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Friday, June 17, 2011

Blog Tour: A Reluctant Queen

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity for providing a free review copy of this book. No other compensation was received for this review. The opinions contained herein are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

I've always loved the story of Queen Esther. I think most girls acquainted with the Biblical character do. After all, what's not to love? A Jewish girl captures a king's heart and is thrust into the position of queen. Her royal position, her faith, and her courage all combine to save God's people, the Jews, from an infamous plot to destroy them.

Since Esther has always been a heroine in my eyes, I was quite pleased to be given the opportunity to review A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf. As the author states at the end of the book, her story is based on the Biblical account of Queen Esther but does not strictly adhere to the familiar story.

While it can be difficult to keep a reader interested in a story with which they are already familiar, Mrs. Wolf had no difficulty in capturing my attention. I found A Reluctant Queen to be believable, tender, interesting, well-paced, and well-written. Although Mrs. Wolf does create a deeper, more loving relationship between the king and queen than is explicitly stated in the Bible, that adds to her story's charm.

I read the book in one sitting and then proceeded to re-read it four times in the course of the next two weeks. Yeah, I really liked it that much.

If you are offended if a Biblical story is retold with embellishments to the original version, you won't like this story. Otherwise, if you like clean novels with a blending of romance and intrigue, you'll enjoy A Reluctant Queen.

About the book: A Reluctant Queen is an inspiring re-imagining of the tale of Esther, a young Jewish woman thrust from a life of obscurity into a life of power, wealth, intrigue . . . and tender love.

See the story of Esther in an entirely new way-with all the political intrigue and tension you remember but told as a passionate and tender love story between a young man and woman. Misunderstood by many, King Xerxes was a powerful but lonely man. Esther's beauty caught the eye of the young king, but it was her spirit that captured his heart.

Imagine anew the story of Esther, one of our faith's great heroines, destined to play a key role in the history of Christianity. More here.

About Joan: Joan Wolf was born in New York City but has lived most of her adult life with her husband in Connecticut, where she raised two children and countless numbers of assorted animals. Joan is the author of numerous historical novels including The Road to Avalon which Publishers Weekly lauded as “historical fiction at its finest.”

For more about Joan and her other books, please visit www.joanwolf.com.

Blog tour: visit the blog tour at Litfuse Publicity to find out what other bloggers think about this book.

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Queen-Love-Story-Esther/dp/1595548769

About the giveaway and party:
To celebrate Joan Wolf’s debut Christian Fiction title, A Reluctant Queen, Joan and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away A Reluctant Queen prize package worth over $150!



One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen
* A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (for KINDLE)

To enter, just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the contest ends on June 20th. Winner will be announced on June 21st during Joan’s A Reluctant Queen Book Club Party on Facebook (details below)! Hope to see you there – bring your friends!


Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter


Join the fun on June 21st!

Joan will be wrapping up the blog tour and Kindle giveaway promotion during her A Reluctant Queen FACEBOOK party on her FB author page. During the party she'll announce the winner of the Kindle, host a book chat discussion, test your trivia skills (Is Esther's story in A Reluctant Queen fact or fiction?), and more. Don't miss this chance to meet the author and make some new friends!

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