Ms. Smith chose four women, Naamah, Abishag, Siti, and Nicaula, and created identities for them beyond what we know of them from the Scriptures. As each of these women joined Solomon's ever-growing harem, they faced the challenge of loving a man who was King over a vast kingdom and whose attention was divided between an ever-increasing harem of wives and concubines. Ms. Smith occasionally took passages of Scripture and allowed the characters in the book to speak them. Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, plays a strong role in attempting to keep her son cognizant of his great responsibility to serve the Lord above all else. As this wisest of kings expanded his kingdom, his power, his trade routes, and his palaces, he also began to lose sight of the glory of God, and the source of all wisdom.

Jill Eileen Smith Photo Credit: https://www.jilleileensmith.com/

This narrative is highly fictitious, but it does have enough Biblical basis and research to make it feel as if we have taken a ride in a time machine and landed in the middle of King Solomon's courts. The book is somewhat depressing in that King Solomon, for all his wisdom, continually disobeys the Word of the Lord, and trusts in his gift of wisdom, above the Giver of the gift. It is redeemed, however, by the last few pages of the book in which King Solomon comes to the realization that "Fearing God mattered most". This is the whole conclusion of the matter!

I enjoyed reading this book, but not on a pleasure reading level. Rather, this book caused me to think about life on a deep level and to remember that above all else, God must be first!

This book would probably not be appropriate for younger readers due to the many marriage relationships indulged in by King Solomon. I would think those aged 18 and up would be able to handle the content of this novel and even gain insight into Biblical happenings.

Editor's Note: This volume is a compilation of the four stories of each woman which were separately released in ebook format. More info can be found here.

Stephanie Garrett is a busy homeschooling mom of three who somehow always finds time to read. She has been a voracious reader since childhood and even won a bicycle in elementary school for having read the most books! She enjoys learning and growing and never turns down an opportunity to try something new. Her first love is the Lord and service to Him, second is family, and third...is reading. She believes that anyone who learns to read with comprehension can go anywhere and do anything! She also enjoys music, theatre, sewing, and mathematics.



Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. A favorable review was not required. This post contains affiliate links.