I recently received a copy of The Heart of a King, written by a friend of mine, Jill Eileen Smith. #TheHeartofaKing

I’ve followed Jill’s writing career since it began, and have always enjoyed her highly readable writing style, which does not call attention to itself, but draws all of my attention to the subjects of her novels. Her special insights into her characters have helped bring so many of the Bible stories alive for me.

This most recent novel addresses Solomon’s true love for God and his struggle to manage the generous gift of wisdom he was given, and the kingdom he was tasked to manage, the peace he was charged to keep. What an overwhelming charge that must have been, especially when he chose to carry the responsibility on his own shoulders in a desire to remain pleasing to God.

With in-depth research, Jill fleshes out several possibilities about some of Solomon’s wives. She includes a story about the queen of Sheba and a connection they might have shared when she visited his lands.

Jill creates a world that helps us imagine what life in the days of King Solomon might have been like, and with her, we can experience a taste of such a life. I’m sure glad to be a woman today and not in the days of King Solomon, when daughters were traded away to foreign lands to keep the peace.

Check out this fascinating book for yourself, and see if Jill Eileen Smith might become one of your new favorite authors.