learn what life was like for Jews right before the time that Jesus was born.  It made me feel like I had a better understanding of Biblical times and what it was like for them living in Jerusalem.

I enjoyed how Tracy Higley wove faith in God (HaShem) into the story and how Lydia came to trust Him as her OneGod.

I recommend this book to anyone, especially those who love history and stories set in the ancient past.
You can buy an eBook version of this book on Amazon.com for $9.99 or in paperback for $12.22.

  • File Size: 1678 KB
  • Print Length: 397 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 18, 2014)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00GUTB1Q2

I received a free eBook copy of "The Queen's Handmaid" from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

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