Up from Dust by Heather Kaufman

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11AD – Israel

Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother’s untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings–quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust.

Ten years later, Martha’s friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she’s not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha’s hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.

Journey of the Shepherd Woman by Carlene Havel and Sharon Faucheux

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30s – Israel

Saul of Tarsus instigates persecution against followers of the Way, forcing shepherds from Bethlehem to run for their lives. Channah and her family escape to the seaport of Joppa. They hope to make their way to Ephesus where Channah’s husband grew up. However, travel is difficult and sometimes treacherous. When disaster strikes, Channah relies on the mercy of a kind woman named Dorcas. Through many trials, the little family cherishes their goal of finding a place where they can freely worship Jesus.

Apostle’s Sister by Angela Hunt

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30 – Israel

She’s always longed for more, but what if the path she’s chosen requires more than she’s willing to give?

Aya, daughter of Zebulun of Tarsus, does not want a traditional life. After years of being overshadowed by her brilliant brother Sha’ul, she wants a chance to use her own gifts beyond being a wife and mother. When her father insists that she marry a Torah student, she reluctantly agrees.

A dedicated scholar, Sha’ul, or Paul, returns to Tarsus to follow the instructions of the Law and wed the woman his father has chosen to raise his profile and help him earn a seat on the Great Sanhedrin–the highest religious court in the land. But when the Nazarene, Yeshua, and his followers bring trouble to the Holy City, Sha’ul will stop at nothing to silence them.

After moving to Jerusalem with her husband, Aya expects to be bored in her role as wife to a Torah student. Instead, she finds herself fascinated by his studies. Then her brother makes a life-altering decision, and she must face a troubling question: Can she remain true to her beliefs and still love her blasphemous brother?

At the Cross by Ashton E. Dorow

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Easter – Jerusalem

Experience the Easter Story through the eyes of those who witnessed it…

PETER: The disciple who denied the One he swore to follow even to the end.

SIMON OF CYRENE: An ordinary man whose path unexpectedly collides with that of a stranger condemned to death.

FELIX MAXIMUS: A Roman centurion charged with carrying out a crucifixion unlike any he’s overseen before.

MARY: A mother struggling with the death of her firstborn son.

MARY OF MAGDALA: A woman faced with the shocking discovery that the body of the man who delivered her from seven demons has vanished.

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus impacts each of their lives in a different way… But this impact is one that will reach into eternity.

The Shepherd’s Wife by Angela Hunt

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30s – Israel

Yeshua of Nazareth has two sisters: Damaris, married to a wealthy merchant’s son, and Pheodora, married to a simple shepherd from Bethlehem. When Pheodora’s husband suffers an unexpected reversal of fortune and is thrown into debtor’s prison, she returns to Nazareth, where she pins her hopes on two she-goats who should give birth to spotless white kids that would be perfect for the upcoming Yom Kippur sacrifice.

In the eighteen months between the kids’ birth and the opportunity to sell them and redeem her husband from prison, Pheodora must call on her wits, her family, and her God in order to provide for her daughters and survive. But when every prayer and ritual she knows is about God’s care for Israel, how can she trust that God will hear and help a lowly shepherd’s wife?

Rich Beyond Measure: Zlata’s Story by Robin Lee Hatcher

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33 AD – Israel

After losing her parents, husband, and child, Zlata is left dependent upon her in-laws who regard her as nothing more than a servant.

Worse still, she is left with a heart overcome by bitterness.

But then she hears a new teacher speaking. He says that she is blessed although she is poor and in mourning. She thinks this Yeshua might be the madman that her father-in-law, a Pharisee, claims Him to be.

Yet she can’t stop seeking Him out and listening to what He has to say because His words are making her feel whole again. Then her father-in-law threatens to turn her out if she seeks out Yeshua one more time.

Will fear hold her back or will she dare to trust Yeshua by giving God everything she possesses?

An Eternal Love by Melanie Dobson

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39 – Israel

AFTER TABITHA LOSES her husband to the sea, God gives her the unexpected gift of a son and a new faith to follow the resurrected Messiah. Tabitha thrives amongst her community of believers in the sea-side village of Joppa. There, she teaches widows, and a slave girl named Korinna, how to sew while she makes her living as a seamstress. She loves her adopted son, but when his recklessness threatens to destroy their entire community, Tabitha’s heart breaks. Only a miracle can bring Matthias back to her and all those who care for him. A miracle, perhaps, from beyond the grave.

The Light by Buck Storm

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33 – Israel

Historically, culturally, and biblically accurate. The Christ story as you’ve never seen it before. What happens when the hard line between life and death blurs? When Joseph of Arimathea took Yeshua’s corpse off the cross and placed it in his own tomb he risked everything he’d worked years for. But now Yeshua’s body is gone, and Joseph is running for his life. Sister has never known anything but the Lower City slums. She’s a creature of the night, so base and inconsequential she’s never even warranted a name.Welcome to 1st century Jerusalem, where rumor and deceit rule the day. Step into The Light and walk the ancient city side-by-side with the very first believers. Feel what they felt. Risk what they risked. And find, with them, the unshakeable truth indelibly written across the heavens before time began–Yeshua changes everything. And Everything is never what you expect.

The Silk Merchant of Sychar by Cindy Williams

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21 – Samaria, Israel

One woman, five husbands and a weary rabbi at the well who knows everything she ever did.
The day after they bury her husband Leah Marcellus loses her baby. A widow and childless, what man will want her now?

The day after they bury her husband Leah Marcellus loses her baby. A widow and childless, what man will want her now? Her father arranges a second marriage—a profitable business arrangement—sealed on Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain where every true follower of Yahweh worships, but Leah’s heart belongs to another. Her passion only brings trouble – jealousy, murder and lies.

Leah’s skill at the loom and the secrets of dye –the woad, the murex and madder—brings her renown among the Roman women of wealth. Yet death and betrayal soon steal her security. In desperation, Leah sacrifices her peace of mind and risks everything to protect her family.

From the olive groves of Samaria to the bloodied sand of a Roman stadium to the exquisite silks brought from the East, The Silk Merchant of Sychar weaves colour into the biblical account of the woman at the well.

In the Shadow of the King by Melissa Rosenberger

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10s-30s – Israel

Growing up, Hannah knows her brother Yeshua is odd. Yet she can’t understand why adults lavish such attention on him. She never would imagine her mother’s explanation of ancient prophecies and angelic visitations. Yeshua, the Anointed One of Israel? Hannah scoffs at the idea while watching her brother for signs of greatness. When tragedy devastates the family and Yeshua does nothing more than pray, Hannah’s heart shatters. She rejects Yeshua’s advice to trust him and, driven by fear, takes radical steps to secure her future happiness. Years pass and Hannah finds herself shamed by barrenness in a loveless marriage. And once more, it’s Yeshua’s name on everyone’s lips. Only now, his rebellious actions threaten not only her tenuous standing with her in-laws, but possibly her life. Determined to stop his dangerous exploits, Hannah travels to Capernaum to confront Yeshua. What she discovers there both amazes and frightens her. When Yeshua again asks for her trust, Hannah must make a decision. Should she jeopardize all she has left in the hope that Yeshua will reign? But how can a carpenter triumph where princes and armies have failed before? Can she risk believing Yeshua is who he says he is?

Song of the Shepherd Woman by Carlene Havel

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30s – Israel

Avram has spent his life raising sheep in the hills around his native Bethlehem. Old age finds him cynical, peculiar, and perhaps dangerous. After Avram and his mute wife Yael reluctantly accept responsibility for an unwanted child, the girl’s charming innocence endears her to the couple. When Channah is a young teen, her stepfather unexpectedly appears and demands custody, taking her away to an arranged marriage. The young woman hopes for a kind husband, cherishing the dream of someday having her own child to love. Meanwhile, an old friend persuades Avram to investigate rumors of a miraculous healer. What the old shepherd discovers challenges everything he has ever believed.

The Soldier who Killed a King by David Kitz

soldiewhokilledaking The Soldier who Killed a King

30 – Israel

A stunning story of Holy Week through the eyes of a Roman centurion

Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you’ve heard the story of Passion Week so often it’s become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus’s humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ’s resurrection changed history, one life at a time.

The Centurion by Ken Gire

30s-60s – Middle East/Roman Empire

An ambitious Roman soldier. A stunning crucifixion. An unlikely romance. A long war and a chance reunion—the moving parts that make The Centurion a gripping story of love, duty, and sacrifice.

Lucius has always dreamed of military conquest and Roman glory. Little does he know how a routine crucifixion will change him forever.

Curious about this “King of the Jews,” Lucius seeks out His followers and falls for one Mary Magdalene. But all is interrupted when Lucius is called to lead military campaigns. There the hardships of war, year after year, wear him down to nearly nothing.

When Lucius finally returns to Rome, the city has lost its allure. A chance encounter tests his allegiances, and he must decide who he is, what is real, and what is worth dying for.

This work of historical fiction includes an extensive annotated list of sources.

Behold the Man by Brock and Bodie Thoene

beholdtheman Behold the Man

30- Israel

Behold the Man is the culmination of the Jerusalem Chronicles and brings readers to an encounter with the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.

How could Jesus—who preached righteousness before God, and love and mercy toward neighbors—be so hated and pursued? To the Temple officials, he was a threat to the livelihood and authority of the priesthood. To Herod Antipas, he was a threat to his ambition to be the King of the Jews. And to the Roman overlords, he was seen as a dangerous threat; a man who commanded an army of the common people. He could heal wounds, offer miraculous provisions, and even raise from the dead. If Jesus had accepted popular acclaim and become an earthly king, he would have been unstoppable.

Jesus’s last days are explored through three people who interacted with him: Governor Pilate, for whom Judea will either make or break his career; Pilate’s wife, Claudia, desperately seeking aid for her much loved, crippled son; and Centurion Marcus Longinus, caught in the middle between loyalty to the Empire, love for Claudia, and an ever-increasing belief in Jesus as the Son of God. After encountering Jesus, none of them will ever be the same.

The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem

33 – Middle East

In this captivating retelling of a classic biblical story, Jesus shocks the town of Bethany with Lazarus’s resurrection from the dead, leading Martha—a seemingly perfect woman trapped by the secrets of her past—to hope and a new life.

Everyone in Bethany admires Martha—the perfect Jewish woman. She feeds and clothes her loved ones, looks after the family farm, and meticulously follows every precept of the Pharisees’ strict laws. But Martha is hiding a secret. At her sister’s marriage feast, she gave her heart and her innocence to a young musician who promised to return and marry her, but instead betrayed her love and abandoned her.

Seven years later, only two people in Bethany know of Martha’s secret sin: her brother, Lazarus, and Simon, the righteous Pharisee to whom Martha is betrothed. When Lazarus falls ill, Martha is faced with a choice: send for Jesus to save her dying brother—risking the wrath of Simon who threatens to betray her—or deny Jesus’ healing power and remain trapped in her tomb of secrecy and lies.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Galilee, Isa roams the wilderness, tortured by demons and knowing only that someone is waiting for him. When he is healed by Jesus, he finds that seven years have passed since his descent into madness. Isa journeys home to Bethany only to find he is too late to win back Martha’s love.

When Martha risks all to heal Lazarus, will Jesus arrive in time, or will he—like Isa—come too late?

A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker

30 – Middle East

A sweeping epic set in the harsh deserts of Arabia and ancient Palestine.

A war that rages between kingdoms on the earth and in the heart.

The harrowing journey of the woman at the center of it all.

Step back in time to the year of our Lord…A.D. 30.

The outcast daughter of one of the most powerful Bedouin sheikhs in Arabia, Maviah is called on to protect the very people who rejected her. When their enemies launch a sudden attack with devastating consequences, Maviah escapes with the help of two of her father’s warriors–Saba who speaks more with his sword than his voice and Judah, a Jew who comes from a tribe that can read the stars. Their journey will be fraught with terrible danger. If they can survive the vast forbidding sands of a desert that is deadly to most, they will reach a brutal world subjugated by kings and emperors. There Maviah must secure an unlikely alliance with King Herod of the Jews.

But Maviah’s path leads her unexpectedly to another man. An enigmatic teacher who speaks of a way in this life which offers greater power than any kingdom. His name is Yeshua, and his words turn everything known on its head. Though following him may present even greater danger, his may be the only way for Maviah to save her people–and herself.

Take this Cup by Brock and Bodie Thoene

33 – Jerusalem

Nehemiah, the young son of a Jewish woman, a weaver from Jerusalem, is born and raised among the Jews who didn’t return to Jerusalem from the Exile. Educated by Rabbi Kagba, one of the magi present at Jesus’ birth thirty years earlier, Nehemiah grows up with the expectation of a soon-coming Messiah. Could the Yeshua of Nazareth, who is walking the earth, reportedly doing miracles, be that Messiah? When young Nehemiah must travel the long caravan road to Jerusalem, he is charged with an unusual mission—to carry a mysterious object back to the holy city of Jerusalem . . . an object whose reappearance heralds the Messiah’s arrival. Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem just as the final events of Jesus’ earthly ministry are coming to a climax: the Feast of Dedication, the Triumphal Entry, the last cleansing of the Temple, and culminating at the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Only Nehemiah understands the true sacrifice that is to come as he makes the cup worthy of his Savior.

The Queen’s Handmaid by T. L. Higley

The Queen’s Handmaid

39 BC – Egypt

From the servant halls of Cleopatra’s Egyptian palace to the courts of Herod the Great, Lydia will serve two queens to see prophecy fulfilled.Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra’s palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’s been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life. But then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she’s had to family and flee to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme. Trapped among the scheming women of Herod’s political family—his sister, his wife, and their mothers—and forced to serve in the palace to protect her treasure, Lydia must deliver the scrolls before dark forces warring against the truth destroy all hope of the coming Messiah.

The Thief by Stephanie Landsem

30s – Israel

Nissa is a Jewish woman with a sharp tongue and no hope of marriage. Abandoned by the God she once loved, her only recourse is to depend upon Mouse, the best thief in Jerusalem, to keep her blind brother, Cedron, fed and the landlord satisfied. Longinus is a Roman centurion haunted by death and failure and is desperate to escape the accursed Judean province. Accepting a wager that will get him away from the aggravating Jews and their threats of revolt, he sets out to catch the thieves harassing the marketplace. When a controversial teacher miraculously heals Cedron, Nissa hopes for freedom from her life of lies. But the supposed miracle brings only more misfortune, and Longinus, seeking to learn more about the mysterious healer, finds himself drawn instead to Nissa, whose secret will determine the course of both their futures. Cedron, Longinus, and Nissa are unexpectedly caught up in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. As danger closes in on them from every side, they must decide if the love and redemption Jesus offers is true or just another false promise. How can the so-called Messiah save them from their shackles, when he cannot even save himself?

The Well by Stephanie Landsem

30 AD – Middle East

Could he be the One we’ve been waiting for?

For the women of the Samaritan village of Sychar, the well is a place of blessing—the place where they gather to draw their water and share their lives—but not for Mara. Shunned for the many sins of her mother, Nava, Mara struggles against the constant threats of starvation or exile.

Mara and Nava’s lives are forever changed with the arrival of two men: Shem, a mysterious young man from Caesarea, and Jesus, a Jewish teacher. Nava is transformed by Jesus, but his teachings come too late and she is stoned by the unforgiving villagers. Desperate to save her dying mother, Mara and Shem embark on a journey to seek Jesus’ help—a journey that brings unexpected love and unimaginable heartbreak.

Claudia: Wife of Pontius Pilate by Diana Wallis Taylor

Claudia: Wife Of Pontius Pilate

30s – Middle East

Claudia’s life did not start easily. The illegitimate daughter of Julia, reviled and exiled daughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia spends her childhood in a guarded villa with her mother and grandmother. When Tiberius, who hates Julia, takes the throne, Claudia is wrenched away from her mother to be brought up in the palace in Rome. The young woman is adrift–until she meets Lucius Pontius Pilate and becomes his wife. When Pilate is appointed Prefect of the troublesome territory of Judea, Claudia does what she has always done: she makes the best of it. But unrest is brewing on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, and Claudia will soon find herself and her beloved husband embroiled in controversy and rebellion. Might she find peace and rest in the teaching of the mysterious Jewish Rabbi everyone seems to be talking about? Readers will be whisked through marbled palaces, dusty marketplaces, and idyllic Italian villas as they follow the unlikely path of a woman who warrants only a passing mention in one of the Gospel accounts. Diana Wallis Taylor combines her impeccable research with her flair for drama and romance to craft a tale worthy of legend.

When Jesus Wept by Brock and Bodie Thoene

When Jesus Wept (The Jerusalem Chronicles)

30s – Middle East

Lazarus occupies a surprising position in the Gospel accounts. Widely known as the man Jesus raised from the dead, his story is actually much broader and richer than that. Living as he did at Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus was uniquely placed to witness the swirl of events around Jesus. When Jesus Wept, the first novel in The Jerusalem Chronicles series by bestselling authors Bodie and Brock Thoene, unfolds the turbulent times in Judea during Jesus’ ministry, centering on the friendship between Jesus and Lazarus. With rich insights from vineyard owners and vine dressers, the Thoenes explore the metaphor of Jesus as the True Vine, harvesting the ancient secrets found in the Old Testament. Weaving the life of Lazarus, who owned a vineyard, into the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ will help you understand it is the hand of Love Divine that holds the knife, that cuts and breaks with such tender and loving touch, and that we who have born some fruit, after the pruning, can bear much more.

Iscariot by Tosca Lee

Iscariot: A Novel of Judas

30s – Middle East

Based on extensive research into the life and times of Judas Iscariot, this triumph of fiction storytelling by the author of Havah: The Story of Eve revisits one of biblical history’s most maligned figures and brings the world he inhabited vividly to life.

In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One—the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins the Nazarene’s followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas’s vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention—who seems, in the end, to even turn against his own people. At last, Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.

Iscariot is the story of Judas, from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But even more, it is a singular and surprising view into the life of Jesus that forces us to reexamine everything we thought we knew about the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.

Mary Magdalene by Diana Wallis Taylor

30s – Israel

One woman desperate for hope. One Savior with the power to heal.
A beautiful girl blossoming into womanhood, Mary has high hopes for a life filled with learning, family, and young love. In one dreadful night, all of that changes. The nightmares come first, then the waking visions of unspeakable terror, until Mary hardly remembers her dreams for the future.

Can the Most High deliver her from this torment? How long must she wait for healing?

This vivid portrait of the enigmatic Mary of Magdala comes to life in the hands of an imaginative master storyteller. Diana Wallis Taylor introduces you to a Mary who is both utterly original and respectful of the biblical account, opening your eyes to a redemption that knows no bounds.

Martha by Diana Wallis Taylor

30s – Israel

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented characters of the New Testament is Martha. Often painted in the colors of reproach, Martha seems to be the poster child for how not to be a follower of Jesus. From the mind of Diana Wallis Taylor comes this touching, well-researched portrayal of Martha of Bethany, sister of Mary and Lazarus. Through Taylor’s lush descriptions and inspired combination of imagined and recorded dialogue, Martha’s world–her trials, triumphs, and loves–vibrantly comes to life. Follow Martha as she is jilted by her betrothed, falls in love with a Roman soldier, grieves the death of her father, cares for her siblings, and serves her Lord with dignity and grace. Readers will never read the biblical story of Martha the same way again.

Twelfth Prophecy by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Twelfth Prophecy (A. D. Chronicles)

30s – Middle East

She is a singer of sweet songs . . . and a sinner. A searcher for truth . . . and an outcast.
Life is fraught with danger in the village of Sychar in the first-century A.D. But for Abigail, the Samaritan woman, the danger lies not as much from the ever-present Roman soldiers but from the rabbi and the people of Sychar. A woman of renowned beauty, whose reputation was tarnished at an early age, Abigail is pregnant . . . and the father is not her elderly husband, Zakane. While protecting her lover’s name, believing he will spirit her away, Abigail is imprisoned, then nearly stoned by her neighbors. She’s befriended by the beggar Leah. But even the beggars, the lowest of the low, don’t want her around. Abigail longs for love, kindness, a home for her soon-to-arrive baby . . . and forgiveness for her anguished soul. The answers will come from the most unlikely of places.

Eleventh Guest by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Eleventh Guest (A. D. Chronicles)

30s – Middle East

The lepers in the Valley of Mak’ob hear rumors that a miracle worker is walking the earth. Ten are chosen to search for him, knowing that outside the Valley lies almost certain death. Could this healer be the Messiah they long for? And will they find him in time? You will be touched by the stories of these broken, weary travelers searching for the Messiah.

The Hidden Flame by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn

The Hidden Flame (Acts of Faith, Book 2)

33 – Middle East

Abigail loses everything and is left with little promise of a normal life. When she discovers the Messiah and joins his followers, she also discovers new meaning and purpose. Maybe she does have a future after all. But increasing persecution is scattering the burgeoning group “to the ends of the earth.” And Abigail may have given her heart to the wrong man. Two suitors desire the lovely Abigail’s hand in marriage. One is a successful Hebrew merchant and widower looking for a mother for his children. On the other side is the Roman soldier Linux, who is captivated by her winsome charm and could offer the sanctuary–maybe even the love–for which she yearns. But her heart has been captured by neither of these. Stephen, one of the leaders of The Way, has a character and a faith that move her deeply, but his outspoken preaching has marked him for assassination. Will her faith and courage withstand a heartbreak beyond comprehension? And then a glimmer of hope appears, one she never would have foreseen.

Tenth Stone by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Tenth Stone (A. D. Chronicles)

30s – Middle East

They all need miracles. But will the Healer come in time?
Yod, born in the Valley of Mak’ob, where lepers live out the end of their days, is heartbeats away from eternity in the Dying Cave. Stories abound about Yeshua of Nazareth, the miracle worker. Dare she hope for a miracle—just for her?
Daniel, the rebellious son of Melchior and Esther of Ecbatana, is a great embarrassment to his family. Life is boring beyond belief, Daniel thinks. But everything about his life is about to change.
Over thirty years have passed since the stars led Melchior the Magus, former court astronomer to King Phraates of Parthia, to Bethlehem, the birthplace of the long-awaited Messiah. Melchior again ponders the signs in the heavens. Could the time of the young Messiah’s work on earth have now come to fulfillment? Could Yeshua be that child, grown up and working miracles? And could any miracle save Melchior’s son Daniel?

A Stray Drop of Blood by Roseanna M. White

A Stray Drop of Blood

30 – Jerusalem, Rome

Beautiful is a dangerous thing to be when one is unprotected. That is a lesson Abigail learns well when her master s son, Jason, takes her to his bed. Jason s mother, Ester, may have educated her as a daughter instead of a slave, his father, Cleopas, may have obeyed Hebrew law rather than Roman in the running of his household, but none of that matters to their son. At least, it doesn t until he has a child of his own on the way.

Over her seven years in the Visibullis household, Abigail has gotten accustomed to being a slave. She loves her fellow servants, she adores her mistress, and she respectes her master. She does not welcome change, neither when Jason decides she is better fit for a lover than a handmaid nor when he discoveres he loves her too much to leave her as anything but a wife. But she carries his child, so she can hardly argue. And maybe, given time, she could come to love him too….

Israel s unrest finds a home in her bosom, but their rebellion tears apart her world. Death descends with Barabbas s sword, and Abigail is determined to be there when he is handed the penalty for the crimes that destroyed her family. But when she ventureds to the trial, heavy with child and heavier still with hatred, it is not Barabbas that the crowd demands be crucified. Instead, it is the teacher Cleopas and Jason had begun to follow, the man from Nazareth that some call the Son of God….

She was born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds. But she never really knew freedom until she felt the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter. She was disowned by Israel, despised by Rome, desired by all. Yet she never knew love until she received the smile of a stoic Roman noble.

Journey to the Well by Diana Wallis Taylor

Journey to the Well

30s – Middle East

One of the most well-known and loved stories of Jesus’s ministry is the encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Now the creative mind of Diana Wallis Taylor imagines how the Samaritan woman got there in the first place. Marah is just a girl of thirteen when her life is set on a path that will eventually lead her to a life-changing encounter with the Messiah. But before that momentous meeting she must traverse through times of love lost and found, cruel and manipulative men, and gossiping women.

This creative and accurate portrayal of life in the time of Jesus opens a window into a fascinating world. Taylor’s rich descriptions of the landscapes, lifestyles, and rituals mesh easily with the emotional and very personal story of one woman trying to make a life out of what fate seems to throw at her. This exciting and heartwrenching story will fascinate readers and lend new life to a familiar story.

The Centurion’s Wife by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn

The Centurion’s Wife (Acts of Faith, Book 1)

33 – Middle East

Janette Oke has dreamed for years of retelling a story in a biblical time frame from a female protagonist’s perspective, and Davis Bunn is elated to be working with her again on this sweeping saga of the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Christianity…and the very personal story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma.

Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil–facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions. Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine’s governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah’s mistress, the governor’s wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death–and missing body–is causing such furor.

This epic drama is threaded with the tale of an unlikely romance and framed with dangers and betrayals from unexpected sources. At its core, The Centurion’s Wife unfolds the testing of loyalties–between two young people whose inner searchings they cannot express, between their irreconcilable heritages, and ultimately between their humanity and the Divine they yearn to encounter.

Eighth Shepherd by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Eighth Shepherd (A. D. Chronicles, Book 8)

30s – Middle East

The tax collector of Jericho, Zachai (Zacchaeus), is the most hated man in all Judea. Shimona, a former leper, is shunned by her community. And the Nubian bodyguard Salmon fears his young daughter will die. All three need the transforming touch of Yeshua, the Great Shepherd. Their stories unfold in this engaging novel. Includes historical maps and a discussion guide for individual or group study.

Seventh Day by Brock and bodie Thoene

Seventh Day (A. D. Chronicles, Book 7)

30s – Middle East

As Yeshua continues his ministry and is challenged by the religious leaders, his beloved friend El’azar falls ill in Bethany and when Yeshua finally arrives, it is too late…or is it?

Third Watch by Brock and Bodie Thoene

Third Watch (A. D. Chronicles, Book 3)

30s – Middle East

Journey back to first-century Jerusalem, a dark and hopeless time, when citizens are searching for their promised Messiah to return. Meet new characters Zahav, a Jewish woman who is very strong in her faith, and Alexander, a Greek with a past. Can their forbidden love endure the trials that face them? Will Susanna and Manaen’s love be able to overcome bitterness and overwhelming odds? After seeing all that Yeshua has done for them, will the people believe he is the Messiah? What they choose to believe will change them all for eternity