Author of the Month: Tessa Afshar

This month’s Author of the Month pick is the incredible Tessa Afshar! I only just started reading Tessa’s work in 2018, but it only took one book for me to fall in love with her style of writing. Her stories revolve around, or feature as side characters, real life Biblical figures, but in a way that feels deeply relatable. She takes you into the heart of these people and helps you to see them as the human beings they were. You feel all of the emotions alongside them.

Since first giving Tessa’s books a try, I’ve set out to read her entire backlist. I’m almost caught up now, with only three of her books left on my TBR list! 

One of the last three books of Tessa’s left on my list is her debut novel, Pearl in the Sand, which tells the story of Rahab. I have heard many good things about this book, and I’m so eager to read it! This October, Pearl in the Sand will be re-releasing in a 10th Anniversary Edition, with a breathtaking new cover, new edits, and even added content that wasn’t in the original. I’m glad I haven’t bought this one yet because now I can get it in this edition!

SIDE NOTE: I think the fact that this book is getting a special release speaks volumes about the quality of this story! It’s not every day that a publisher will spend the money to do something like this for a book.

Tessa’s second book, Harvest of Rubies, is about the fictional cousin of Nehemiah (the jewish man/cupbearer the king of Persia sent to rebuild Jerusalem) and her journey to becoming the queen’s chief scribe and then the wife of a handsome and powerful Persian nobleman. I just read this one in July of this year, and I absolutely loved it! You can read my review HERE.

Harvest of Rubies leaves you on somewhat of a cliffhanger, wondering what is next for Sarah and Darius’s relationship. Their story continues in Harvest of Gold, which I am dying to read! I hope to purchase it on Kindle or in paperback by the end of the year.

After the conclusion of her Harvest of Rubies series, Tessa went back in Israel’s history to tell the story of Ruth, the great grandmother of King David and one of the five women named in the lineage of Jesus (Rahab was also one of those women). This book was another that I read this year and it pulled me in, heart and soul. I think Tessa’s treatment of the Ruth story is my favorite yet, simply because of how beautifully she conveyed the message and how she weaved Ruth’s life with that of her great grandson, David. You can read my review of the book HERE.

By far, my favorite book that I’ve read by Tessa is Land of Silence, the story of “the woman with the issue of blood” from the New Testament. This book… it was heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. What makes it even more impressive to me is the fact that I listened to it on Audible and I still loved it as much as I did. I love listening to books on Audible, but it can be harder for me to get into them versus if I read the book myself. The fact that I was so engrossed in this particular audiobook speaks to the quality of the story. To hear–er… read my full thoughts on this unforgettable book, check out my review HERE.

Tessa continued in the New Testament vein with her next book, Bread of Angels. I also listened to this one on Audible, and while I didn’t get into it as much as I did Land of Silence, it’s still a compelling and touching story.

The first book I ever read by Tessa was her 2018 release, Thief of Corinth. The gorgeous cover and attention-grabbing premise prompted me to order it with birthday money that year. Once I read it, I was hooked and the rest of Tessa’s work went on my to-read list.

I don’t have a review for this one on my blog, but I did review it on Goodreads. Check out my review for it HERE.

Last but not least is Tessa’s latest work, and the third book of hers that I have left to read–Daughter of Rome. Just look at that cover? Isn’t it breathtaking? I love the colors, the bold, white book title, and the heroine’s beautiful red hair. 

Daughter of Rome is technically a stand alone novel, but, from what I understand, some characters from Thief of Corinth carry over into this book. The story follows the love story of Priscilla and Aquila, the couple that was very instrumental in building the church in Corinth. If I don’t get this book by November, I will for sure be purchasing it with birthday money (buying books with birthday money is THE best part of my birthday, in case you didn’t know **wink, wink**).

That’s a wrap–for now! Tessa’s next book, coming in 2021, will be entitled Treasure of the Nile! It will tell Theo’s story, which I am SOOO excited about since he was my favorite character from Thief of Corinth. Poor dude had it rough… It will be good to see him get a happy ending at last!

Tessa has also indicated that after this next book she will be returning to the Old Testament era for her writing. I can’t wait to see what characters and stories she comes up with! They are sure to be just as heart-warming and soul-stirring as all her other creations.

If you’ve never read anything by Tessa Afshar, I encourage you to give her books a try! I feel confident you won’t regret the decision! If you do read one of them, be sure to let me know what you think. And don’t forget to find Tessa on Facebook and Instagram! One of the coolest things about her is the fact that she loves to cook Biblical era recipes. It’s so fun to see pictures of her garden and the food she makes!

Happy Reading, friends!