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A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah has known since she first laid eyes on Solomon that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father secures a promise from Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams will 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 from a master storyteller.
"Stunning in its depth and scope, Love's Sacred Song is a story of love and passion, faith and flaws, that will haunt you forever. Mesu Andrews crafts characters that will capture your heart with prose that will stir your soul. Masterful."--Roseanna M. White, author of Jewel of Persia and Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland
Praise for Love Amid the Ashes
"As the book buyer for LifeWay Christian Stores, I know I probably shouldn't have favorites. Alas . . . I don't care. My favorite debut novel for this year, hands down, was Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews."--Rachel McRae, blogger, A Novel Bookshelf: A LifeWay Fiction Community
Mesu Andrews is the author of Love Amid the Ashes and is an active speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep understanding and love for God's Word, Andrews brings the biblical world vividly alive for her readers. She lives in Washington.
MomoftwoDM
Posted May 8, 2012
I love reading books that are based on the bible! It makes learning the bible easy!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Megahope
Posted April 12, 2012
Meuse has done it again. She has taken the bones of a Biblical story, put fictional flesh and breathed in the heart of God. There is something about being transported back in time that puts God's Word on a more human level. Suddenly I relate to the characters and can feel the love and grace of God move from dusty religious terms to living color realities that apply to me.
I wondered often if I would have responded as Arielah did, but she inspired me. As much as Solomon drove me crazy, there was still a vulnerability that drew me in and kept me from hating this guy. Getting a fuller picture of the culture and what was considered normal, helped me to at least not get stalled by all the wives and concubines. The legacy of David painted the backdrop, as well.
I love Mesu's characters. Weather it's hating the daughters of Jerusalem and her brothers or laughing at Reu, a book that makes me feel is a gift. My heart was stretched by so many moving scenes. The two brothers, the manipulators of the king, father's love, and of course the wonderful love and redemption between Solomon and his shepherdess. If you are put off by long books, don't be. You will enjoy every page and still be sad when the last words are read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a beautiful Biblical fiction account of what might have happened to lead Solomon to write the book "Song of Solomon". I was moved by this book and devoured it to the end. I cried at the end, I'll admit it. A lovely, heart warming and, at the same time, sad tale of Solomon and his treaty bride, Arielah, who believes that God has chosen her to teach Solomon how to love. I loved the way Mesu really drew me into that particular time and place and brought the traditions to life for me. There were times when I questioned how someone who had the wisdom of God blessed over him could be so dense when it came to the treachery all around him, but sometimes I suppose things that are so close to you that you are blind to it. All around this book was moving and wonderful. I will now go back and read her first book "Love Amid the Ashes" about Job. Another thing about both of Mesu's books - the covers are stunningly beautiful!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 29, 2012
Read this author's first book also and have been waiting for another literary offering. This rendering brought to life one of my favorite biblical characters and one of the most colorful. I could never understand his supposed facination with women. How can any man love and cherish 1000 women?
You will not be able to put this book down due to the very unusual & winding plot, yet it maintained its roots in historical accuracy. I was not disappointed. Three cheers to Ms. Andrews.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 17, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Mesu Andrews’ book, Love’s Sacred Song, opens with Arielah’s early morning ponderings of Abishag’s life after the death of King David, her first trip to the City of David, and her desire to be King Solomon’s wife from a very early age. Also chronicled are the jealous, evil and insolent behaviors of Arielah’s brothers in respect to their sister, which are unconscionable, all the while refusing discipline.
The Northern Israelites were angered and insulted by the humiliating use of Abishag by King David in his last days, while being rejected as a true bride. After his death, she would now be considered ‘unfit’ for another man to marry, leaving the North ready to war with the South over the issue. King David was a warrior King, but King Solomon wanted a kingdom of peace, as promised by God. The way they ruled is as different as night and day in some measures.
Mesu Andrews in her book, Love’s Sacred Song, beautifully captures The Song of Solomon in a way that opens your heart to Arielah’s deep, lasting, pure love for King Solomon amidst his many wives, concubines, and infidelity. Mesu’s years of studying the Song of Solomon brings the book to a whole new level of understanding. One I am so grateful to read. It helped me understand the book in a new, fresh way.
Mesu’s descriptions of the land, the ways of the King, and the harems involved reveal the ancient way of life in a King’s castle. There are many inner and outer dangers that must be acknowledged, with Might Warriors ready to disarm their enemies. The characters are genuine and heartfelt, though not all are necessarily likeable. They fit into the time era and circumstances. The descriptions of the farm land, with all its beauty and hard work, were starkly compared to the opulent life in the castle.
I find Arielah’s love for King Solomon to be a foreshadowing of Christ’s love for us. Beautiful in description, forbearing and forgiving while being treated despicably.
Mesu kept her novel true to Scripture as we know it. Obviously King Solomon had a specific love he adored whom he wrote about in The Song of Solomon, and Mesu did an excellent job in exploring that relationship. A “must read” for all Biblical historical readers. A keeper!
This book was provided by Donna Hausler of Revell Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review. No monetary compensation was exchanged.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Mrs_Queen
Posted March 12, 2012
I am not a reader at all. I have not read a book for pleasure in years, simply because I get bored and can’t sit still long enough to delve into the story. However, the Song of Solomon has always been a mysterious book of the Bible for me, and hearing that ‘Love’s Sacred Song’ turned that book into a story, I was intrigued. I read the book in less than a week. I literally “lol’d”, cried like a baby and, amazingly, was able to feel many of the feelings that the characters were feeling, because Mesu made the story real. ‘Love’s Sacred Song’ led me back to that puzzling book of the Bible where I finally understood and enjoyed the words. I hope to see many more inspiring stories from the mind and heart of this author. Thank you, Mesu, for sharing your wonderful God-given talents and making God’s word precious and personal. I’m so very proud of you.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 21, 2012
made me see jobs suffering in a new way. great twist
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 4, 2012
The story was interesting but it did not hold my interest throughout the whole book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 16, 2012
By fusing biblical verse, political intrigue, and enchanting characters, Andrews create a memorable story set during King Solomon's legendary reign. I was very much swept away by the power of love and forgiveness. So glad I stumbled upon this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.At the beginning of the week you may have seen the flyer posted about this book. Could the book cover get any more yummy? Now if you had a Bible cover like this, wouldn’t you want to jump in and read about these characters/people and try to understand their emotions and the events surrounding them? I would! Sometimes reading your Bible is hard and you need a bit of a jump start on your imagination. That is what you find in these Biblical Fiction books from Mesu. She uses scripture as a baseline and then adds possible fiction to the storytelling to bring the names to life and gives them form and face in imagination. It causes you to want to go back and delve more. Read more about abba David from the sheep field to the harp in the courtyard to the pain in treachery and then the death bed. To Solomon’s encounter with God and to the events in his kingdom.
If you know me and my opinion and thirst for Christian Historical Fiction you might have heard me mention that my first introduction was through Liz Curtis Higgs and her Scottish Lowlands Series. While her historical novels might be staged in Scotland and hosted in a different century the elements and foundation of a scripture story is there. Now, would you believe me if I told you my heart and curiosity was even moreenraptured by the storytelling’s of the book Song of Songs telling King Solomon, son of the shepherd and poet King David in a novelization from Mesu Andrews?
This book had me by the heart and held on. Our Beloved Arielah captured my sympathy and interest and made me turn the page in the same way that any historical romance from others of my favorite author’s like Mary Connealy, Julie Lessman, or Susan Page Davis and MaryLu Tyndall might force me to do. Yet she did something even more. While it is not entirely surprising for me to explore some related scripture after reading a particular Christian Historical Fiction novel, the storyline from Mesu caused me to venture in and read Song of Songs in its entirety from my Bible without interruption and with a new set of lenses for my eyes. They are not rose colored glasses, but they sure are vivid… and enchanting.
As a reader, one is pulled into the life and times of a Biblical monarch that finds himself a real man enduring such troubles and tasks tobe realistic and interesting. There is romance of course, but it doesn’t stop there as the suspense and drama propels each page forward. In the end it is a fascinating take that just makes me want to crack the spine on my Bible more often.
Well done Mesu! Need I even say it? Highly recommended!
*Thanks to Mesu and Revell for providing a copy for review.*
“Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker
Publishing Group.”
Don’t forget you may want more and to go back and read Dinah’s story in Love Amid the Ashes.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Mesu Andrews has the uncanny ability to see behind the scenes of the most treasured Bible stories. In her latest book, Love's Sacred Song she gives readers insight into the life of Solomon, said to be the wisest man in the Bible. Andrews brings to life characters that the Bible only mentions, giving them lives and stories of their own and bringing the reader to a new understanding and a deeper faith in God.
The Song of Solomon has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible, for several reasons. The love that Solomon expresses in this book of the Bible is deep and strong. He loved this woman dearly and his heartfelt words are beautiful and inspiring to read. I've always believed that, that kind of love is comes few and far between. Mesu Andrews gives Solomon's words of love an object, a personality, a name. It's rare that an author can so truly capture the essence of another person's words and feelings like Andrews does in this book. It was compelling and felt real and authentic.
Andrews seems to have a real knack for taking Bible stories and expanding on them to create a feeling of deeper understanding in the reader. In reading the Bible it is often hard to give the people it talks about a real face because most of the scripture doesn't discuss their feelings, just their actions. I think where Mesu Andrews excels is in giving her characters real emotions that those in the Bible stories were probably feeling. Her characters are not perfect but they are redeemable. They are fallible just as any other person, but they understand God's purpose in their lives and their purpose on this earth.
It is easy to see that Andrews has put in a remarkable amount of time in study of not only the Bible, but of other historical texts from the period. Her descriptions of the towns, the customs and behavior of the people of the day is spot on. She allows the reader to use all of their senses as she tells about the King's harems and the daily life in his court. So much so, that the reader will taste the dust from the streets, and hear the wheels of the carts and wagons. Andrews is also adept at allowing the reader to feel the emotions of the characters. This book will make you laugh and cry, as well as, feel anger and love.
Arielah is a woman whose love of Solomon foreshadowed the love Christ for us. It was uncompromising. It was merciful, gentle yet full of strength. She endured a lot of things that many of us today would never have stood for because she had faith and she knew Solomon was the man of her heart and her destiny. I thought Andrews did a fantastic job of giving the Shulamite woman a voice. Solomon describes his great love for her in The Song of Solomon, and Andrews pays homage to that love in her own book. Certainly not a book any fan of Christian and Inspirational fiction would want to miss.
I really liked this one. There was just something about it that resonated with me. For one thing, I love a good love story and this is a good one in every sense of the word. The writing is meticulous, but smooth and elegant almost. The characters are vividly drawn and believable. The story in and of itself is timeless and inspiring. That's the kind of love many of us only dream of having. I know I do. I recommend this one to Christian fiction readers as well as mainstream romance readers. The Biblical aspects are present, but not overpowering. In the end this is a love story, and a very good one.
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WONDERFUL STORY!!
LOVE'S SACRED SONG by Mesu Andrews is a very good inspirational historical fiction. There were lots of Biblical characters in this book which I liked very much. The two I liked the best was Solomon and Arielah.The love that they had for each other and their love of God was astrounding. That should be our thought to have more God and faith in our own lives. "Love's Sacred Song" is a very good story,full of love,passion,character flaws,and faith.This author has given a new light on an old story by weaving "The Song of Soloman" throughout this story.Received for an honest review from the publisher. Details can be found at Revell,a division of Baker Publishing Group,the author's website,and My Book Addiction and More.
RATING:5
HEAT RATING:SWEET
REVIEWED BY: DorothyA,My Book Addiction and More
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Posted April 12, 2012
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Posted September 14, 2012
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Posted March 29, 2013
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Overview
Standing in the shadow of his famous father, young King Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, longing for a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.
A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah has known since she first laid eyes on Solomon that it was her destiny ...