Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar

I am convinced that Tessa Afshar is the "Sheherazade" of Biblical fiction.

If you are drawn to the heady, perfumed, intoxicating atmosphere of the Arabian Nights--the danger, intrigue, cloak and dagger, poisonous plots, and betrayals--prepare yourself for a foray into the Persian Empire circa 446 BC in Tessa Afshar's new book, Harvest of Gold.

Sarah is a young Jewish bride,  an ugly duckling turned lovely swan, married to her Persian Prince, Darius, whom she loves with all her heart. So much so that her faith in God is put on the back burner as she tries to earn his love.

Darius, an elite warrior and favored in the court of King Artaxerxes wants nothing to do with Sarah's God, though his own mother was also Jewish. He loves Sarah, but is reticent to give himself completely to her.

Sarah and Darius work well together, though-- picture, if you will, an Arabian Nights version of Nick and Nora Charles (of the Thin Man mysteries fame). Sarah's intelligence and quick powers of observation complement Darius' strong leadership and military ability. But there is an element that is missing in their marriage that is causing heartache and misunderstanding. Could it be trust?

Their love will be tested as they encounter obstacles that seem impossible and discouragement that settles in like the morning fog. This book is about love and longing, knowing and being known and risking ones life and sacred trust for the beloved.

Lofty goals? Yes! But, as the themes of Harvest of Gold indicate, it is the most "refined gold" that reveals our true hearts, and ultimately, our hearts desire.

Harvest of Gold follows Tessa Afshar's Harvest of Rubies and is her third book in publication. I have had the privilege of reading all three.

Please read on for more information about Harvest of Gold.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Harvest of Gold

River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2013)


by

Tessa Afshar


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TESSA AFSHAR was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life.  She moved to England where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently.  Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School.  She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The scribe 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.


If you'd like to read the first chapter of Harvest of Gold, go HERE.