The Esther Paradigm by Sarah Monzon

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Radiant Publications
Releases: Nov. 2, 2017
326 pages

About the Book:

Hannah Pratt dreams of starting a school for the Bedouin clan she grew up with as a missionary kid, and finally her hopes are coming true. But shortly after she returns to the desert from her college years in the U.S., she discovers her parents have received threats from their Muslim neighbors. As the danger escalates, Hannah finds she’s in the middle of a battle no one seems to understand. She must decide to what lengths she'll go to stay faithful to the mission to which God has called her. Even if it costs her everything.

As sheikh, Karim Al-Amir feels the weight of responsibility as the leader of his people. When a mysterious illness ravishes the clan’s flocks and threatens to destroy their centuries-old way of life, locals believe the American doctors and their daughter, his childhood friend, Hannah, are to blame. Karim must do something to keep them safe—even if the only solution can be found within marriage vows.

In a society where the line is drawn between us and them, Christianity is outlawed, and foreigners are mistrusted, will their union heal wounds or inflict the final fatal blow?

 

Goodreads / Amazon 
Sarah Monzon's Website

My Rating & Thoughts:    🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟  (5 stars)

“God was in control of all. I had but to be faithful to what He put before me.”

Wow this book was so good! I did not want to put it down. What begins as a marriage to put an end to the pressure to marry and to provide protection grows into so much more. I absolutely adored Karim and Hannah. They come from two different cultures, but are committed to the same people and willing to share their lives and work together to overcome the obstacles they face. There is romance, danger and cultural challenges throughout. Karim’s love for Hannah is obvious right from the beginning and he is willing to accept any backlash (if they dare) from his tribe for his choice of a bride. Hannah believes that Karim only marries her to protect her and her parents. She fights feelings of insecurity throughout, but she is so much stronger than she realizes. She is determined to respect the culture around her and Karim’s beliefs but does not shy away from sharing her beliefs when asked. Both are tested and have to decide what is most important to them. I loved following them as their friendship grew into a marriage commitment and then the ultimate realization of a deep love.

Each character felt genuine. Karim’s mom was great with Hannah, I was so proud of the way she treated her. There were many wonderful moments that made me just love this book. The romantic moments were great and had me swooning at times, but also the friendship shared with others and the sharing of God’s love was inspiring. Mixed throughout there were many scenes or sayings that had me laughing out loud. I won’t forget the line “I’m not singing the song that never ends to the camels.” I cracked up so hard when I read this one.

I loved that Ms. Monzon took a Bible story and used it as inspiration to create this story. With this book being set in another country focusing on the muslin faith, it is obvious that a lot of research would have had to be done in order to make sure the characters felt real and kept in character. Ms. Monzon did an absolutely wonderful job of keeping it real. I highly recommend this book and will definitely be savouring this story again.

“He said you were perfect and beautiful all on your own and needed no decoration to be such. . . . He said you were worth more than all his possessions.”

(I received an ARC of this book from the author; opinions expressed
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

 

Other Books by Sarah Monzon:

   

All of You Review / Finders Keepers Review

Goodreads / Amazon 

Author Interview - Sarah Monzon

I am so excited to welcome Sarah Monzon to the blog today. Sarah writes Christian contemporary romance. Her debut novel The Isaac Project released in 2015 and her fourth book, The Esther Paradigm releases in just a few days - Nov. 2. I have read all her books and she has easily become one of my favourite authors. I had to jump at the chance when she offered to do an interview for me. Come back tomorrow for my review on her new book, The Esther Paradigm.

About the Author:

Sarah is a Navy chaplain's wife and a stay at home mom to the two cutest littles in the world. Playing pretend all day with them isn't enough, she spends the evenings after their heads hit the pillow to create her own imaginary characters. When she isn't in the world of make believe, she can be found in the pine forests of western Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings.

Connect with Sarah via:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

New Release (Nov. 2):

The Esther Paradigm  

About the Book:

Hannah Pratt dreams of starting a school for the Bedouin clan she grew up with as a missionary kid, and finally her hopes are coming true. But shortly after she returns to the desert from her college years in the U.S., she discovers her parents have received threats from their Muslim neighbors. As the danger escalates, Hannah finds she’s in the middle of a battle no one seems to understand. She must decide to what lengths she'll go to stay faithful to the mission to which God has called her. Even if it costs her everything.

As sheikh, Karim Al-Amir feels the weight of responsibility as the leader of his people. When a mysterious illness ravishes the clan’s flocks and threatens to destroy their centuries-old way of life, locals believe the American doctors and their daughter, his childhood friend, Hannah, are to blame. Karim must do something to keep them safe—even if the only solution can be found within marriage vows.

In a society where the line is drawn between us and them, Christianity is outlawed, and foreigners are mistrusted, will their union heal wounds or inflict the final fatal blow?

Let's talk with Sarah: 

 

Can you share 5 random facts about you?

- I've walked a portion of the Great Wall of China.

- I broke my middle finger falling off a horse.

- More than one person in my family has had an opossum as a pet.

- I've never had a cavity.

- I'm scared of talking into a microphone. 

 

JaneReads: We have a few things in common, I've fallen off a horse (didn't break anything though), never had a cavity either, and dislike speaking in mics (which is a problem when testing sound equipment at work).  

 

Do you have a favourite place to write?

I know it's unconventional, but I write at the gym. I take my iPad and write on it while peddling away on a stationary bike. It works for me mostly because I can put my three-year-old daughter in child watch.  

 

JaneReads: That is definitely unconventional, but apparently it works! 

 

Where do you get your inspiration for character development?

A lot of prayer. I pray every day before I start writing. The story peculates in my brain when not writing and I find myself praying about it then as well.

 

What is your favourite part of the writing process?

I love the excitement on brainstorming a new story. So many possibilities!

 

What kind of things did you have to research while writing The Esther Paradigm?

Ummm...pretty much all of it? lol. I had to research the setting, the characters, the culture, the clothes, the food. Everything. I had no less than a dozen tabs open at all times. 

 

JaneReads: You did an amazing job, because I felt like I was transported to the setting.

 

What book/s have you enjoyed recently?Oooohhh!! One of my favorite books of the year I read just a few weeks ago. The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner. So good! You should check it out if you haven't read it yet. 

 

JaneReads: I recently just read and reviewed this one too.

 

Do you have any parting words?

Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored for the opportunity to be a guest on your blog. 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with your readers.

 

My review of The Esther Paradigm up tomorrow. But let just me say now, this book was incredible.

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano

Series: Apart From the Crowd #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: April 18, 2017
354 pages

About the Book:

Miss Permilia Griswold may have been given the opportunity of a debut into New York high society, but no one warned her she wasn't guaranteed to "take." After spending the last six years banished to the wallflower section of the ballroom, she's finally putting her status on the fringes of society to good use by penning anonymous society gossip columns under the pseudonym "Miss Quill."

 

Mr. Asher Rutherford has managed to maintain his status as a reputable gentleman of society despite opening his own department store. While pretending it's simply a lark to fill his time, he has quite legitimate reasons for needing to make his store the most successful in the country.

When Permilia overhears a threat against the estimable Mr. Rutherford, she's determined to find and warn the man. Disgruntled at a first meeting that goes quite poorly and results in Asher not believing her, she decides to take matters into her own hands, never realizing she'll end up at risk as well.
As Asher and Permilia are forced to work together and spend time away from the spotlight of society, perhaps there's more going on behind the scenes than they ever could have anticipated. . . .
 

Goodreads / Amazon / Christianbook 
Jen Turano's Website

My Rating & Thoughts:    🌟 🌟 🌟  (3 stars)

 

“She was unlike any lady he’d ever known, but instead of wanting to distance himself from her and her peculiar ways, he wanted to learn everything about her because . . . she was charming, enchanting, and he was completely intrigued by her.”

 

I struggled through this book. I liked the main characters, Asher and Permilia, but the story itself moved so slowly that I found my interest wandering.

 

Perimlia is not your typical society woman, being raised mainly by her father in the mines she doesn’t know all the proper social graces she is suppose to follow and as such has become a wallflower. She is able to use this to her advantage and use the information she hears for her gossip column for the newspaper, but this is a job she would like to keep hidden.

Asher does not believe Permilia when she tells him someone wants to kill him, so she takes it upon herself to keep him out of danger. I was intrigued by the idea of a lady trying to protect the man from danger. How was she going to accomplish this when she doesn’t know who is behind the threat? In the end she didn’t really do much to find out who was behind the plot, that was left the agents. Permilia and Asher only find out who the plotter is when he right in front of them with a gun aimed at them.

 

The characters are definitely quirky, the sisters especially. There were some really entertaining moments and some really heart-warming moments, such as when Asher stood up to Ida on behalf of Permilia. But overall I found the story moved too slow for me and contained too much detail about surroundings and explanations. I felt there were scenes include that didn’t really add much to story and could have easily been left out without being missed, or at least shortened. I did really like Asher and enjoyed the romantic ending.  

 

“You won’t find happiness by being anything other

than who you’re really meant to be.”

 

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed in this review

are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

 Other Books in the Series:

At Your Request Review

Goodreads / Amazon / Christianbook