June’s Book of the Month: Jewel of the Nile by Tessa Afshar

It’s June 1st! What does that mean besides a new month? Well, a new book review and I’m super excited to share my take on the latest from one awesome author, Tessa Afshar.

Image: Amazon

This month’s Book of the Month is dedicated to Jewel of the Nile. You might have seen some of my promo posts in the last few months in support of this book. I’ve also read several of Afshar’s books in the last few years and am currently reading her most recent release, Daughter of Rome. Another book, Pearl in the Sand, also had a tenth anniversary edition release in 2020! Previous books include Thief of Corinth, Land of Silence, the Harvest series, and In The Field of Grace. She is also author of the award-winning Bible Study The Way Home: God’s Invitation to New Beginnings. You can check out her website here and follow Afshar on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jewel of the Nile centers on Chariline, a young woman raised by her aunt in Rome who knows very little about her parents. While visiting her grandfather, a soon to be retiring Roman official, she stumbles upon a devastating family secret: her father, a Cushite, is still alive. Determined to find the truth, Chariline stows on a boat of a man named Theo, who aids her in her quest. However, danger is on the horizon to keep the past buried.

I’ve become a fan of Tessa Afshar’s work–as stated earlier in this review–and her latest does not disappoint. Mystery, romance, impeccable character development, suspense and more drive this story about finding where you belong, friendship, accepting the past no matter how painful and never giving up on discovering the truth. From the moment I read the prologue I thought, “Oh, this is gonna be quite good.”

My hunch was right.

Besides our main protagonist, I also loved Theo, Sophocles, Philip and his daughters, Heck., even the Kandake was a memorable character in her own right and quite fun! We also get appearances from Priscilla and Aquila of Daughter of Rome fame. One thing I always came to respect about Biblical/Historical Fiction is the careful research every author makes to capture the setting, time period, culture, and daily life of its characters. This, in turn, makes the plot and storyline more authentic to the reader. I don’t know what it was about this book, but I felt the history throughout and it was quite fascinating.

As a whole, Jewel of the Nile was truly extraordinary. One of the great books I’ve read of late bringing comfort, entertainment, romance, and an incredible plot. Well written, well researched, well developed characters all make this latest read from Afshar a memorable book for sure.

If you guys haven’t checked out Tessa Afshar yet, you need to because you’re seriously missing out. Whether you start by checking out her latest or you decide to explore her previous works, you will find an extraordinary writer and extraordinary stories of Biblical figures that need to be remembered, told, or further analyzed in your Scripture reading. I think you’ll get a lot out of her books.

Anyway, as my final thought, please check out Jewel of the Nile. You won’t regret it.

Happy reading!