I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: Daughters of the Promised Land Book #4
Published by Baker Books on February 6th, 2018
Source: Revell Reads
Genres: Christian, Fiction, General, Historical, Romance
Pages: 368
Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, share a deep and abiding love, for each other, for their God, and for his tabernacle at Shiloh. Greatly disturbed by the corruption of the priests, they long for restoration and pray for a deliverer. But nothing changes as the years pass. Years that also reveal Hannah to be barren.
Pressured by his family to take another wife, Elkanah marries Peninnah, who quickly begins to bear children. Disgraced and taunted by her husband's new wife, Hannah turns again to prayers that seem doomed to go unanswered. Do her devotion and kindness in the face of Peninnah's cruelty count for nothing? Why does God remain silent and indifferent to her pleas?
Travel back to the dusty streets of Shiloh with an expert guide as Jill Eileen Smith brings to life a beloved story of hope, patience, and deliverance that shows that even the most broken of relationships can be restored.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Christian
ASEL Rating: MILD-there may be some mild language, mild romantic, suggestive scenes but no descriptions or details, mild violence (though no detailed description), or other content to be aware of.
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Profanity: None
Sex: mild romantic, suggestive scenes but no descriptions or details,
Violence: mild violence (though no detailed description)
Drugs & Alcohol: None
Trigger Warning: A young woman is taken advantage of and murdered after the birth of her baby. A woman miscarries. Both Hannah and Peninnah experience suicidal thoughts.
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A Passionate Hope: Hannah’s Story is book #4 in the Daughters of the Promised Land series by Jill Eileen Smith. Other books in the series include The Crimson Cord: Rahab’s Story (#1), The Prophetess: Deborah’s Story (#2), and Redeeming Grace: Ruth’s Story (#3).
I’ve read the story of Hannah so I’m ashamed to admit that I couldn’t recall that her husband had two wives. While I don’t think that Biblical fiction should take the place of the Bible, this is why I am a fan of the genre. It always prompts me to open up the scriptures and read them. It helps me retain details such as these that slip from my mind.
A Passionate Hope tells the story of Hannah and how she must have felt as the barren wife. Elkanah favored Hannah, the Bible tells us this in 1 Samuel 1. It also tells us how Peninnah (his other wife) mocked and provoked Hannah until she wept and refused to eat.
Jill Eileen Smith captured the heart of Hannah in a beautiful, thought-provoking way. I appreciated that she also gave a fictional account as to why Peninnah would have so provoked Hannah. It’s the subtlety of motive that I often do not consider when I’m reading scripture. It is why these books are such a blessing to me. It helps me humanize the experience.
This author tells Hannah’s story beautifully. I felt her pain and despair, her hope and her joy. This is a book that I would suggest for anyone that loves the story of Hannah.
About Jill Eileen Smith
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Wives of the Patriarchs, and the Loves of King Solomon series. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable, “helpful” cat Tiger. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
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