Chronicles of the Kings
by Lynn N. Austin
Set about 700 years before the birth of Christ, Austin's account of Jews as a people in bondage to the Assyrians, featuring the rise of King Hezekiah, is full of clever characterizations and court intrigue.

Eve: A Novel of the First Woman
by Elissa Elliott
Elliott reimagines the story of Adam and Eve in a debut novel that richly evokes earliest biblical times. The story is told from the points of view of Eve and her daughters: Naava, the beautiful weaver; Aya, the quick-witted, club-footed cook; and Dara, the compassionate observant twin. Eve recounts the fall and how she and Adam wander until settling down to grow crops, raise livestock and start a garden of their own. Elliott offers readers vivid details about the first childbirth, the first intercourse, the first recriminations, the first environmental calamity and the first hunt, but the novel really comes alive when it departs from lushly imagined retelling and thrusts the family into unfamiliar territory when the brood encounters a city and city people. Elliott is at her imaginative and linguistic best describing city life, customs and architecture, building tension as Naava falls for a prince, fueling Cain's wrath. Elliott makes biblical fiction her own with a female perspective that emphasizes emotional turmoil, sensual experience and an impressive range of imagery that brings to life daily life in the beginning

Journey to the Well
by Diana Wallis Taylor
One of the most well-known and loved stories of Jesus's ministry is the encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Now the creative mind of Diana Wallis Taylor imagines how the Samaritan woman got there in the first place. Marah is just a girl of thirteen when her life is set on a path that will eventually lead her to a life-changing encounter with the Messiah. But before that momentous meeting she must traverse through times of love lost and found, cruel and manipulative men, and gossiping women. This creative and accurate portrayal of life in the time of Jesus opens a window into a fascinating world. Taylor's rich descriptions of the landscapes, lifestyles, and rituals mesh easily with the emotional and very personal story of one woman trying to make a life out of what fate seems to throw at her. This exciting and heartwrenching story will fascinate readers and lend new life to a familiar story.

Lineage of Grace
by Francine Rivers
These novellas tell of strong biblical women, each in the lineage of Christ, each illustrating some concept of courageous faith - and each followed by lengthy study guides for discussion groups.

Luke's Story: By Faith Alone
by Tim LaHaye
Recounts the life story of the author of the Gospel of Luke--from his life as a slave to his university studies as a medical student at Tarsus, from his acquaintance with Saul (Paul) of Tarsus to his ultimate discipleship and decision to write the story of Christ.

Mary of Nazareth
by Marek Halter
Harek, author of biblically-inspired novels such as Zipporah, Wife of Moses and Sarah, imagines the childhood and tumultuous young adulthood of Miriam (Mary) of Nazareth, mother of Jesus. Her loving parents Joachim and Hannah want to protect their daughter, but violence surrounds them as Herod's egregious taxation sparks Jewish insurrection. Miriam befriends a young revolutionary named Barabbas (yes, the same seditious Barabbas to be released more than three decades later instead of Jesus), and her world is upended by political uncertainty. In Halter's hands, Miriam is equal parts brazen temerity and quiet holiness, her deep courage an example to those who would submit to injustice, her scholarship unusual among women and her skill at healing remarkable. The novel offers brisk pacing and a good deal of adventure. Along the way, readers will learn a great deal of the ascetic Essene sect and the traditions and practices of first-century Judaism. And the novel's climax-the famous Annunciation-happens not out of the blue, but because a determined Miriam asks Yahweh to bring the Messiah and is blessed. In Halter's hands, Mary is not a passive receptacle of divine grace, but an active agent in changing the world.

Ninth Witness
by Bodie Thoene
Riots and revolts spread across Judea. Twelve-year-old Yeshua is in Jerusalemabout his Father's business in the Templeas his panic-stricken parents search for him amidst the chaos. Readers will enjoy reading this interesting story from Christ's youth. This is the ninth book in the A.D. Chronicles series. Includes historical maps and a discussion guide for individual or group study.

The Centurion's Wife
by Janette Oke
Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage, is secretly commissioned to discover the truth behind the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine while also being engulfed in her own turmoil--facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions as leader of the Roman garrison near Galilee.