Esther: Royal Beauty

by Angela Hunt

Overview

When an ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews, an inexperienced young queen must take a stand for her people.


When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews—young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people...and bind her husband's heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764216954
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/06/2015
Series:	A Dangerous Beauty Novel
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	435,356
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

The author of more than 100 published books and with nearly 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Tale of Three Trees, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the Holt Medallion. Romantic Times Book Club presented Angela with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, Angela completed her PhD in Biblical Studies in Theology. She and her husband live in Florida with their mastiffs. She can be found online at www.angelahuntbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/10/2014
Biblical fiction seems to be on the rise and readers will find nothing better in the genre than bestselling Hunt’s interpretation of the biblical book of Esther. Hadassah is a teenager when she is captured by ruffians while on her way to Jerusalem with her betrothed, Binyamin. Instead of escaping the king’s call for young virgins, she is brought to the palace in a slave trader’s carriage. Harbonah, the king’s chamberlain and a eunuch, knows Hadassah’s cousin Mordecai and befriends the frightened girl, who takes the name Esther. Esther is chosen as the new queen, adjusts to life in the palace, matures into a thoughtful and brave woman, and does battle with the evil Haman to save the Jewish people. Hunt (Magdalene) handles the tale’s nuances with care and openness, presenting readers a beautiful, honest, captivating retelling of a familiar story. Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

11/15/2014
Hadassah, a Jewish orphan, is abducted and taken to the palace of Xerxes, king of Persia. Renamed Esther, the young woman wins the king's heart and becomes his queen. However, she hides a terrible secret about her heritage. When forced to reveal her Jewish identity to stop the mass execution of her people, Esther finds that instead of forsaking her, her husband honors her wishes. VERDICT New York Times best-selling author Hunt (Passing Strangers) returns to biblical fiction with a bang, refashioning the classic story of Esther into a moving tale of love and courage that endures, even under the shadow of death. Narrating from two very different perspectives (Esther's and that of Harbonah, the king's main male servant), Hunt gives a fully rounded portrait of the happenings in the palace of Xerxes. Fans who have read all of Brock and Brodie Thoene's biblical historicals will find this a great alternative.

Library Journal