Author: Tessa Afshar
Series: Harvest of Rubies #2
Age: Adult
Genres: Biblical Fiction
Publication Date: July 1, 2013
Publisher: River North
Source: Paperback
Purchase: Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle | Audible | Christian Book
Synopsis:
Sarah married Darius,and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage-Sarah has grown to love her husband. Sarah has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband's love still seems unattainable.
Although his mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother's people. Will the road filled with danger, conflict, and surprising memories, help Darius to see the hand of God at work in his life-and even in his marriage?
A hidden message, treachery, opposition, and a God-given success will lead to an unlikely bounty.My Rating:
This was a perfect follow-up to Harvest of Rubies! This gave me just as many emotions as the first book. It made me laugh, cry, get angry and feel so many beautiful things. As usual Tessa has such a way of seamlessly writing a story that makes the characters and their conversations feel real. I feel as if these are people that I'm standing among and conversing with them. You can tell that Tessa takes a great deal of time researching and studying the Word to craft and well written novel that packs a punch.
Sarah is still a funny, witty and resourceful woman. She is hardworking, loving, and can sometimes be taken as a manipulative person. I love seeing how her faith is further deepened in this book. She is now settled with God and though she learns new things about herself and her faith, she continues to grow in God and with him. Sarah was a phenomenal wife to Darius and dealt with a lot of backlash from him at times. She has such a strong heart. She never seems to hold back on her emotions and thoughts either. She's helpful, but constantly find herself in some type of trouble. Sarah is the example of a woman of valor in my opinion.
Darius is still a harsh, yet loving man. He still has a hard time being vulnerable and expressing his feelings to Sarah. He did upset me the first half of this book, but I must say learning more about him and his past helped me truly understand him. I loved seeing his macho side and towards the end with him being vulnerable. Darius plays the role of a tough guy, but he's really a broken and scared boy inside. This book was more so about Darius finding God for himself. Darius will forever have a part of my heart.
The romance between Darius and Sarah was a bit more intense this time around as they are now settled in their marriage and have new things coming about. There was still a strain on their marriage as Sarah was very open and Darius was closed off. The moments where Darius allowed himself to feel were short-lived, but amazing. As the story wrapped up the relationship seemed to blossom further.
Nehemiah is still as wise as ever. His words of wisdom and biblical knowledge always grip me and make me feel as if the Lord is speaking to me personally. Nehemiah took up half this story as he went back home to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. This is where the actual Bible comes into play with this book as his chapters focused on the book of Nehemiah. I loved seeing actual scripture made into a novel for this. Nehemiah is a strong, well-rounded man. He diffused a lot of tension, rebuilt the walls and made friendships with people. I enjoyed him as usual!
The assassination plot against Artaxerxes was insane. The mystery was insane in finding who was behind the plot. I enjoyed reading along and going through the journey. New characters like Lysander and Roxanne, the brothers and other officials made an appearance in this sequel. They all added to the story in some comical way and deepened the story line for both Darius and Sarah.
I truly loved this ending and the entire Harvest of Rubies duology as a whole. I love even more that at the end of the book in the final chapters Tessa always finds a way to include the title with an explanation of it. Having finally read five out of seven of her books, I am forever a fan! Only two more books to read from her.
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