Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Unafraid) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle: Unafraid is the final book in Francine Rivers’ Lineage of Grace novella series and is a fictionalised account of Mary’s story. It’s hard to comprehend Mary’s life and the amazing blessings she experienced by being the woman chosen by God to give birth to Jesus, God’s son. We journey with Mary through her remarkable life as she experienced great joys, trials and heartache.

It is fascinating to consider what Jesus may have been like growing up as a boy in a normal family and to consider how he may have interacted with his parents and siblings. Angels had appeared to Mary and Joseph to reveal Jesus’ true identity. His brothers and sisters struggled to understand their older brother’s character and decisions, especially when Jesus left the family to embark on his ministry. I recommend this book to those looking for an insightful and intriguing story about one of the most famous women in history.

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Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Bathsheba) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle:  Francine Rivers creates a fictionalised back story for David and  Bathsheba, starting during David’s years in the wilderness before he became king, that sets off a chain of events leading to their infamous encounter at the palace. We know how the story will end and the intriguing fictional set up brings the characters alive on the page.

I loved the emotional intensity in the story as we journey with Bathsheba and gain an understanding of the decisions she made and the consequences that followed. I recommend this novella to those looking for a story about real people who make mistakes and struggle with their faith in the face of temptation.

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Book Recommendation: Sons of Encouragement (The Prince) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

In this five-book compilation of the Sons of Encouragement series, New York Times best-selling author Francine Rivers illuminates the lives of five Biblical men who stood behind the heroes of the faith and quietly changed eternity. Aaron, Caleb, Jonathan, Amos, and Silas each faithfully sought after God in the shadows of His chosen leaders. They answered God’s call to serve without recognition or fame. And they gave everything, knowing their reward might not come until the next life.

Narelle: Jonathan is one of the lesser known characters in the Bible yet his story in The Prince novella is one of remarkable faith. The eldest son of King Saul, he became the heir to the throne after the prophet Samuel anointed his father as the first king of Israel.

We journey with Jonathan as he meets David and later struggles to remain loyal to his father and his closest friend, the future King David of Israel. Jonathan’s story is both inspiring and poignant. I recommend this novella series to those looking for insightful and challenging Biblical fiction stories.

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Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Unshaken) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle: Ruth’s story is one of my favourite Bible stories. A Moabitess by birth, she married an Israelite who had moved to Moab with his family. She lost her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law, leaving Ruth with her mother-in-law Naomi and sister-in-law Orpah. Naomi decides to move back home to Judah and Ruth insists on accompanying Naomi.

We journey with Ruth as she faces incredible hardships and remains loyal to Naomi. Ruth is prepared to take risks and follow her mother-in-laws advice, ultimately bringing justice for both herself and Naomi. I recommend ‘Unshaken’ to those looking for an inspiring and powerful story of love and hope.

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Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Unashamed) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle:  In Francine River’s fictionalised account of Rahab’s story, she casts Salmon, Rahab’s future husband, in the role of one of the Israelite spies who Rahab hides in her home from the king of Jericho. We journey with Rahab and Salmon as the Israelites conquer the mighty city of Jericho.

Rahab is a harlot who rejects the Canaanite gods of her family and homeland. Instead, she chooses to embrace the God of the Israelites and turn her life around. Rahab’s story is one of incredible courage and faith and I recommend this novella collection to those looking for exciting and insightful Biblical fiction stories.

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Book Recommendation: A Lineage of Grace (Unveiled) by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

2009 Retailer’s Choice Award winner! In this compilation of the five books in the best-selling Lineage of Grace series by Francine Rivers, we meet the five women whom God chose – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary – even scandalous – challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Narelle: We can all empathise with Tamar when we read her story in the Unveiled novella. Tamar was a young Canaanite girl who ended up in an unhappy arranged marriage to Judah’s eldest son. Life went downhill fast for Tamar after her marriage. She was gracious in the face of intense suffering caused by the wickedness of those who were supposed to love and care for her. Even her father-in-law Judah did the wrong thing by her. Tamar took enormous risks to obtain the status that was rightfully hers.

A beautifully written story by Francine Rivers. We are shown not only the depths of  Tamar’s emotional pain but also her great strength of character and integrity. I recommend this novella collection to those looking for insightful and challenging Biblical fiction stories.

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Book Recommendation: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Back cover blurb:

California’s gold country, 1850. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. What she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside. Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance, her heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. So Angel runs. Back to the darkness… A powerful retelling of the book of Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love. A page-turner.

Narelle: I love this book, and I’ve read it more than once. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (Monarch Books, 2004) is an award winning historical romance that has featured on Christian fiction bestseller lists for years. Francine’s writing is both beautiful and powerful as her characters retell the little known Biblical story of Hosea and Gomer. If you’ve never read Christian fiction and like reading romance, I highly recommend you start by reading Redeeming Love.

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