1. Bathsheba:  Reluctant Beauty
    Angela Hunt
    Bethany House / 2015 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$16.88 Retail Price$18.00 Save 6% ($1.12)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty. View reviews of this product. 12 Reviews
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    Stock No: WW216961
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  1. KimW
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A MUST-READ from Angela Hunt!
    October 24, 2016
    KimW
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty

    by Angela Hunt

    Rating: 4.5/5

    Book 2 in the Dangerous Beauty series

    Bethany House - Fiction | Historical Fiction

    If you've ever been to church, you've probably heard about King David. He was a man after God's own heart. He was a worshipper. He was a shepherd. He's the one with the slingshot who killed the mighty Goliath. But who really knew him? Who really understood him?

    Bathsheba is one character in the Bible who seems to be misunderstood or overlooked. She was married to Uriah, a soldier. She bathed outside, as was the custom, and David saw her and wanted her. She became pregnant and David tried to cover up his sins.

    Nathan the prophet spoke the word of God even if it was not what David wanted to hear. He prophesied what would happen because of what David did with Bathsheba.

    Angela Hunt cleverly and thoroughly weaves an amazing story of heartache and pain and redemption -- she transports the reader into Biblical times and fills in the gaps with her imagination. Hunt is a master at historical fiction and I'm always impressed with the details that she comes up with. Although I don't always agree with her character portrayals, Hunt is an impressive writer. The all-too-familiar story is still relevant today and Hunt drew a conclusion about David that I had never heard before. Switching the story from Bathsheba's to Nathan's perspectives was interesting at first, but I eventually got used to it. I would have loved some of David's inner thoughts but that would have changed the entire story. I appreciate how true the author stays to the Biblical accounts of David's life. I like seeing the flaws when you look up close because David was not a saint by any means. I now feel like I understand David more from reading a book from Bathsheba's perspective.

    I highly recommend this book and this author for Biblical historical fiction.

    I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  2. Debbie from ChristFocus
    Harrison, AR
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Insightful story based on Bible record & excellent research
    September 6, 2015
    Debbie from ChristFocus
    Harrison, AR
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    "Bathsheba" is Biblical fiction. The author clearly spent a lot of time researching the biblical text and learning about the culture behind the story. She wove this information into the story to help explain the "why" behind certain scenes. The author carefully followed what we're given in the biblical record but filled out the story with what can reasonably be inferred from that record. Having carefully studied the story previously, I agree with the direction she took the story for the very reasons she gave at the end.

    The story is about a woman struggling to deal with what life threw at her, who matures through the pain, and who finds peace. The story followed Bathsheba's life from her marriage to Uriah to David's death. Bathsheba is devastated by her rape, but what could she do? He's the king! The loss of her husband and firstborn child force her to struggle with her faith and with forgiving David. Her life is impacted by David's decisions, and so are her fellow wives and David's sons. The characters and their reactions to the various situations felt realistic. The main characters had both good and bad traits, and the author suggested reasons why they acted the way they did.

    There was no bad language. The sex (and rape) scenes were not physically detailed, but it was clear from the lead-up what happened. Overall, I'd highly recommend this as one of the best biblical fiction I've read in a while.

    I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
  3. debs
    Maine
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Bathsheba ~ Angela Hunt
    October 2, 2015
    debs
    Maine
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This is book # 2 in the dangerous beauty series. The story is a fictional bible story of Bathsheba and not far from the true bible story. This book will have you wanting to grab your bible and read about Bathsheba, King David and Nathan. Angela does a great job of putting you in a place with such detail that you feel you are right in the book itself. The story is so well written you will not want to put it down, the short chapters make you feel you can read just one more before going to bed. It is very heart warming, makes you angry, makes you feel sad for Bathsheba and so much more. This book makes you wonder and think, do you make choices fast or do you wait to hear GOD speaking before you act?

    I would recommend it to women of all ages and those that want to read a great bible story. It is a long book, but will go fast because you will get so wrapped up in the characters and their lives. I loved this book and can't wait for book #3.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Bethany House Reviews. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

  4. JoyO
    New Hampshire
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Great Read!
    September 20, 2015
    JoyO
    New Hampshire
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    From the back cover...

    One of Ancient Israel's Most Famous Women--As You've Never Looked at Her Before

    One of the Bible's most misunderstood and misjudged women, Bathsheba comes to life in this new biblical reimagining from Angela Hunt. Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, this is an eye-opening portrait that will have you reconsidering everything you thought you knew about her.

    After receiving God's promise of a lifelong reign and an eternal dynasty, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier's wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king's household.

    My thoughts

    I absolutely LOVED this book! Out of all the books Ive reviewed lately, this is my favorite so far!

    As the story of Bathsheba and David can be somewhat controversial and hotly debated in the Christian world, I would recommend reading the authors note at the end of the book, before diving into the story. Here Angela Hunt explains why she wrote certain aspects of the story the way that she did (I'm trying not to give away any spoilers, but if you've read the Bible, then you've already got a pretty good idea. ;) ). Bottom line to keep in mind with Biblical fiction is that we have no way of knowing the real thoughts, emotions, and driving forces behind their decisions. This is one person's take on the story, as well as the lessons God revealed. It's always best to keep an open mind with Biblical fiction unless the author is not following the Biblical account. That being said, anything that was told a specific way in the Bible was absolutely, 100% written that way in this story.

    The story is told through Bathsheba's and Nathan the prophets perspectives, and it is written in first person, which I absolutely love! I think a part of me was expecting this story to be much sadder then it was, but despite the heavy subject matter, I found it to be quite uplifting. The pages overflowed with Biblical insights that just blew me away!

    Personally, I think I've always romanticized the story of David and Bathsheba. In a, "the king falls in love with a peasant girl" kind of way, in an attempt to ignore the harsh reality of the story. I love what Angela Hunt said in the author's note at the end of the book: "Are we so enthralled with the man 'after God's own heart' that we cannot see that he was as fallible as any other human?" Angela did an amazing job of capturing David's imperfections, lusts, and failings, as well as his love for God, repentant spirit, and passion. I walked away from this book with a new look at David.

    Nathan's story was very intertwined with not only David, but with Bathsheba as well. It was an interesting twist that added so much depth to the story. It was the perfect way to write some of the scenes instead of everything being from Bathsheba's perspective.

    Bathsheba was an amazing character. I could relate with her, cry with her, and learn with her. As a baby, Bathsheba had a powerful prophecy spoken over her in the story. It made Bathsheba the perfect heroine who struggled with God's call, fought God's call, and worked towards God's call - something I think all of us can relate to ourselves!

    I was desperate to read Bathsheba after reading Esther, book one in the Dangerous Beauty Series. This novel did not disappoint, and I can't wait to read the last book in the series, which is about Delilah. What else can I say? I loved this book! Before I even finished reading it, I was recommending it to friends and family. Buy this book!!!

    I received a copy of Bathsheba by Angela Hunt from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.
  5. Martha Artyomenko
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Bathsheba
    September 8, 2015
    Martha Artyomenko
    Quality: 4
    Value: 3
    Meets Expectations: 4
    Many people like to avoid biblical fiction because they dont want to add to the bible. For myself, I read a biblical fiction book like Angela Hunts and it drives me to the bible. I especially loved all the footnotes in the end, references, and notes on the research behind this book.

    Bathsheba was a beautiful woman. Her beauty to her, seemed as if a curse. This story is told in first person from two points of view, Bathsheba and Nathan, the prophet. It fully will make you dig into the bible and see, perhaps for the first time, how this lovely woman has been maligned and harshly judged throughout history. You will see that, perhaps for the first time, Gods heart in this sad state of affairs.

    I loved the quote that was found near the end David says he loved Bathsheba the most because she forgave the most.

    As we see in our lives today, when men in roles of leadership sin, it affects not just him and his family, it affects the others in the church around him. David repented for his sin, but it still followed him the rest of his days. He had to live with the consequences even though he repented sincerely. I feel like we often want to say He repented, it means what he did was not that bad. Lets push it under the chair now. We forget about the maligned, the hurting, in our effort to protect the reputation of the church. In this, we have even taken the story of Bathsheba and done victim blaming, because we dont want to think the worst of David.

    This book was written very well, with excellent research and is one that will stick with me for quite some time.

Displaying items 1-5 of 12
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