Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

Wish You Were Here – Book Review

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Wish You Were Here by Beth K. Vogt
Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom. Still, kissing the groom’s brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison’s life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a “Runaway Bride” complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend’s car doesn’t seem to solve her problems. Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.

About Beth:

Litfuse

Beth K. Vogt provides her readers with a happily ever after woven through with humor, reality, and God’s lavish grace. She’s a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor-or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Beth has discovered that God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She writes contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily ever after than the fairy tales tell us. Beth earned a journalism degree

from San Jose State University and met her husband Rob when he knocked her down at a karate studio. They’ve been married for 31 years. They have four children, ranging in ages from 28, 25, 23 and – thanks to a funny thing happening on their way to the empty nest-a 10-year-old. The Vogt Team, which now includes a “daughter-in-love” and “son-in-love,” enjoys hiking and camping in Colorado. Read more about Beth at her website:http://bethvogt.com
Link to buy the book:  http://ow.ly/aQTEk (Not an affiliate link)

 

My Review:

Wish You Were Here is a Christian Romance novel. It follows Allison as she prepares for her wedding day. She realizes at the last minute that they shouldn’t be getting married. And by last minute, I mean already walking down the aisle. Yes, Allison is a runaway bride who runs off with her maid of honor’s car. She runs away to another town, and checks into a hotel, all in her wedding dress.

What caused all this chaos in her life? She kissed her husband to be’s brother, Daniel. Not good. After leaving town without telling anyone where she is, Allison realizes she has feelings for Daniel. How can she be in love with the man that was going to be her brother in law?   Through it all, Allison learns that neither her family or God had abandoned her. She begins to hand over control of her life to God. Then, and only then, does she find happiness.

Wish You Were Here is a fun read. There is a Group Reading Guide in the back of the book with discussion questions. You can use it in a book club setting, or on your own. There is also an author question and answer section.


Celebrate with Beth by entering her Wish You Were Here Giveaway!

Beth Vogt Wish You Were Here iPad2 Giveaway

 

One “happy” winner will receive:
  • A brand new iPad with Wi-Fi (The must-have, do-everything gadget!)
  • Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt (Swoon worthy.)
  • $15 iTunes Gift Card (Music, books, apps, & more.)

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 6/4/12. The winner will be announced 6/6/12 on Beth’s website!

Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Beth’s giveaway
on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free book in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Gift For My Sister – Book Review

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From the book jacket:

Ann Pearlman’s The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship.

Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other.

Ann Pearlman, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Nominee, is the author of Infidelity: A Memoir, The Christmas Cookie Club, and The Christmas Cookie Cookbook. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Tara’s father died when she was young. Her mother remarried and had another girl, Sky. Sky’s father left when she as just a baby, and was never involved in her life. Now there were two fatherless girls. Tara was never close to her little sister, however. They each went their own way and lived their own lives.

Tara is now married with a daughter, and Sky is traveling with a rap band and her young son. Until tragedy strikes, and Tara’s husband dies. She needs the help of her sister and her band to move cross country, back to where the family lives. While traveling cross country with their young children, Tara and Sky are finally able to come to terms with their childhoods and what life has dealt them. They develop the sister relationship they had never had before.

A Gift For My Sister is a great story line. I did enjoy reading about the sisters, their relationships, their children, and their mother. However, this book uses swear words and crude language. I understand how the author felt that some of the language was necessary, because of the characters being involved in rap music. As a reader, however, I found it totally unnecessary. Because of this, I can not recommend this book. I’m not happy about that. As I did think the story line was a great one.

 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free book in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Stubborn Heart – Book Review

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Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks her to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Litfuse

Upon her arrival in Redbud, Kate meets Matt Jarreau, the man hired to renovate the house. Kate can’t help being attracted to him, drawn by both his good looks and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. He’s clearly wounded–hiding from people, from God, and from his past. Yet Kate sets herstubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light…whether he likes it or not.

When the stilted, uncomfortable interactions between Kate and Matt slowly shift into something more, is God finally answering the longing of her heart? Or will Kate be required to give up more than she ever dreamed?

About Becky:

Litfuse

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She’s been a fan of all things romantic ever since.

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky’s passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances with Avon Books, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her kids, then recently returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She felt led to move to the genre of contemporary Christian romance and couldn’t be more thrilled with it.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Learn more at: www.BeckyWade.com

 

I enjoyed reading My Stubborn Heart and following Kate. Kate has prayed for years that God would lead her to the man He wants her to marry.  While working on her grandmother’s house, Kate meets Matt. They spend a lot of time together while he is restoring the house. She falls in love with Matt, and thinks that he is “the one”. However, sometimes when we pray, God answers not with a yes or no, but with not now. You’ll see how “not now” plays out in Kate’s life.

My Stubborn Heart is a good read. It’s entertaining. We also learn waiting for God’s best, in God’s time, is worth the wait!

To see what others are saying about this book, visit the My Stubborn Heart Blog Tour.

 

 

Celebrate with Becky by entering her My Stubborn Heart Giveaway and
connecting with her during the Author Chat Party on 5/24!

Becky Wade My Stubborn Heart Nook Simple Touch Giveaway

One fortunate winner will receive:

  • A Brand New Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™
  • A $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Certificate
  • A copy of My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway
ends at noon on May 24th. Winner will be announced at the “My Stubborn Heart”
Author Chat Facebook Party on 5/24. Becky will be hosting an book chat, testing
your trivia skills and giving away some great prizes!

So grab your copy of My Stubborn Heart and join Becky on the evening of the
May 24th for a chance to meet Becky and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read
the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends
via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your
chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 24th!

 

 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free book in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Forever Hilltop – Book Review

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Forever Hilltop is two books in one volume. The books are:

An Unlikely Blessing

Meet Alex Armstrong, former city dweller who has just accepted his first parish assignment to a small community in the wilds of North Dakota. In HilltopTownship, Alex becomes familiar with the colorful residents and their odd traditions, from rommegrot to lutefisk. And then there’s the excitement the single pastor creates among the unmarried women in the community! Alex soon discovers that his new church home has as much to teach him as he has to teach them, providing all with An Unlikely Blessing.

Surprising Grace

Alex Armstrong is settling into his new role as pastor of Hilltop Church, and he’s even starting to understand the strange ways of the people who populate this barren stretch of North Dakota prairie. But he also finds that his flock needs help and counsel like he never imagined. In this cozy and entertaining read, Alex must choose between the woman he once planned to marry-and the home he’s come to love.

 

This book is a delightful read.  The vast majority of Christian fiction has female main characters, and I found it very refreshing that the main character in this volume is Alex Armstrong. Alex has lived in the city his entire life. He never pictured himself living in the country. God has other plans for him, though. Plans that have Alex moving to the North Dakota prairie to pastor not one, but two churches, at the same time. Forever Hilltop follows Pastor Alex as he adjusts to life in the country and further seeks God’s will for his life.

Forever Hilltop is a good, clean book that I will have not problem sharing with my teenage daughter. She will be very happy! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Forever Hilltop and highly recommend it.

 

Along Wooded PathsJudy Baer was born and grew up on a farm on the prairies of North Dakota, experiencing many of the same things as her Hilltopcharacters. An only child, she spent most of her days with imaginary people-either those she read about or those she made up in her head.

Baer graduated from Concordia College with majors in English and education and a minor in religion. While at the time, she was simply studying what interested her, Baer later realized that she was educating herself for her future career as a Christian writer. She certainly put her education to use as she is the author of more than 75 books.

A certified professional life coach now certified in three coaching disciplines, Baer coaches primarily professional and aspiring writers. She is also a faculty advisor in the Department of Human Development at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, MN. Baer has two daughters and three step children. She and her husband live in Minnesota.

Learn more about the author and her books atwww.judykbaer.com.

 

 

 

Celebrate with Judy by entering to win a Kindle for you and a friend!

Judy K. Baer Forever Hilltop Kindle Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive:

  • Brand New KINDLE with Wi-Fi
  • Brand New KINDLE with Wi-Fi to Giveaway to a Friend!
  • Forever Hilltop by Judy K Baer for you and a one for a friend

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway
ends on May 22nd. Winner will be announced 5/24/12 on Judy’s Blog.

Enter Via Email Enter Via Facebook Enter Via Twitter

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of
winning. Hope to see you on the 21st!

 


God Took A Day Off Why Can’t I?

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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

 

 

and the book:

 

Miller-Moore Publishing (January 1, 2012)

***Special thanks to
Milcah Lewis  for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Andrea Moore is a life coach, author and speaker who is passionate about equipping and inspiring leaders within the community and church to be their best. After receiving a degree in Communications from The University of Alabama, where she co-captained their Division I volleyball team, she immediately entered the radio & television industry. Andrea quickly realized that she was more interested in making news than reporting it, so she has spent the last 16 years crafting a Biblically-based message in her counseling, coaching and writing. She resides in Austin, Texas with her husband, Eric, and their three young men.
Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

God created the world in six days, and then He did something very unexpected for the omniscient, all-powerful designer of every living thing – He took a day off.

This book is a guide to rejuvenation and increased productivity through a Sabbath rest. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered why God would take a break, and for everyone who feels like they could use one too.

In this book, we will discuss:

·          What is a Sabbath?

·          Why we need one?

·          How to have one?

Product Details:

List Price: $15.00

Paperback: 107 pages

Publisher: Miller-Moore Publishing (January 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0984007415

ISBN-13: 978-0984007417

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

 

Good is not always
God
Two lumberjacks set out, as they did every morning, to work in the forest. The younger lumberjack challenged the older man to a con- test to see which of them could bring down the most trees that day. As soon as the whistle blew, the youth began chopping furiously and built an early lead while his opponent stopped regularly to take a break.
Puzzled by his opponent’s unusual strategy, the young lumber- jack pressed forward. As the day wore on, he continued chopping as fast as ever, but his lead wasn’t what it once had been. It seemed that whatever work he did while the other man rested, was equaled as soon as he got back to work.
When the whistle blew, the challenger, exhausted and in pain from pushing himself all day, turned with astonishment to offer his congratulations to the older lumberjack. Approaching the veteran he said, “I don’t get it. I worked all day long without a break, yet in spite of taking several breaks, you still won. What’s your secret?”
The veteran, still in good spirits and ready to head home to his family, glanced at the enormous pile of trees he had felled. He replied with a grin, “Son, I wasn’t just sitting. I was sharpening my ax.”
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God Took a Day Off, Why Can’t I?

 

Mixing wisdom with effort

 

“If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success.”
ecclesiastes 10:10 (nKJV)

 

Too often we feel ineffective and unsure of what we should be doing. When I was single, I would feel guilty for resting while my married friends were overwhelmed with all they had to do. I loved to serve others and help meet their needs, but I would often findmyself offering to assist out of a false sense of obligation.

 

“For ye have the poor always with you…”
Matthew 26:11a (KJV)

 

The word poor is the Greek word ptochos meaning: one who lacks something.
There will always be pressing needs surrounding us, but this does not mean that God wants us to meet all those needs. Instead, we are to stay closely connected to Him at all times so that we are ready, willing and able to be led by Him, to be used as He sees fit – directly or indirectly.
Over the last couple of years, I have been an advocate for a wonderful foster/adoption agency, Family Link. My husband, eric, and I have aways wanted to adopt, but have not felt it is our time just yet. Instead, God has allowed me the privilege of serving orphans in an- other way, as an advocate. I’ve been able to impact more orphans than I ever imagined by sharing with others about the great opportunities
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Good is not always God

 

available to help nurture these precious children.

 

We must not ignore needs. Instead, we can be willing to allow God to use us in the manner that He chooses; whether it’s meeting the needs directly, or prayerfully looking for those who can.

 

The proper pace

 

Within the first six years of our marriage, Eric and I had three beautiful and energetic little boys while serving in the ministry togeth- er. And as if that weren’t enough, I continued to try to fulfill every need I got wind of. I enjoyed serving within the local church and communi- ty because of my passion for teaching and mentoring. Yet, too often I’d race through my Bible, gathering material for ministry purposes and squeeze in just enough time for my appointments. Allowing God to replenish me was not on the schedule. I merely coasted along in cruise control, heading towards empty.
Thankfully I continued to experience the Lord’s goodness through the encouragement of the people He placed in my life. But even that was not enough for me to escape the fact that I would not be able to continue the roller-coaster life I was living.
During this season, I remembered a conversation I had with

 

one of my instructors  at Fuller Theological Seminary. After witnessing several of my attempts to fill every need I became aware of, he pulled me aside and said, “Andrea, this is a marathon, not a 40 yard dash.”
I still remember the concern on his face as he spoke those words to me. That’s the moment I began my journey to achieve better
balance in my life.
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God Took a Day Off, Why Can’t I?
Good can be the enemy of the best

 

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”
Proverbs 11:1 (KJV)

 

The word abomination in Hebrew is made impure.
tow ‘ebah meaning disgusting thing, thing
Did this mean that the good things I was running around doing for the Lord were seen by Him as an abomination because they shifted my life out of balance?
As a natural do-er, I am more inclined to tackle an activity than

 

sit quietly with the Lord. even in writing this book on the Sabbath
rest, I had to discipline myself to first seek the Lord before doing other things. In order for any of us to discern what is best, we must spend regular time meditating on His word, with His people and in His pres- ence.
Many of us feel a responsibility to live by the motto: “See the need and take the lead.” Over the last sixteen years, serving in the church and community, I‘ve seen the endless sea of needs and wants. They never end – kind of like the laundry at my house.
I believe God looks at our hearts and is honored by the desire that we have to serve Him. Yet I wonder why we keep racing toward each finish line as though it is the last, barely stopping to refuel before we start the next race.
We must allow God to fill us first. In this way, we give to others from our overflow, rather than from the grace that is meant to sustain us through the day.
As a life coach, I feel it is beneficial for you to take a few min-
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Good is not always God
utes and identify where you are right now and where you need and want to go:
How satisfied are you with the time and energy that you invest in each of the areas listed on the chart below?

 

Use a pencil to rate each area of your life on a scale from 1-7, with 7 be- ing the highest.

 

Draw a line connecting your ‘score’ in each section to the next one, working your way through all eight areas. This will reveal your current state of balance. (Please feel free to change the headings if there are others more applicable to you.)
You can return to this exercise later and modify your wheel as you begin to implement a Sabbath.

 

As you experience regular rest in the Lord, expect your results to change.
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God Took a Day Off, Why Can’t I?
As I take a regular Sabbath, areas of my life are going through a transforma- tion, and I’m not seeing the kinds of problems I feared in taking a regular day off.

 

BONUS: There are two additional wheels in the back of the book as a gift to you. You can chart yourself, either now or later; include where you wish you were or even how your time is being invested once you incorporate a regular Sabbath.

A Heart Like His – Review

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A Heart Like His by Beth Moore has just been updated and re-released. This new edition also features an excerpt from Moore’s David: Seeking a Heart Like His Bible study.

 

From the back cover:

Many of those whose lives and stories were captured in the Bible had deep relationships with God. Yet, it was one man in particular, King David, who Scripture identified as  “a man after God’s own Heart.” In this in-depth biblical biography, Beth Moore takes you on an intimate journey through David’s remarkable life.

From shepherd, to refugee, to king of Israel, David exhibited the purest virtues and the most heinous sinfulness. But through it all, his relationship with God continued to grow. A heart Like His looks at this bond of mutual love and admiration from today’s perspective, drawing insight and understanding that will help you to experience a growing relationship with God despite your circumstances – just as David Di.

Journey with Beth into the life of David and discover how to love and serve God more fully, understanding more about your own unique place in His heart.

 

I have done a couple of Bible Studies by Beth Moore at our church. I have enjoyed and learned from them all. I haven’t done the David study, yet. After reading A Heart Like His, I’m going to check into being able to do it. I really like Beth Moores speaking and writing style. She talks to you like a great friend, instead of a teacher. I love that this book as Review Questions for each chapter in the back of the book.

Beth takes us on a journey in this book to learn more about David. She starts with David’s “back story”. The people leading up to David. We start with Eli, Hannah, and the story of Samuel. We follow Samuel, Saul, and Jonathon as we follow David’s story. And continuing on until Solomon becomes king. The good, the bad and the ugly. Because we all have those three things in our lives, we can relate to David.

By examining David’s story and relationship with God, we learn more about ourselves and our relationship with God. So we can have a heart like His!

 

 

A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David is now available at bookstores and online.

 


*This post contains an affiliate link. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.

Garden of Madness – Review

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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

 

 

and the book:

 

Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)

***Special thanks to Ruthie Dean of Thomas Nelson for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracy started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. After earning a B.A. in English Literature at Rowan University, she spent ten years writing drama presentations for church ministry before beginning to write fiction. A lifelong interest in history and mythology has led Tracy to extensive research into ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and Persia, and shaped her desire to shine the light of the gospel into the cultures of the past.

She has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures.
Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The Untold Story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s Daughter.

For seven years the Babylonian princess Tiamat has waited for the mad king Nebuchadnezzar to return to his family and to his kingdom. Driven from his throne to live as a beast, he prowls his luxurious Hanging Gardens, secreted away from the world.

Since her treaty marriage at a young age, Tia has lived an opulent but oppressive life in the palace. But her husband has since died and she relishes her newfound independence. When a nobleman is found murdered in the palace, Tia must discover who is responsible for the macabre death, even if her own is freedom threatened.

As the queen plans to wed Tia to yet another prince, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family’s secret and set his own man on the throne. Tia enlists the help of a reluctant Jewish captive, her late husband’s brother Pedaiah, who challenges her notions of the gods even as he opens her heart to both truth and love.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99

Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 140168680X

ISBN-13: 978-1401686802

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

 

Prologue

 

Babylon, 570 BC

 

My name is Nebuchadnezzar. Let the nations hear it!
I am ruler of Babylon, greatest empire on earth. Here in its capital city, I am like a god.
Tonight, as the sun falls to its death in the western desert, I walk along the balconies I have built, overlooking the city I have built, and know there is none like me.
I inhale the twilight air and catch the scent of a dozen sacrifices. Across the city, the smoke and flames lift from Etemenanki, the House of the Platform of Heaven and Earth. The priests sacrifice tonight in honor of Tiamat, for tomorrow she will be wed. Though I have questioned the wisdom of a marriage with the captive Judaeans, tomorrow will not be a day for questions. It will be a day of celebration, such as befits a princess.
Tiamat comes to me now on the balcony, those dark eyes wide with entreaty. “Please, Father.”
I encircle her shoulders in a warm embrace and turn her to the city.
“There, Tia. There is our glorious Babylon. Do you not wish to serve her?”
She leans her head against my chest, her voice thick. “Yes, of course. But I do not wish to marry.”
I pat her shoulder, kiss the top of her head. My sweet Tia. Who would have foretold that she would become such a part me?
“Have no fear, dear one. Nothing shall change. Husband or not, I shall always love you. Always protect you.”
She clutches me, a desperate grip around my waist.
I release her arms and look into her eyes. “Go now. Your mother will be searching for you. Tomorrow will be a grand day, for you are the daughter of the greatest king Babylon has ever seen.”
I use my thumb to rub a tear from her eye, give her a gentle push, and she is gone with a last look of grief that breaks my heart.
The greatest king Babylon has ever seen. The words echo like raindrops plunking on stones. I try to ignore a tickling at the back of my thoughts. Something Belteshazzar told me, many months ago. A dream.
I shake my head, willing my mind to be free of the memory. My longtime Jewish advisor, part of my kingdom since we were both youths, often troubles me with his advice. I keep him close because he has become a friend. I keep him close because he is too often right.
But I do not want to think of Belteshazzar. Tonight is for me alone. For my pleasure, as I gaze across all that I have built, all that I have accomplished. This great Babylon, this royal residence with its Gardens to rival those created by the gods. Built by my mighty power. For the glory of my majesty. I grip the balcony wall, inhale the smoky sweetness again, and smile. It is good.
I hear a voice and think perhaps Belteshazzar has found me after all, for the words sound like something he would say, and yet the voice . . . The voice is of another.
“There is a decree gone out for you, Nebuchadnezzar. Your kingship has been stripped from you.”
I turn to the traitorous words, but no one is there. And yet the voice continues, rumbling in my own chest, echoing in my head.
“You will be driven from men to dwell with beasts. You will eat the herbs of oxen and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men. To whom He wills power, He gives power.”
The tickling is there again, in my mind. I roll my shoulders to ease the discomfort, but it grows. It grows to a scratching, a clawing at the inside of my head, until I fear I shall bleed within.
The fear swells in me and I am frantic now. I rub my eyes, swat my ears, and still the scratching and scraping goes on, digging away at my memories, at my sense of self, of who I am and what I have done, and I stare at the sky above and the stones below and bend my waist and fall upon the ground where it is better, better to be on the ground, and I want only to find food, food, food. And a two-legged one comes and makes noises with her mouth and clutches at me but I understand none of it and even this knowledge that I do not understand is slipping, slipping from me as the sun slips into the desert.
And in the darkness, I am no more.

Chapter 1

 

Seven years later

 

The night her husband died, Tia ran with abandon.
The city wall, wide enough for chariots to race upon its baked bricks, absorbed the slap of her bare feet and cooled her skin. She flew past the Ishtar Gate as though chased by demons, knowing the night guard in his stone tower would be watching. Leering. Tia ignored his attention.
Tonight, this night, she wanted only to run.
A lone trickle of sweat chased down her backbone. The desert chill soaked into her bones and somewhere in the vast sands beyond the city walls, a jackal shrieked over its kill. Her exhalation clouded the air and the quiet huffs of her breath kept time with her feet.
Breathe, slap, slap, slap.
They would be waiting. Expecting her. A tremor disturbed her rhythm. Her tears for Shealtiel were long spent, stolen by the desert air before they fell.
Flames surged from the Tower and snagged her attention. Priests and their nightly sacrifices, promising to ensure the health of the city. For all of Babylon’s riches, the districts encircled by the double city walls smelled of poverty, disease, and hopelessness. But the palace was an oasis in a desert.
She would not run the entire three bêru around the city. Not tonight. Only to the Marduk Gate and back to the Southern Palace, where her mother would be glaring her displeasure at both her absence and her choice of pastime. Tia had spent long days at Shealtiel’s bedside, waiting for the end. Could her mother not wait an hour?
Too soon, the Marduk Gate loomed and Tia slowed. The guard leaned over the waist-high crenellation, thrust a torch above his head, and hailed the trespasser.
“Only Tiamat.” She panted and lifted a hand. “Running.”
He shrugged and shook his head, then turned back to his post, as though a princess running the city wall at night in the trousers of a Persian were a curiosity, nothing more. Perhaps he’d already seen her run. More likely, her reputation ran ahead of her. The night hid her flush of shame.
But she could delay no longer. The guilt had solidified, a stone in her belly she could not ignore.
She pivoted, sucked in a deep breath, and shot forward, legs and arms pounding for home.
Home. Do I still call it such? When all that was precious had been taken? Married at fourteen. A widow by twenty-one. And every year a lie.
“I shall always love you, always protect you.”
He had spoken the words on the night he had been lost to her. And where was love? Where was protection? Not with Shealtiel.
The night sky deepened above her head, and a crescent moon hung crooked against the blackness. Sataran and Aya rose in the east, overlapping in false union.
“The brightest light in your lifetime’s sky,” an elderly mage had said of the merged stars. The scholar’s lessons on the workings of the cosmos interested her, and she paid attention. As a princess already married for treaty, she was fortunate to retain tutors.
Ahead, the Ishtar Gate’s blue-glazed mosaics, splashed with yellow lions, surged against the purpling sky, and to its left, the false wooded mountain built atop the palace for her mother, Amytis, equaled its height. Tia chose the east wall of the gate for a focal point and ignored the Gardens. Tonight the palace had already seen death. She needn’t also dwell on madness.
Breathe, slap, slap, slap. Chest on fire, almost there.
She reached the palace’s northeast corner, where it nearly brushed the city wall, slowed to a stop, and bent at the waist. Hands braced against her knees, she sucked in cold air. Her heartbeat quieted.
When she turned back toward the palace, she saw what her mother had done.
A distance of one kanû separated the wide inner city wall from the lip of the palace roof, slightly lower. Tia kept a length of cedar wood there on the roof, a plank narrow enough to discourage most, and braced it across the chasm for her nightly runs. When she returned, she would pull it back to the roof, where anyone who might venture past the guards on the wall would not gain access. Only during her run did this plank bridge the gap, awaiting her return.
Amytis had removed it.
Something like heat lightning snapped across Tia’s vision and left a bitter, metallic taste in her mouth. Her mother thought to teach her a lesson. Punish her for her manifold breaches of etiquette by forcing her to take the long way down, humiliate herself to the sentinel guard.
She would not succeed.
With a practiced eye, Tia measured the distance from the ledge to the palace roof. She would have the advantage of going from a higher to a lower level. A controlled fall, really. Nothing more.
But she made the mistake of looking over, to the street level far below. Her senses spun and she gripped the wall.
She scrambled onto the ledge, wide enough to take the stance needed for a long jump, and bent into position, one leg extended behind. The palace rooftop garden held only a small temple in its center, lit with three torches. Nothing to break her fall, or her legs, when she hit. She counted, steadying mind and body.
The wind caught her hair, loosened during her run, and blew it across her eyes. She flicked her head to sweep it away, rocked twice on the balls of her feet, and leaped.
The night air whooshed against her ears, and her legs cycled through the void as though she ran on air itself. The flimsy trousers whipped against her skin, and for one exhilarating moment Tia flew like an egret wheeling above the city and knew sweet freedom.
This was how it should always be. My life. My choice. I alone control my destiny.
She hit the stone roof grinning like a trick monkey, and it took five running steps to capture her balance.
Glorious.
Across the rooftop, a whisper of white fluttered. A swish of silk and a pinched expression disappeared through the opening to the stairs. Amytis had been waiting to see her stranded on the city wall and Tia had soured her pleasure. The moment of victory faded, and Tia straightened her hair, smoothed her clothing.
“Your skill is improving.” The eerie voice drifted to Tia across the dark roof and she flinched. A chill rippled through her skin.
Shadir stood at the far end of the roof wall, where the platform ended and the palace wall rose higher to support the Gardens. His attention was pinned to the stars, and a scroll lay on the ledge before him, weighted with amulets.
“You startled me, Shadir. Lurking there in the shadows.”
The mage turned, slid his gaze the length of her in sharp appraisal. “It would seem I am not the only one who prefers the night.”
Long ago, Shadir had been one of her father’s chief advisors. Before—before the day of which they never spoke. Since that monstrous day, he held amorphous power over court and kingdom, power that few questioned and even fewer defied. His oiled hair hung in tight curls to his shoulders and the full beard and mustache concealed too much of his face, leaving hollow eyes that seemed to follow even when he did not turn his head.
Tia shifted on her feet and eyed the door. “It is cooler to run at night.”
The mage held himself unnaturally still. Did he even breathe?
As a child, Tia had believed Shadir could scan her thoughts like the night sky and read her secrets. Little relief had come with age. Another shudder ran its cold finger down her back.
Tia lowered her chin, all the obeisance she would give, and escaped the rooftop. Behind her, he spoke in a tone more hiss than speech. “The night holds many dangers.”
She shook off the unpleasant encounter. Better to ready herself for the unpleasantness she yet faced tonight.
Her husband’s family would have arrived by this time, but sweating like a soldier and dressed like a Persian, she was in no state to make an appearance in the death chamber. Instead, she went to her own rooms, where her two slave women, Omarsa and Gula, sat vigil as though they were the grieving widows. They both jumped when Tia entered and busied themselves with lighting more oil lamps and fetching bathwater.
In spite of her marriage to the eldest son of the captive Judaean king, Tia’s chambers were her own. She had gone to Shealtiel when it was required, and only then. The other nights she spent here among her own possessions—silk fabrics purchased from merchants who traveled east of Babylon, copper bowls hammered smooth by city jewelers, golden statues of the gods, rare carved woods from fertile lands in the west. A room of luxury. One that Shealtiel disdained and she adored. She was born a Babylonian princess. Let him have his austerity, his righteous self-denial. It had done him little good.
One of her women stripped her trousers, then unwound the damp sash that bound her lean upper body. Tia stood in the center of the bath chamber, its slight floor depression poked with drainage holes under her feet, and tried to be still as they doused her with tepid water and scrubbed with a scented paste of plant ash and animal fat until her skin stung.
When they had dressed her appropriately, her ladies escorted her through the palace corridors to the chamber where her husband of nearly seven years lay cold.
Seven years since she lost herself and her father on the same day. Neither of them had met death, but all the same, they were lost. Seven years of emptiness where shelter had been, of longing instead of love.
But much had ended today—Shealtiel’s long illness and Tia’s long imprisonment.
She paused outside the chamber door. Could she harden herself for the inevitable? The wails of women’s laments drifted under the door and wrapped around her heart, squeezing pity from her. A wave of sorrow, for the evil that took those who are loved, tightened her throat. But her grief was more for his family than herself. He had been harsh and unloving and narrow-minded, and now she was free. Tia would enter, give the family her respect, and escape to peace.
She nodded to one of her women, and Gula tapped the door twice and pushed it open.
Shealtiel’s body lay across a pallet, skin already graying. The chamber smelled of death and frankincense. Three women attended her husband—Shealtiel’s sister, his mother, and Tia’s own. His mother, Marta, sat in a chair close to the body. Her mourning clothes, donned over her large frame, were ashy and torn. She lifted her head briefly, saw that it was only Tia, and returned to her keening. Her shoulders rocked and her hands clutched at a knot of clothing, perhaps belonging to Shealtiel. His sister, Rachel, stood against the wall and gave her a shy smile, a smile that melded sorrow and admiration. She was younger than Tia by five years, still unmarried, a sweet girl.
“Good of you to join us, Tia.” Her mother’s eyes slitted and traveled the length of Tia’s robes. Tia expected some comment about her earlier dress, but Amytis held her tongue.
“I was . . . detained.” Their gazes clashed over Shealtiel’s body and Tia challenged her with a silent smile. The tension held for a moment, then Tia bent her head.
She was exquisite, Amytis. No amount of resentment on Tia’s part could blind her to this truth. Though Amytis had made it clear that Tia’s sisters held her affections, and though Tia had long ago given up calling her Mother in her heart, she could not deny that her charms still held sway in Babylon. From old men to children, Amytis was adored. Her lustrous hair fell to her waist, still black though she was nearly fifty, and her obsidian eyes over marble cheekbones were a favorite of the city’s best sculptors. Some said Tia favored her, but if she did, the likeness did nothing to stir a motherly affection.
Tia went to Shealtiel’s mother and whispered over her, “May the gods show kindness to you today, Marta. It is a difficult day for us all.” The woman’s grief broke Tia’s heart, and she placed a hand on Marta’s wide shoulder to share in it.
Marta sniffed and pulled away. “Do not call upon your false gods for me, girl.”
Amytis sucked in a breath, her lips taut.
Tia’s jaw tightened. “He was a good man, Marta. He will be missed.” Both of these statements Tia made without falsehood. Shealtiel was the most pious man she had ever known, fully committed to following the exacting requirements of his God.
Marta seemed to soften. She reached a plump hand to pat Tia’s own, still on her shoulder. “But how could the Holy One have taken him before he saw any children born?”
Tia stiffened and brought her hand to her side, forcing the fingers to relax. Marta rocked and moaned on, muttering about Tia’s inhospitable womb. Tia dared not point out that perhaps her son was to blame.
“But there is still a chance.” Marta looked to Amytis, then to Tia. “It is our way. When the husband dies without an heir, his brother—”
“No.”
The single word came from both her mother’s and her own lips as one. Marta blinked and looked between them.
“It is our way.” Marta glanced at Rachel against the wall, as though seeking an ally. “My second son Pedaiah is unmarried yet. Perhaps Tia could still bear a son for Shealtiel—”
“You have had your treaty marriage with Babylon.” Amytis drew herself up, accentuating her lean height. “There will not be another.”
Tia remained silent. Her mother and she, in agreement? Had Amytis watched her languish these seven years and regretted flinging her like day-old meat to the Judaean dogs? Did she also hope for a life with more purpose for Tia now that she had been released? Tia lifted a smile, ever hopeful that Amytis’s heart had somehow softened toward her youngest daughter.
“Jeconiah shall hear of your refusal!” Marta stood, her chin puckering.
Amytis huffed. “Take the news to your imprisoned husband, then. I shall not wait for his retribution.” She seemed to sense the unfairness of the moment and regret her calloused words. “Come, Tia. Let us leave these women to grieve.” She meant it kindly but it was yet another insult, the implication that Tia need not remain for any personal grief.
Tia followed Amytis from the chamber into the hall, her strong perfume trailing. Amytis spun on her, and her heavy red robe whirled and settled. Her nostrils flared and she spoke through clenched teeth.
“By all the gods, Tiamat! For how long will you make our family a mockery?”

 

 

 

My Review:

 

The Garden of Madness is a Christian, Historical, Fiction book. The characters are a combination of history and fiction. So you will recognize a lot of names in it. I love the fact that there is an Author’s Note section in the back as well as The Story Behind the Story….and Beyond. In these two sections, the author shares about her research in writing the book. When I read a historical fiction book, I like to learn more about the history.

I found the story line in The Garden of Madness fascinating. I did not want to put it down. I loved following Tia as show took care of her father and attempted to make her mother happy. After her husband died, a man her mother choose, she is being forced to marry again right away. To another man her mother chose. She also has to deal with her brother in law, even though she has never gotten along with him. He is, however,  instrumental in leading Tia to Yahweh. There are dark and sinister plots against Tia and her family. Tia must decide how much she is willing to risk to save her family and the kingdom.

Be sure to read Chapter One above!

 


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