DELILAH by India Edghill, 2009.

Like her previous novels, Queenmaker and Wisdom's Daughter, Edghill takes a Biblical story and expands on it to create a fully absorbing and satisfying read. In this case, she uses the Old Testament story of Samson and Delilah, weaving an entirely plausible backstory for the characters as well as keeping the basic story in view. Beautiful and graceful Delilah is raised as a dancer-priestess to the goddess Atargatis in the Philistine city of Ascalon. She falls for Samson, the Hebrew judge and reluctant warrior-hero who is considered an enemy by the Philistines, as soon as she sees him, but the evil High Priestess has plans for them both. Plots and schemes separate them physically but not in their hearts, and when events finally bring them together, it's with the knowledge that love can last even in death. Excellent storytelling, accurate description, and I enjoyed the way the author actually includes connections to her earlier books. If you enjoy Biblical based fiction, this will satisfy.

Finished reading on 4/22/09:

MICHAL, by Jill Eileen Smith, 2009.

I read this in order to write a review for the Historical Novel Society, but I wanted to read it anyway, as I enjoy historical fiction concerning King David and his wives. Have read quite a bit of it by this point in my life, and found this to be an enjoyable story. The author did a good job in her portrayal of Michal and David especially--it showed the struggles Michal faced in being loyal to her family, to David, to her faith in God, and to herself. Even though she at times turned away from God, and against David, she redeemed herself and made peace with her inner turmoils, and her faith in God grew stronger for her troubles. David is shown as being charismatic, courageous, caring, and heroic, as he slays Goliath, keeps himself out of Saul's clutches, and remains a friend to Jonathan. This isn't a preachy book, but a gentle one. Good, accurate historical details, good characterization, fleshes out the Biblical passages from Samuel without straying from the traditional stories.

Finished reading on 2/25/09:

EVE: A NOVEL OF THE FIRST WOMAN, by Elissa Elliott, 2009.

An interesting take on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. Using the story we all know from the Bible, the author has fleshed out the traditional story, providing information from historical sources, plus creating fictional events and characters. Plenty of fascinating details of the Garden of Eden; the interesting depiction of the serpent; the stories of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve; questions of faith and loyalty and love of each other and of God (here called Elohim), etc., made for an enjoyable read. It was satisfying, although I found it a little long in places.