What an amazing and unique story! From the first page, I felt myself drawn in. This was my first read by Tessa Afshar and now I need to go back and read all her previous books. 😂 Miss Afshar writes beautifully and does an amazing job of immersing the reader in the culture and feel of the time. Make sure to read the author’s notes at the end (AFTER you’ve read the story, not before) to get an idea of what is historical vs fictional. I love it when an author can take the real and add their spin in such a fun and captivating way. This was absolutely one of those novels that was so hard to put down!  

The cast of characters in this story was so fun - a unique look at the Biblical times of Esther! I adore our main female character, Roxannah! Her transformation from beginning to end was beautiful. Her struggle to come to faith and to know God was completely relatable and authentic feeling. It was also fun seeing this view of Esther and the turmoil and intrigue that occurred within the Persian court. The love in this story is slow and sweet. I LOVE a good he falls first romance. 😍 I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series where we get to view Esther’s world through the lens of someone else within her court! What an amazing start to what I’m sure is going to be a beautiful series!  

Thanks to the author’s and publisher’s generosity, I received a complimentary copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are truly my own and a positive review was not required.