Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

Women of the Way, Book 1

Martha’s Story

Martha learns the bitterness of loss at an early age. Her mother dies giving birth, leaving her father a shell of his former self and uninterested in his children. Martha, the oldest sibling, Martha takes care of Lazarus and baby Mary with the help of her grandmother and others.

While a teenager, Martha dreams of marrying the man she loves, yet the tragedies continue to mount. Her bitterness deepens.

Several years later, Martha and her siblings meet Jesus of Nazareth. He heals her friend’s husband. Could he be the Messiah?

I was quickly drawn into this fictional story about the Biblical siblings. It is told in first person from Martha’s point of view.

This well-written, poignant story held my attention from the beginning. The author has taken creative license to tell the story, including the timing of events and the people involved in some instances. The author addresses some of these in the Author’s Note.

Flawed, believable characters pulled me into their challenges and heartaches. It’s a powerful Biblical fiction set during the time of Christ.

Christianbook.com

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

A Certain Future Series, Book 1  

One finds it difficult to believe this is a Debut Novel. Dindzans has written a mesmerizing story that immerses readers into the dangerous New Testament days when a father’s whim held more sway over whom a woman would marry than she did herself.

Readers of the Bible will note specific events in the life of Jesus and even His parables are woven into this well-written story.

Mara, the daughter of a drunkard, is only important to her father for the money he will receive from the bridegroom. Mara wants to marry her neighbor Samuel in two years when he has saved the bride-price. She’ll be fifteen then. Yet events take a terrible turn.

Dindzans’s depth of research transports readers back to Biblical days. Jewish traditions and culture enrich the storytelling.

The book is edgier than I normally read. There is violence and rape but it’s not explicitly shown. There are characters readers will love and others they definitely will not.

I could not put the book down.

I highly recommend this novel to lovers of Biblical fiction.

Reviewed by Sandra Merville Hart

The Egyptian Chronicles, Book 2

This is the story of Joseph just before his release from prison—for a crime he didn’t commit—and up through the famine.

It’s a beautifully written story told in multiple viewpoints. The author’s attention to historical detail and tradition amazed me. I’ve read the Biblical account that is the background for this story many times and the historical and cultural insights brought me a whole new perspective.

Those familiar sections of Joseph’s Biblical story were the parts that gripped me most in this novel. Characters are well-developed and believably true to the times. The setting is a turbulent period in history that moves quickly. Well done!

Recommended for readers of Biblical fiction!

Amazon

Daughters of Zelophehad, Book 1

Mahlah is the oldest of five daughters of Zelophehad. As Israelites from the tribe of Manasseh, they wander through the wilderness when the cloud lifts. God leads through the desert and also through her father’s anger. Much of his anger lashes out at Mahlah. Her mother died five years ago and Mahlah still misses her.

Zelophehad dies with so many other, somehow choosing not to look up at the bronze snake that Moses holds high to save him.

As bad as things were with her father, they are worse now for his daughters. Reuben, the widower she’d once hoped to marry, asks her to care for his young son while he’s at war.

But he’s not the only one who faces danger, for it seems to follow the sisters—especially Mahlah.

This Biblical fiction story set during the time of Moses kept me turning pages. The many adventures and dangers kept this story moving at a fast pace. The main character’s burdens to care for her family and her love for Reuben tugged at my heart.

An enjoyable read!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com