The Tomb by Stephanie

From the moment I started this book I didn't want to put it down. It is so down to Earth and so very real. Of course, all the Bible things are real to me, but this was added. Martha is dealing with being in love with a man her Father doesn't want her to marry. Meanwhile, Mary is married to the man of her dreams. Martha is happy for them, but her Mother died leaving  her with the commission of caring for her Father and her family. This is a task this young teenager too so to heart that now that she is almost past regular marrying age, she is still being the dutiful daughter. It's nice from the outside to be the perfect Martha, but it isn't easy and there is so much more involved with Martha's heart!

When Isa leaves, he promises to come back for her. Only her brother Lazarus knows about her time alone with Isa, however her Father wants her to be betrothed to Simon. Where is this going to take Martha in life? A husband who doesn't love her? A heart she can't commit to a man she has to marry?

All this is just the start of things that as we know from the Bible, winds up with Lazarus dying.
This is a really page turning expansion of Martha's story, as well as Lazarus's story. I'm glad I read this one!

Carol :)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Tomb

Howard Books (March 17, 2015)

by

Stephanie Landsem

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from the author:
I write historical fiction because I love adventure in far-off times and places. I’ve traveled since I was a teenager—backpacking through Germany and Eastern Europe, studying German in Salzburg, eating gelato in Italy, and riding camels in Morocco were some of the highlights. Travel kindles my imagination, fuels my love of history, and introduces me to one-of-a-kind characters. It’s the best kind of research.

When I can’t travel, I read. I love fiction, of course, but I’m often found behind a stack of history books or searching the web for historical tidbits. How people lived together, worked, and what they ate (I love food!) is usually what catches my imagination. No matter where or when we live, people are more alike than they are different. I love to find the similarities between our lives and those of the men and women of the ancient world.

I make my home in Minnesota with my husband of 22 years, four children, three fat cats, and a tortoise named Moe. When I’m not writing Biblical fiction, I’m feeding the ravenous horde of kids and their friends, volunteering at church and school, battling dandelions, and dreaming about my next adventure – whether it be in person or on the page.


ABOUT THE BOOK

In this captivating retelling of a classic biblical story, Jesus shocks the town of Bethany with Lazarus’s resurrection from the dead, leading Martha—a seemingly perfect woman trapped by the secrets of her past—to hope and a new life.

Everyone in Bethany admires Martha—the perfect Jewish woman. She feeds and clothes her loved ones, looks after the family farm, and meticulously follows every precept of the Pharisees’ strict laws. But Martha is hiding a secret. At her sister’s marriage feast, she gave her heart and her innocence to a young musician who promised to return and marry her, but instead betrayed her love and abandoned her.

Seven years later, only two people in Bethany know of Martha’s secret sin: her brother, Lazarus, and Simon, the righteous Pharisee to whom Martha is betrothed. When Lazarus falls ill, Martha is faced with a choice: send for Jesus to save her dying brother—risking the wrath of Simon who threatens to betray her—or deny Jesus’ healing power and remain trapped in her tomb of secrecy and lies.

Meanwhile, on the shores of Galilee, Isa roams the wilderness, tortured by demons and knowing only that someone is waiting for him. When he is healed by Jesus, he finds that seven years have passed since his descent into madness. Isa journeys home to Bethany only to find he is too late to win back Martha’s love.

When Martha risks all to heal Lazarus, will Jesus arrive in time, or will he—like Isa—come too late?

If you would like to read the first chapter of  The Tomb, go HERE.

Stephanie can be reached through the Contact link on her Website.