HARVEST OF RUBIES by Tessa Afshar

This is the second book I have read by Tessa Afshar and she is becoming one of my favorite authors.  Her stories so far are written during biblical times and seem very real and plausible.  The characters have struggles and conflicts that touch your heart and the author does a good job of bringing forth biblical truth as she writes.

This story is about Sarah, a Jewish girl who can read and write Persian during the reign of King Artaxerxes, which was not common for a girl during this time..  Her cousin is Nehemiah, the king's cupbearer and her father is Simeon a scribe.  Sarah finds herself being sent to work for the Queen, Damaspia, as her senior scribe at the age of 20.  Life seems good to Sarah as she works at doing her best to please the Queen.  But to show her gratitude for a job well done the Queen arranges a marriage between Sarah and Darius, an official who works under the King.  Sarah has no desire to marry and does nothing to prepare for her wedding, so when she arrives at the wedding feast she finds herself causing shame to her new husband and to the royal family and her own family.  Darius takes her to his home, but wants nothing to do with her.  Now Sarah must learn how to gain her husband's trust and love.  It is a long journey for them both, but well worth the time as you watch each of them grow in their marriage closer to one another.  Sarah must learn to seek her worth in the Lord and not in anyone else.  As she does she will find she can face anything and become the person that will draw her husband to her.

I continue to appreciate this author's style of writing and also enjoy reading about life during Bible times.  I look forward to reading more by this author and I know she is writing a sequel to "Harvest of Rubies" because she had a sneak peek at the back of this book called "Harvest of Gold".   I  highly recommend her books to read and enjoy and fall in love with her characters.
Pages: 342
Year: 2012
Publisher: Moody Publisher
ISBN: 0802405584