Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith

Product Description

Abigail's hopes and dreams for the future are wrapped up in her handsome, dark-eyed betrothed, Nabal. But when the long-awaited wedding day arrives, her drunken groom behaves shamefully. Nevertheless, Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband despite his abuse of her. Meanwhile, Abigail's family has joined David's wandering tribe as he and his people keep traveling to avoid the dangerous Saul. When Nabal suddenly dies, Abigail is free to move on with her life, and thanks to her brother, her new life includes a new husband--David. The dangers of tribal life on the run are serious, but there are other dangers in young Abigail's mind. How can David lead his people effectively when he goes against God? And how can Abigail share David's love with the other wives he insists on marrying? Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of Michal, draws on Scripture, historical research, and her imagination as she fills in the blanks to unveil the story of Abigail and David in rich detail and drama. The result is a riveting page-turner that will keep readers looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.

From the Inside Flap

David. It had to be. The sight of the king's son-in-law was nothing like she had imagined. In the stories she'd heard of him, he was the shepherd and singer and the man who would kill to marry the woman he loved. The last thought should have warned her of the fierce warrior who strode down the hill, gaze angry and proud. He was more handsome than Nabal, but his expression was as dark as Nabal's had been the night he had assaulted her the first year of their marriage. Adonai, help me! Her knees grew weak, and she wasn't sure they would hold her, but she reined in her donkey just the same and slipped from its back. David's pace didn't slow until he stopped within an arm's length. She sucked in a startled breath. He was so close she could feel the strength of him, smell his sweat. Unable to stand without swaying, she fell to her knees and lowered her face to the dust. "My lord . . . please, let me speak to you. Hear what your servant has to say." She stopped and waited for his response, her heart pounding. Silence spanned between them like a wide chasm. She felt his touch on her head. "Rise and speak." His voice was quiet and hoarse, as though he didn't trust himself to say more.

MY REVIEW

King David has always been one of my favorite people in the Bible to study. His heart and desire to follow God though he continually messed up is an example worth taking note of. So when the opportunity was presented to me by Revel Publishing to review Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith, I jumped on it and I am not sorry that I did!

Sometimes there is such big  gaps between verse 1 and verse 2 (not as in font size or style either!)  and we sometimes wonder why the "in-between" is not talked about... well, maybe so that gifted authors like Jill can use her studies of Old Testament times and her imagination to give use heart felt stories like Abigail and Michal.

Though I did not read Michal (Book One in The Wives of David series) I was not lost reading book two.. I knew enough scripture to know the time frame that Jill picked up in from scripture.

Though I was easily able to put Abigail down and not feel drawn to pick it back up immediately, I'd love to read more by Jill. She has a great gift of putting the scripture into a clear story that women can relate to. King David and the Bible seem so much more real after reading Abigail and being reminded that these women had feelings too. They weren't just characters in a story.

*This book was provided by Revel free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This did not sway my review and opinion of this book in anyway.