Ends 4/19! Enter to win a Kindle HDX from @TLHigley in THE QUEEN’S HANDMAID giveaway & Review!

About the book: From the servant halls of Cleopatra's Egyptian palace to the courts of Herod the Great, Lydia will serve two queens to see prophecy fulfilled.

Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC

Orphaned at birth, Lydia was raised as a servant in Cleopatra's palace, working hard to please while keeping everyone at arm's length. She's been rejected and left with a broken heart too many times in her short life.

But then her dying mentor entrusts her with secret writings of the prophet Daniel and charges her to deliver this vital information to those watching for the promised King of Israel. Lydia must leave the nearest thing she's had to a family and flee to Jerusalem. Once in the Holy City, she attaches herself to the newly appointed king, Herod the Great, as handmaid to Queen Mariamme.

Trapped among the scheming women of Herod's political family---his sister, his wife, and their mothers---and forced to serve in the palace to protect her treasure, Lydia must deliver the scrolls before dark forces warring against the truth destroy all hope of the coming Messiah.

My review: This story really opened my eyes to how horrible it would have been to be a woman in that time period, especially a royal, servant, or slave.  To be a pawn and not have any say in who you marry or what your life will be like would have been terrible.  This story has a lot of history, which was interesting, but overshadowed the plot line about Lydia so I had a hard time emotionally connecting with her. I admired her courage and creativity and felt for her pain as she lost people close to her.  I liked the bit of romance and there was plenty of suspense as you never knew who would get killed next!  I liked the depiction of spiritual warfare.  I don't think we see that enough in novels.  It was cool to see how Cleopatra fit with the Biblical characters and I have a much greater understanding of what was happening in the world in the decades leading up to the birth of Jesus.  If you like historical fiction with an emphasis on the history, you should check it out!

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.   

More reviews at Litfuse!

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/uKKQP

About the Author: Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at age eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored many novels, including Garden of Madness and So Shines the Night. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. 

See Tracy's travel journals and more at: tracyhigley.com

Tracy L. Higley is celebrating the release of The Queen's Handmaid with a fun giveaway.

Retailers + Resources gave it this glowing review: "Rich in historic detail, Higley’s vivid writing brings to life the plots and intrigues that swirled through the ancient world as alliances were built and broken on the calculated schemes of power-mad monarchs." 

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• The Queen's Handmaid by Tracy L. Higley

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 19th. Winner will be announced April 21st on Tracy's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Tracy's blog on April 21st to see if you won.