Book Review: Rachel by Jill Eileen Smith

Beautiful Rachel wants nothing more than for her older half sister Leah to wed and move out of their household. Maybe then she would not feel so scrutinized, so managed, so judged. Plain Leah wishes her father Laban would find a good man for her, someone who would love her alone and make her his only bride. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jacob is making his way to their home, trying to escape a past laced with deceit and find the future God has promised him.

But the past comes back to haunt Jacob when he finds himself on the receiving end of treachery and the victim of a cruel bait and switch. The man who wanted only one woman will end up with sisters who have never gotten along and now must spend the rest of their lives sharing a husband. In the power struggles that follow, only one woman will triumph . . . or will she?

My thoughts:

First off, I love all of this author’s books.  I haven’t read one that I said, “ehh, that was okay.” I always come away from her books feeling like I know her characters and I understand the bible story they are based on better.  You can tell Mrs. Smith puts a lot of time into her research. If you follow her blog, then you know biblical history is one of her passions.  She weaves the biblical story into her fiction and the outcome is a book that you won’t soon forget.  The story of Rachel is filled with treachery. First you have Jacob’s mother who ensured her son stole the blessing that belonged to his older brother, Esau. Then, you have Laban who stepped in and switched brides on Jacob at the last minute. Once they are both married to the same man, Rachael and her sister, Leah, have to find a way to share him and endure. It’s a story that will make you cheer, laugh, cry, and sigh with love. It was a book that kept me guessing and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Jill Eileen Smith is the author of Sarai, Rebekah, and Rachel, all part of the Wives of the Patriarchs series and best-selling author of the Wives of King David series. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.

http://www.jilleileensmith.com/

 

 

You can buy this book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or CBD.