THE HEART OF A KING by JILL EILEEN SMITH

From the minute I opened the book I was transported back to the days where Solomon was awaiting his turn to be king. I could see the palace, guards and servants as King David barked commands. The author breathes life into a story we know with a fresh look at the women in Solomon’s life.

When Solomon becomes king, you can feel the honor and blessings that are bestowed upon him. His first wife has given him a child but will that keep his eyes from wandering?  I loved getting a better insight into each of King Solomon’s wives. Each one played an important part in his legacy. The words he spoke to them was poetic and filled with love. The risks he took in having many wives was a heavy price. As you read the book, take note of each wife and how they impacted King Solomon as he made decisions, betrayed people and grew to know the gift of wisdom was the one gift God had given him. Did he use it wisely?

The book is fictional with some liberties taken to give readers a glimpse of what it may have looked and sounded like as King Solomon ruled. There isn’t much in the Bible about his wives, but with the authors gifted artistic way she lets us imagine what they may have said . I was captured by King Solomon’s story and basked in the beauty of how the author paints a masterpiece in words. Each chapter becomes more involved and let’s us see the heart of a King.

King Solomon did have his faults as we clearly see by the wives he took and the need for material wealth. God was very specific in the orders he gave Solomon but when they are ignored will there be consequences? It is important to read “Note to the Reader” at the end of the book. The author explains more about King Solomon and his passion to serve God. Oh that we may have that same desire. There is much to learn from this story such as, “he came to realize that even amid our failures, life isn’t meaningless but can have great purpose if we fear God and keep His Word."

I received a copy of this book from the author. The review is my own opinion.

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.

Contact Jill through email (jill@jilleileensmith.com), her website (http://www.jilleileensmith.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith), or Twitter (https://twitter.com/JillEileenSmith).