Review - Redeeming Grace by Jill Eileen Smith

Revell; 360 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Now available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is the biblical drama Redeeming Grace (Ruth's Story), book three in the Daughters of the Promised Land, by author Jill Eileen Smith.

I had never read any of the other books in the series, but I thought it would be interesting to read how life was like during biblical times.

Redeeming Grace centers on Ruth and Naomi from the Old Testament. Naomi and her family had moved from Bethlehem to Moab after famine had struck there. They had better luck in Moab, where there were greener pastures and the harvest was good. 

However, a series of bad luck occurs, one after another, leaving Naomi alone in the foreign land with just her widowed-daughters-in-law for comfort. She would prefer to return to Bethlehem, but her daughter-in-law Ruth refuses to leave her side.

Final Thoughts: I found it a bit hard to write a review for Redeeming Grace. While it's beautifully written with rich descriptions of what life was like during biblical times, I had a difficult time becoming interested in the actual story. I struggled for nearly half the novel before I eventually put the book away for about a week. I almost didn't finish reading it, but I talked myself to give it another try and I did read the rest of the novel. 

Overall, Redeeming Grace is well-written, but for there was just something off on the narration that bothered me slightly. If you like reading about women from the bible, then you're probably going to enjoy reading the book. Then there are other readers, like me, who might become a little bored with how the novel. Nevertheless, I still is a decent read.

*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author: Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the bestselling  Wives of King David series and The Crimson Cord, as well as the Wives of Patriarchs and the Loves of King Solomon series Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. She lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Jill loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at www.jilleileensmith.com, or follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith or Twitter @JillEileenSmith.