Free (nook/Kindle/iTunes/ePub) Centurion's Wife [Xtian Jewish Roman Palestine Novel]

[ATDrake]

The Centurion's Wife by Janette Oke & Davis Bunn is the 1st in their Acts of Faith series of historical novels set in various locales in the 1st century, dealing with the establishment of early Christianity, this installment set in Roman-controlled Palestine, starring a young Jewish woman who gets caught up in political turmoil as both her prospective future husband and her mistress (of the non-sexual variety) embroil her in the investigation of the death of a certain soon-to-be-not-so-obscure rabbi, free courtesy of Christian publisher Baker's Bethany House imprint.

This has previously been offered free in 2011 and 2012, according to our old MR thread which was created before the current rules regarding affiliate links.

Also, it goes without saying that even though the main characters in this series are Jewish and the novels are set in then-Jewish countries, these are evangelical Christian books and you can no doubt expect a bunch of conversions. But perhaps less evangelically-inclined Gentle Readers may find the historical setting of interest (or maybe just want to peek out of sheer morbid curiosity, YMMV).

Currently free, probably just for one day @ B&N (may also drop in the UK), Amazon (new ASIN since the old thread, available to Canadians and in the UK), Kobo & iTunes & Google Play (all available to Canadians), and ChristianBook (ADE-DRM ePub available worldwide).

Description
Janette Oke has dreamed for years of retelling a story in a biblical time frame from a female protagonist's perspective, and Davis Bunn is elated to be working with her again on this sweeping saga of the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Christianity...and the very personal story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma.

Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil--facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions. Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine's governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah's mistress, the governor's wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death--and missing body--is causing such furor.

This epic drama is threaded with the tale of an unlikely romance and framed with dangers and betrayals from unexpected sources. At its core, The Centurion's Wife unfolds the testing of loyalties--between two young people whose inner searchings they cannot express, between their irreconcilable heritages, and ultimately between their humanity and the Divine they yearn to encounter.