From the servant halls of Cleopatra’s Egyptian palace to the courts of Herod the Great, Lydia will serve two queens to see prophecy fulfilled.

Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC

Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra’s palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’s been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life.

But then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she’s had to a family and flee to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme.

Trapped among the scheming women of Herod’s political family—his sister, his wife, and their mothers—and forced to serve in the palace to protect her treasure, Lydia must deliver the scrolls before dark forces warring against the truth destroy all hope of the coming Messiah.

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TRACY L. HIGLEY

The Queen’s Handmaid by Tracy L. Higley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book began with such amazing promise, and I was truly anticipating this story since I know very little about the time period of Cleopatra et al. And for the first third of the book, I read it with great interest. I was not truly sold on the protagonist, but I was anticipating the action and historical account.

Unfortunately, although this book is exceptionally clean (no profanity nor bedroom scenes), I became increasingly bored with the story. It took a strange turn that truly made no historical sense, at least in my opinion. I was amazed that there was some kind of somewhat happy ending. I would have preferred a more realistic historical account–even if it meant a tragic ending. Additionally, although this is a Christian book, Christ was not born as of yet. It is clear that there are some devout Jews, but I didn’t even see their faith displayed like it should have been.

I have to admit that I gave this book three stars because most of it is historically accurate, and it is a clean book. Other than that, I am not a fan of this book. I know it could have been better, and I truly wish it had been.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

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