The Scarlet Cord by Joan Wolf

The Scarlet Cord

By: Joan Wolf

BOOK BLURB
Within one of the Old Testament’s most famous battles lies one of its most tender love stories.
Hidden within the battle of Jericho is the story of Rahab, a beautiful and brave young Canaanite woman who aided the Israelites by hanging a piece of scarlet cord from a window. This act of faith changed her life by placing her in the genealogy of Christ.
Rahab is the beautiful youngest daughter of a Canaanite farmer, taken to Jericho for the pagan New Year celebration so that her father can find her a wealthy spouse. Sala is the only son of an Israelite merchant, in Jericho as a spy for Joshua’s army. Their love would have been destined for heartache, were it not ordained by God.
When Rahab finds favor with the king, and is to become his ritual bride, she abandons the pagan gods who have abandoned her and pleads with the One True God of the Israelites for deliverance. With her prayer answered, she vows to deliver Jericho to Joshua, risking her life to do so.
Motivated by love and empowered by a new faith, Rahab saves her family, and secures her future as one of the most important women in the Bible.



MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

When reading and reviewing a fiction book written about a Biblical characters, my first thing to say about it is that it is fiction, and though the events may line up with what the Bible says about the character, it is still a fiction story.

Having said that, I love reading fiction about Bible characters. I like to wonder just how a characters really lived back in Bible times, and it was enjoyable and  fun reading Rahabs story in ”The Scarlet Cord.” Joan Wolf creates a historical story and what, in her imagination Rahab’s life was like. And I thoroughly enjoyed the characters brought to life, the historical facts, about Rahab’s family, and especially what God did in her life. Sometimes more emphasis is put on her being a harlot and not enough on how God saved her and changed her life completely. I appreciate a book like this to remind me of God’s love and redemption, and His Saving Grace.

If you like books with a historical setting, you will enjoy this book, and if you like books that are just good, clean, fun and enjoyable to read, then I highly encourage you to grab a copy of Joan Wolf’s new book and see for yourself what it is like.

I received this book free from Booksneeze.com blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 55.

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The Chamomile by Susan F. Craft

The Chamomile

By Susan F. Craft

• Paperback:252 pages
• Publisher:Ingalls Publishing Group, Inc (February 26, 2011)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:1932158944
• ISBN-13:978-1932158946
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

BOOK BLURB

Lilyan joins Patriot spies in British-occupied Charlestown, SC, to rescue her
brother from a notorious prison ship. She’ll lie, steal, kill or be killed she
promises Nicholas Xanthakos, a scout with Francis Marion’s partisans, who leads
the mission. In Nicholas’ arms she discovers enduring love…a home. But that
home is a long time coming. Her journey requires she save the life of one
British officer but kill another to protect her Cherokee friend Elizabeth. In
escaping bounty hunters, she treks miles of wilderness and very nearly loses
everything before finally reuniting with her true love.

Where to purchase this book

Amazon Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

Susan Craft has crafted an intriguing story with the historical setting in 18^th century South Carolina. I thoroughly enjoyed the history part of this book, and clearly the author does her job in researching the events and places she writes about.
Lilyan was a determined young lady that promises Nicolas Xanthakos she would do anything, including taking a life, if it meant rescuing her brother from the prison ship he was on. And as we follow her journey, Lilyan finds herself in difficult circumstances that she never dreamed of being in, in order to protect someone she loved. I liked Lilyan’s feisty attitude, never shying away from anything, because she loved her brother. This is what keeps Susan’s readers turning the pages of this wonderful book. The characters are unique, real, and believable, weaving their way into our hearts as we read their story.
And of course there has to be some romance to the story, so as Nicolas and Lilyan spend time together, their attraction begins to grow stronger and stronger. Each time Nicolas is called away, they both dread their time away from each other. But can they really find true love, and a happy marriage in the mist of the horrible things going on around them? The mystery and suspense involved in “The Chamomile” will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
Are you a history buff? Then this book is a must for you. This is a very interesting and intriguing historical lesson. You will not be disappointed in this wonderful book by Susan Craft. Go grab a copy to read and enjoy for yourself.
A copy of this book was given to me by the author to read and review. I was not required or expected to write a positive review. The opinions in this review here are mine only.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan F. Craft

I have a degree in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. In 2001, I retired from a 30-year career as a writer for public television and as a communications assistant director with the SC Department of Mental Health.
I authored two books published by that agency: Puzzles, Pictures and Paper Airplanes; What We Do When Our Parents Get Sick and Reporting on Mental Illness Fairly, Objectively, Sensitively: A Guide for Journalism and Mass Communications Students in South Carolina. Both books won the SC State Library Association’s “Most Notable State Document Award.”
Mental health clinicians and elementary school counselors throughout the US have used the first book as a tool to comfort children whose parents have a mental illness. The second is a textbook/resource used by teams of mental health professionals and mental health patients and their families who visit college-level journalism and mass communications classes throughout South Carolina.
I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Carolina Christian Writers, South Carolina Writers Workshop, The Historical Novel Society, and Crown publishing group.
I am also a member of The Inkplots, a writers’ critique group that has helped me hone my craft. My short stories have been published in three of the group’s collections, Buck-Naked Unitarians, Naughty and Nice, and Black and Blue.
My Civil War novel, A Perfect Tempest was published by iUniverse in 2006 and is available through barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, and booksamillion.com.
I recently completed an American Revolutionary War inspirational historical romance, The Chamomile, and I’m polishing the final draft of a contemporary inspirational fiction, Promises Kept. I have begun researching for a sequel to The Chamomile.
I wrote A Writer’s Guide to Horses, which is available on the website of the Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation, www.lrgaf.org. The Long Riders’ Guild is an international group of people who, in order to be a member, must have ridden horseback on a journey of 1,000 miles or more. The Guide was written to give authors comprehensive, accurate information about horses.
I cannot remember a time when I did not want to write. Somewhere in my attic I still have a book, The Mystery of the Whistling Cave, which I wrote and bound myself when I was eight and enthralled with Nancy Drew.
Reach Out Columbia Magazine article
Article in the Columbia Star Newspaper