Blog Tour Spotlight: Song of Songs by Marc Graham

Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba

by Marc Graham

Publication Date: April 16, 2019

Blank Slate Press

Paperback; 400 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings. 

When Makeda, the slave-born daughter of the chieftain of Saba, comes of age, she wins her freedom and inherits her father's titles along with a crumbling earthwork dam that threatens her people's survival. When she learns of a great stone temple being built in a land far to the north, Makeda leads a caravan to the capital of Yisrael to learn how to build a permanent dam and secure her people's prosperity. 

On her arrival, Makeda discovers that her half-sister Bilkis (also known as Bathsheba) who was thought to have died in a long-ago flash flood, not only survived, but has become Queen of Yisrael. Not content with her own wealth, Bilkis intends to claim the riches of Saba for herself by forcing Makeda to marry her son. But Bilkis’s designs are threatened by the growing attraction between Makeda and Yetzer abi-Huram, master builder of Urusalim’s famed temple. Will Bilkis’s plan succeed or will Makeda and Yetzer outsmart her and find happiness far from her plots and intrigue?

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About the Author

Marc Graham studied mechanical engineering at Rice University in Texas, but has been writing since his first attempt at science fiction penned when he was ten. From there, he graduated to knock-off political thrillers, all safely locked away to protect the public, before settling on historical fiction. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, was published in March 2017.

He has won numerous writing contests including, the National Writers Association Manuscript Contest (Of Ashes and Dust), the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest - Historical (Of Ashes and Dust, Song of Songs), and the Colorado Gold Writing Contest - Mainstream (Prince of the West, coming from Blank Slate Press in Fall 2019).

He lives in Colorado on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and in addition to writing, he is an actor, narrator, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whisky aficionado (Macallan 18, one ice cube). When not on stage or studio, in a pub, or bound to his computer, he can be found hiking with his wife and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.

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Q&A with Sarit Yishai-Levi, Author of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem

Please join me in welcoming author Sarit Yishai-Levi to Let Them Read Books! Sarit is touring the blogosphere with her debut novel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and she's here today answering a few questions about her book and what inspires her. Read on and enter to win a copy of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem!

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a dazzling novel of mothers and daughters, stories told and untold, and the ties that bind four generations of women.

Gabriela's mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there's more to her mother than painted nails and lips.

Desperate to understand their relationship, Gabriela pieces together the stories of her family's previous generations—from Great-Grandmother Mercada the renowned healer, to Grandma Rosa who cleaned houses for the English, to Luna who had the nicest legs in Jerusalem. But as she uncovers shocking secrets, forbidden romances, and the family curse that links the women together, Gabriela must face a past and present far more complex than she ever imagined.

Set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, the dark days of World War II, and the swinging '70s, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change. With great humor and heart, Sarit Yishai-Levi has given us a powerful story of love and forgiveness—and the unexpected and enchanting places we find each.

Hi Sarit! Thanks for being here today!

What is your inspiration behind The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem? How did you come up with the novel's title?

This may sound strange, but the inspiration for The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem came from within me. I did not set out to write an epic novel, but having started, it felt like someone was sitting at my shoulder, whispering in my ear and leading me through the story, through its twists and turns. That experience had been my life for the 6.5 years it took me to write this book.

I don’t remember exactly when I picked the title The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, but when the character Rosa mockingly calls her daughter Luna “the beauty queen of Jerusalem,” I knew instantly that this should be the book’s title. My Israeli editor wasn’t very happy with the title, but I insisted.

Book Blast! Banished by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Banished (Forbidden #2)

by Kimberley Griffiths Little 

Publication Date: February 2, 2016

HarperCollins Hardcover & Ebook; 416 Pages

Series: Forbidden, Book #2

Genre: YA/Historical/Romance

She thought she’d lost everything . . .

After spending months traveling the harsh, unforgiving Mesopotamian desert, Jayden reunites with a broken, injured Kadesh. Although everyone was convinced the violent and unpredictable Horeb, Jayden’s betrothed, killed the handsome prince, Jayden knew in her heart that her love was alive and safe. But their reunion is short-lived, as they learn Horeb is on their trail and determined to take back the girl he has claimed. Soon, the two star-crossed lovers are on the run toward Sariba, Kadesh’s homeland, where, as heir to the Kingdom, he plans to make Jayden his princess.

But the trek to Sariba is fraught with heartache and danger. After narrowly escaping being stoned to death for a crime she didn’t commit, and learning that her sister has disappeared, Jayden’s only solace is her love for Kadesh. But even he is keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that will change everything.

This gorgeous and enchanting sequel to Forbidden, is full of love, danger, and heated passion that will leave readers breathless.

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Spotlight ~ Zenobia: Challenging a Legend by Russ Wallace

Zenobia - Challenging a Legend

(Zenobia Book Series, Book Two)

by Russ Wallace

Publication Date: November 14, 2015

Geode Press LLC

Hardcover; 512 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction/Action

& Adventure/Young Adult

After winning the famous Alexandria horse race, Zenobia, a young Syrian warrior and an aspiring scholar, assumes her life will return to normal. Wrong! A tumultuous romance develops with her instructor, widely considered the most brilliant academic on earth.

Unknown to her, an enemy plans to kidnap Zenobia for his harem. The hired mercenaries never suspect their intended victim is a deadly warrior. The attack is thwarted, but the Syrians are alerted to a slave trade in young girls.

Meanwhile, a Nubian princess has been captured by the slavers. She struggles to survive in the dangerous situation while she seeks a way to escape. Can she succeed?

Zenobia’s impetuous nature continues to impel her to take unwise risks, both in class and on a hunting trip. When a second kidnap attempt on her fails, the last attacker escapes. She decides to run him down to save her family. Thus begins an epic chase on horseback across the desert in the dead of night. It culminates in a shocking revelation that threatens her very future.

Circumstances now force Zenobia into roles for which she is untrained. As she meets the challenges, she begins to unleash her strategic genius, which will one day raise her to the pinnacle of her world.

“Book two in the Zenobia book series has it all …the book is full of adventure with kidnappings, hunting, fighting, revenge, chases, escapes, and piracy. Zenobia learns a heart breaking truth about love and this will mold her into the women she is destine to become. This was an ARC…You'll want to put this book on your TBR list.” – Julie Martin Wallace

Quick Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

From the Back Cover:

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on Scheherazade and A Thousand and One Nights. Renee Ahdieh has crafted a gripping tale filled with great characters, luscious, transporting description, and plenty of angst and emotional turmoil. I'll admit to being a bit put off by King Khalid and his behavior in the beginning, but it's the mark of a good writer when the villain becomes the hero over the course of a story. And Shazi is a heroine worthy of admiration. She's tough, determined, and oh so clever. As if telling tales for her life each night isn't enough, she has to navigate a court filled with political intrigue. Betrayals, secrets, and surprise twists abound as she fights for her life and fights not to lose her heart to her greatest enemy.

My only issue with this gorgeous story is that I thought the foundation for the premise was a bit shaky; a big part of the tension in the story lies in Shazi's quest for answers as to why Khalid keeps taking wives only to kill them the following morning, and the big reveal about why the women had to die was rather anticlimactic. I'm thinking there must be more to it and we'll get it in the next book, which I am anxiously awaiting!

My Rating:  4 Stars out of 5

*Please Note: This review references an advance copy received from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program. These are my honest and unbiased opinions, and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.

Blog Tour Guest Post: The Holy Lance by Andrew Latham

Please join me in welcoming author Andrew Latham to Let Them Read Books! Andrew is touring the blogosphere with his brand new historical fiction release, The Holy Lance, Book One of the English Templars Series. He's here today with a guest post about military religious orders, and he's brought along a paperback copy of the book to pass along to one lucky reader (international!). Read on and enter for your chance to win!

The year is 1191. A daring counterattack against the Saracens’ last-ditch effort to relieve the besieged city of Acre has not only saved the Christian host from a fatal defeat; it has also brought the leader of that counterattack, English Templar Michael Fitz Alan, to the attention of King Richard the Lionheart.

In the days that follow, the king charges Fitz Alan with a life-or-death mission – to recover the Holy Lance, a long-lost religious relic widely believed to be responsible for the near-miraculous success of the First Crusade.

The ensuing quest leads Fitz Alan and a hand-picked band of Templars on a journey deep into enemy territory, where they battle Saracens, Assassins, hostile Christians and even a traitor within their own ranks as they seek to return the Holy Lance to Christian hands and thereby ensure the success of the crusade.

Killing as an Act of Love:

The Logic of the Military Religious Orders

by Andrew Latham

By the end of the 11th century, the Latin Church had evolved into a distinctive type of military power.  At the most basic level, of course, the Church had long been a feudal landholder and was thus able to wield armed force in the same way as other feudal lordships: either by summoning vassals to provide obligatory military service or by accepting payment in lieu of service and hiring paid troops.  But ecclesiastical landlords tended to raise fighting forces in this manner only when obliged to do so by their temporal feudal overlords – not to fight on behalf of the Church.  Beginning in the mid-11th century, however, the Latin Church began to develop its own distinctive instruments of military power.  In this post, I will briefly examine one of these – the military religious order.

Blog Tour Review: Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

From the Back Cover:

On the verge of a stilted life as an aristocrat's wife, Poppy Hammond does the only sensible thing—she flees the chapel in her wedding gown. Assisted by the handsome curate who calls himself Sebastian Cantrip, she spirits away to her estranged father's quiet country village, pursued by the family she left in uproar. But when the dust of her broken engagement settles and Sebastian disappears under mysterious circumstances, Poppy discovers there is more to her hero than it seems. 

With only her feisty lady's maid for company, Poppy secures employment and travels incognita—east across the seas, chasing a hunch and the whisper of clues. Danger abounds beneath the canopies of the silken city, and Poppy finds herself in the perilous sights of those who will stop at nothing to recover a fabled ancient treasure. Torn between allegiance to her kindly employer and a dashing, shadowy figure, Poppy will risk it all as she attempts to unravel a much larger plan—one that stretches to the very heart of the British government, and one that could endanger everything, and everyone, that she holds dear. 

My Thoughts:

I'm a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn, particularly of her Lady Julia Grey series, and her three latest stand-alone novels are taking readers to some exciting, exotic new locales for historical fiction. Night of a Thousand Stars starts off in London, shortly after the end of World War I, as we witness our intrepid heroine, Poppy, who, much to my delight, is the niece of my beloved Julia, climbing out of a window to flee a marriage she does not want just moments before it is to take place. She is aided by a seemingly humble church curate, Sebastian Cantrip, who volunteers his rather flashy sports car as her getaway ride and inadvertently finds himself in the middle of a melee when the bride's family and jilted groom track them down. Then, just as suddenly as he appeared, Sebastian disappears, leaving a trail of maddeningly curious clues for someone who was supposed to be a simple man of the church. Questioning what she wants out of life and convinced that an adventure is just what she needs--and that Sebastian is in need of rescuing and she is just the person to help--Poppy becomes obsessed with finding him. And thus begins her trek across the globe as traveling companion to an elderly soldier with his handsome valet and her stalwart maid in tow.