The Shepherdess by Jill Eileen Smith

(The Loves of King Solomon, #2)

Sweet story of Abishag and how she came to the palace as first King David's wife, then became Solomon's wife. Again, Ms Smith has me intrigued by the details she weaves into the real biblical account and helps bring the story more fully to life by what might have been. I look forward to reading more of her stories and then turning around, as she's led me to do ready, and digging into the Bible more to get more of the story.

The Desert Princess by Jill Eileen Smith

The Loves of King Solomon, #1

I've been looking for something different, something more uplifting and thought provoking. The Desert Princess definitely did the trick and got me out of my reading rut!! I had forgotten how much I enjoy Bible based novels and this one was a great one to get back into the genre with.

Despite it's short length, I totally connected with Naamah and Solomon - their young love and how quickly the reality of being a princess married to a King-to-be came crashing in. I felt every conflict Naamah had with facing that reality and was intrigued and pleased to see how Solomon responded to her and their marriage.

This, as other biblically based stories, made me reach for my Bible to get more of the story - and allowed me to picture more details as I read.

The Queen of Sheba by Jill Eileene Smith

 (The Loves of King Solomon, #4)

Thought provoking

It's hard for me to read of kings who fall in love with multiple wives, as growing up we're taught, one man, one woman. JES wrote her Loves of Solomon series in such a way that while I struggled with it, I also saw the possibility and beauty behind it.

This story was different as Nicuala, the queen, was woo'd by Solomon, and had a totally different role to play in life, rather than a princess used for political alliances. This gave her a whole unique approach to Solomon and their relationship.