Celebrate Lit / July 6, 2019

Hadassah

Celebrate Lit Book Tour

About the Book Hadassah

Book: Hadassah

Author: Diana Wallis Taylor

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release date: July 2, 2019

One of the great heroines of the Old Testament, Hadassah was a beautiful, graceful young woman who put her faith in God and her guardian, her cousin Mordecai.
She dreams of marrying Shamir, a tall, handsome, studious young man who is the rabbi’s son. Her heart beats faster when she hears the sound of his deep voice as he reads the Torah. And she hopes that he will visit Mordecai soon to present a betrothal request.

Then, an upheaval in King Xerxes’s palace changes everything. Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen.

Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Hadassah will be taken. To hide her identity as a Jew, he tells her to go by the name of Esther. Since he works as a record-keeper at the king’s gates, he can keep tabs on how she is doing.

Hadassah: Queen Esther of Persia imagines what life was like for the woman who saved her people—and perhaps found love in the process.

Click here to grab your copy!

My Thoughts:

I love historical fiction books. Sometimes the Bible times ones just don’t appeal to me though. They’re great stories but not compelling to me. This book though. I’m in love!

Queen Esther is a staple character in the Bible. Everyone knows who she is and her story. I’d even say that there are a great number of people who know her story who are not Christians. She’s a Jewish heroine as well.

I’ve not seen many accounts of her life outside of the Bible and Veggie Tales. Yes, I’ve seen the Veggie Tales version. Many times actually as it’s one of the approved shows for our children.

Okay, back to the book, I’m getting sidetracked.

This is an amazing read. Hadassah kept me spellbound. I’d never really thought much about the wife of Mordecai or whether they had children of their own. They were just characters in the book that was there to make the story more complete while Esther was the star of the show.

I’ve never really thought so much about Esther’s emotions or how she reacted to all the changes in her life or why Mordecai was her guardian. The background and history of the time period that went into this novel are wonderful. I’m loving learning some new facts that I didn’t know before. Again, history is something I really love and learning new bits of history never disappoints me.

Esther is brought to life in Hadassah. You’re going to want to read this novel. It’s going to captivate you and make you pick up your Bible to read the book of Esther and see where everything lines up. What is fact from the Bible, what is fact from history, and what is a poetic license from the author?

Basically, she writes so well that it could all be fact or fiction because it flows so smoothly. The characters are wonderful and brought to life. I think I’m watching them around me as I’m reading.

Highly recommend this bit of Biblical fiction to all.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of Hadassah

Diana Wallis Taylor was first published at the age of twelve when she sold a poem to a church newsletter. After receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education at San Diego State University, she was an elementary school teacher for twenty-two years. Diana has also sold real estate, opened two coffeehouse/used book stores, and was a conference director for a private Christian college.
She has an extensive portfolio of published works, including a collection of poetry; an Easter cantata, written with a musical collaborator; contributions to various magazines and compilations; and several books, including Lydia, Woman of Philippi; Mary, Chosen of God; Ruth, Mother of Kings; and Halloween: Harmless Fun or Risky Business?

Learn more at www.dianawallistaylor.com.

Read an Excerpt from Hadassah

Besides the usual vendors, there were strange, sweaty men with beady eyes who were looking to get rich from the additional population.

In the wee hours of the morning, while Mordecai sat with his head in his hands, silently praying, Jerusha stopped breathing, slipping away so quietly that Hadassah thought she was still sleeping.

One day, to the people’s relief, the news was spread that the unwelcome banquet guests had been ordered back to their provinces—to prepare for war.

Instead of bowing, Hadassah smiled unabashedly and gazed directly at the king, who at that moment had turned his head.

“Do not give your name as Hadassah, but tell them it is Esther, which is a Persian name. I would have you hide your Jewish heritage for now.”

She felt their eyes silently appraising her; some with open interest, some with sympathy, and others with calculating shrewdness.

Esther asked each maid gentle, innocuous questions about her homeland, favorite foods, culture, and the like, listening attentively to their answers and making sure to speak to them by name both to let them know they were important to her and also to help her remember who was who.

“If you maidens help me to be my very best when I am called to the king’s chambers, if he honors me by selecting me as his queen, I will not forget you, who helped to put the crown on my head.”

Esther had seen some of the women pass her quarters so laden with jewelry they could hardly walk. She wanted to laugh out loud but suppressed even a smile.

Recognition came. “Ah, the maiden in the crowd. I thought about you many times.” He moved closer. “I remember your hair, like a cloud around your face.”