Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley from B&H Publishing. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise; however, I would like to state that I was very pleased with the writing and the story line. It’s always interesting to consider the lives of the early Christians and how the church survived despite intense persecution.

The story centers on a Roman man running from God’s call and a Syrian woman, desperate to escape an abusive relationship with a con man and find a place for her son to belong. Their separate paths lead them both to Petra, the magnificent stone city that is oppressed by spiritual darkness.

When Cassia discovers that her son is heir to the throne of Petra, she believes that her search for belonging is over. However, her heartache is just beginning. Ripped from her son, she discovers the love and acceptance of the Christian church, who rallies around her and plots her son’s rescue.

Julian, after witnessing his friends devoured by lions as persecution for their faith, flees Rome and tries to escape God’s call on his life to be a leader. But God pursues him in Petra, and soon Julian must face his past and his future.

Julian and Cassia’s paths converge as they strive to save her son and fight the overwhelming darkness that overshadows the city. They must find their strength in God or continue to fail in their endeavors.

Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin from AMG Publishers. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise.

If you’re looking for an allegory somewhat along the lines of Pilgrim’s Progess, I would highly recommend this book. Joran is Everyman, hoping to fit in and live out a simple existence working as a blacksmith, surrounded by family. But with the disappearance of his wife, he must venture into the unknown and face despair and defeat before he can rescue his wife and return a whole man.

Joran’s unique ability to talk to animals has always set him apart, but now it may just save his life. On one of the first days of his journey, he rescues a wolf caught in a trap. The wolf befriends and counsels him, and shadows him throughout his journey.

I thought C.S. Lakin wove a fascinating fairy tale and am looking forward to reading more from this series, The Gates of Heaven.

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar is a worthy read!

If you’ve ever wondered why God allowed Rahab the prostitute to be part of the Messianic family tree, I would highly recommend reading Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar. It was well-written and thought-provoking. The foreward by the author is worth reading, too; she is humble enough to recognized that her work is just fiction, but does explain her reasons for hypothesizing about Rahab’s character and actions. I really appreciated her insight and research into the life of Rahab.

Forced into a life a prostitution by her father at the age of 15 to save her family, Rahab strives to retain some self-respect in a degrading profession. She carves a niche for herself and her family in Jericho’s social structure, which seems secure until the city is rocked by stories of the advancing Hebrews, protected by a God who controls both land and sea. Rahab chooses to believe in this new God and align herself with the Hebrews with a faith which awes the Hebrews, all except one skeptical warrior named Salmone. Repulsed by Rahab’s past yet attracted to her faith and character, Salmone struggles to

keep Rahab out of his heart and life. But God has bigger plans for them, if only Rahab and Salmone can learn to trust Him and let go of the past.

Only a few mistakes discovered and not too distracting. On page 214 there is an errant quotation mark before his and on page 217 heals should be heels. If is placed on a line by itself on page 218 and an end quote is missing in one of Joshua’s dialogues on page 238. On page 303, of should be if. That’s it. Hopefully these mistakes will be cleaned up when the book is printed.

Overall, an excellent read!