Tessa Afshar

I love this author's biblical fiction novels but I'm also a fan of her non-fiction works. In her newest book, Tessa Afshar focuses on three subjects that are especially relevant to her, and her total transparency is a blessing for the rest of us! The Rested Soul targets anxiety, discouragement, and depression and each of the thirty meditations provides nourishment for weary souls. I love that they each follow the same format: God's Word as an introduction, Tessa's reflections, a question to spur our thinking, a prayer to guide us, and encouraging words that promote peace and rest.

I'm always inspired by her eloquent insights, but The Rested Soul has so much more! There are lovely photographs taken by Afshar's husband that capture the beauty of God's creation and offer additional proof of His Presence in our lives! Joy, comfort, and assurance are found within the pages of this book!

I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book for review purposes. These are my honest thoughts.… (mais)

Chariline, an orphan during the Biblical time of the book of Acts, has been raised by her aunt, and knows only that her parents had a tragic love story. When she learns her father is alive, she escapes her grandfather, a Roman official in the queen’s court, and stows away on a boat to Rome, where she encounters Theo, to locate the one thing she has missed out on all her life: the love of a father. Will she find him? Will she be happy when she finds out who he is? What will happen between Chariline and Theo?… (mais)

"Her mother’s faith, like her father’s, had been shaped in a furnace of trials. Somewhere over the years, they had learned to rely on God’s provision beyond what could be reasonably expected from hard work or mental and physical acumen. They had come to believe in God’s intervention in their lives, come to expect the miraculous when the ordinary simply proved insufficient. Jemmah had yet to learn that kind of faith."

While the bulk of this story was good, and had some interesting elements, there was particular parts of the story that dropped this rating lower for me and was a major bummer in general.

Jemmah and a male character around her age travel together (just the two of them) on a couple different quests for the empire. Jem's parents are ok with this, but this was honestly reckless of them as parents regardless of how good one's intentions are.

Then and now, it makes you look like someone with loose morals to travel overnight or longer with someone of the opposite gender.

The main thing though is a scene where a married couple is shown in their bedroom (clothed) talking and the bride is mentioned wearing ".. a white robe of some fabric so sheer it left little to the imagination."

Ok, why? Why would you want to paint that mental picture for male or female readers?
Up until this point, the story had been awesome. This scene was unnecessary, and made for an awkward and uncomfortable ending.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for the complimentary e-book I recieved to review though Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and the thoughts above are my own.… (mais)