Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.
A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.
But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?
Mesu Andrews expertly weaves the words of the Song of Solomon into this touching story of the power of love. Readers will be transported from the glowing fields of Shunem to the gleaming city of Jerusalem as they experience this rich and textured novel from a master storyteller.
My review:
Well, this book was a long one, but beautifully written to the point that it captured my heart and I spent two solid days reading it until I finished. It had everything I love to read in a book. Deep truths about faith and God's love, intense emotion and intrigue, and people shown as flawed, but redeemable because they are loved by a Holy God who only wants to claim their hearts and devotion. That was well portrayed in this book. It made me think more deeply about God's ways not being our ways and how He uses willing vessels to accomplish His perfect will, even though it often hurts.
Real love is not without pain. There were many beautiful illustrations of this fact in Love's Sacred Song. I loved how Arielah exemplified Christ's love in many ways. I was riveted by her devotion to Solomon despite everything, but at the same time saw it as real and painful and not painted to be perfect and easy as is often the case. And in some crazy way, this story helped me to see that while having a ton of wives was never God's will, that He blessed Solomon despite it, and at the same time it was Solomon's downfall. I loved how Arielah's love was shown as being so pure and intense that it often broke Solomon's heart because he felt so unworthy of her. Just like Christ's love overwhelms us to the point of repentance.
This was a deep and profoundly beautiful story that gave me a greater appreciation for the Old Testament because it helped shine a light on God's plan and setting the stage for the Messiah. I loved this book and was emotionally moved by it on many occasions. It's making my favorite fiction list for 2012. Well done!
Love's Sacred Song was published by Revell and released in March 2012. A copy of this book was provided to this reviewer by the publisher for the sole purpose of providing a review for this tour. The opinion expressed above is entirely my own.
“Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
1 comment:
Woohoo! I was holding my breath until I saw your review, gal! ;) You are an incredibly insightful reader, and I value your opinion. Thanks for a wonderful review, and I'm SO thrilled you saw Christ's love in Arielah. Definitely a twist on the "norm" and you caught it. You continue to bless me with your honest opinions. I'm glad this time was better than last! ha! ;) Keep doing what you do so well.
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