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    Esther: Royal Beauty
    Esther: Royal Beauty
    Esther: Royal Beauty
    Audiobook10 hours

    Esther: Royal Beauty

    Written by Angela Hunt

    Narrated by Rachel Botchan and Kevin R. Free

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Bestselling Author Angela Hunt Returns to Biblical Fiction An ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews in ancient Persia, so an inexperienced beautiful young queen must take a stand for her people. When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews-young and old, powerful and helpless. Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people ... and bind her husband's heart. Esther marks bestselling author Angela Hunt's return to biblical fiction. In each novel she explores an example of a Hebrew Old Testament tob woman: a woman whose physical beauty influences those around her-and can change the course of history.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 6, 2015
    ISBN9781490656298
    Esther: Royal Beauty
    Author

    Angela Hunt

    Angela Hunt (AngelaHuntBooks.com) is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 160 books, with nearly 6 million copies sold worldwide. Angela's novels have won or been nominated for the RWA RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion. Four of her novels have received ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award, and Angela is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Romantic Times Book Club and ACFW. Angela holds doctorates in biblical studies and theology. She and her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs and chickens.

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    Reviews for Esther

    4.5/5

    84 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Slow start and found it hard to connect to Hadassah at the start. But she grows on you... it's the story of Queen Esther from the Bible, fleshed out, still faithful to the biblical narrative but with more colour and back stories and character development. If you like biblical based fiction, I would recommend this!
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. The story of Esther has been one of my favorites in the Bible. Angela Hunt did a great job of bringing us to the biblical account in a believable story of fiction. Can't wait to read the biblical account again.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this book. I could not put it down, it was captivating. I like how it was told from Hadassah (Esther) and Harbonah's point of view. It was so detailed, it was almost like you were there. The customs and traditions. The life of a eunuch, concubine, life in the harem, how treacherous a queen could be, that a king was in constant danger of losing his life from those he put trust in. How eunuchs served around the palace. How a young teenager became a wife and a queen. Being captured by ruffians, brought in a slave trader's carriage to the palace.Esther is one of my favorite women of the bible. She had character, courage and love for her people. This was an emotional and touching portrayal. A young girl taken from the only father she has known, taken from her betrothed, taken from her friends, put in an atmosphere that is strange to her a mere teenager. How was she to cope? What did she have to do to stay alive? What of her betrothed and his father? So much has happened to Hadassah in the short time of her life. There is so much going on, it keeps you spellbound.Beauty is not always a blessing.This is my first book by Angela Hunt and I was not disappointedThe front cover was exquisite with its raised lettering and smooth back cover.I received a free copy from Bethany House for this review.
    • 4/5
      I've been an Angela Hunt fan for years, but when I first started this book I thought she had let me down. The start was very slow and I was quite concerned, but when Hadassah entered the palace the pace improved dramatically. Even though I know how Esther's story ends I was still on tender hooks for her. Looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
    • 4/5
      An excellent novelization of the story of Esther - based on both the Biblical narrative and the histories of Herodotus. Hunt's work makes it a little easier to understand how things were in Esther's time and gives a better understanding of some of the action. I liked that she included study/discussion questions and a list of references for further study. Highly recommended for church book groups.
    • 5/5
      Adonai has a calling and a purpose for each one of His children. Hadassah has been called to the royal palace, but in all of her greatest dreams and imaginings, she could never have guessed what His purpose was for her life.

      Hadassah (Esther) is a Jewish girl living in the royal city of Susa, in the great land of Persia, ruled by all powerful King Xerxes. Orphaned at a young age, her cousin Mordecai and his wife Miriam raise Hadassah as their own daughter. King Xerxes’ wife Vashti has defied him. His advisers suggest that she be dismissed as Queen, or the women of Persia will begin to treat their husbands the same way. The King becomes lonely however, and therefore sends out a nationwide search for a new wife. When everything has been arranged for Hadassah’s marriage to a local Jewish man, her world is turned upside down. Brought to the palace against her will, will she please the King and become his Queen? Or will she live out her life anonymously in the harem?

      Being a familiar Bible story to me, Esther: Royal Beauty was a relaxing book to read, because I knew how it would end. Angela Hunt did a wonderful job filling in the spaces of the story that have been left up to our imagination. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about King Xerxes as well. I read the book of Esther in the Bible after I finished this book and was pleasantly surprised to know that the author was very accurate with the interpretation. She even quoted word for word dialogue found in the New Living Translation. Very intriguing to anyone who enjoys bringing more life and depth to traditional Bible stories.

      I received a free copy of Esther: Royal Beauty from Bethany House Publishers and a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
    • 5/5
      Esther has always been one of my favorite characters from the Bible. What little girl doesn't grow up wishing to be a princess or even a queen? Then, once having that role, is able to save millions of people because she stood up for her faith in God?I especially loved this version of Esther's story because of the way Ms. Hunt introduces us to the main characters--Esther and Harbonah (the King's chamberlain). Both are told from a first person's point of view, so we get a glimpse into exactly what Esther wishes and dreams, as well as her perceptions on life around her. With Harbonah, we get a glimpse into the life of a King and all of the crazy things he must do to run his kingdom, in addition to what life is like for a servant in the King's castle.The rich visual descriptions made me feel like I was right there when young Esther sees Queen Vashti for the first time, and also when the King sends for her in their first introduction. From orphan to Queen, I am still in awe of Esther's story as I grew closer to her through the fictionalized accounts of her life. I can't wait to read about more of the "Dangerous Beauties" from Biblical times!I did receive this book for free as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for my honest opinion.
    • 5/5
      I thought this book was well written. I love all the history that Angela Hunt put into the book to make me understand all of the cultural things that were going on in the book of Esther. The story helped me imagine what Esther would of gone through during this time and it made the story come to life!
    • 4/5
      Esther is a favorite bible story, and I enjoy reading renditions. This was a pleasant edition. I thought the idea of Esther loving the king seemed a bit implausible, but other than that, Hunt stayed true to many of the customs and histories of the ancient Persians. The characters felt multi-dimensional and the plot flowed nicely. In the end, this was a fine retelling. I recommend if you are interested in versions of the Esther story.
    • 5/5
      Hadassah is taken from her cousin's home in Susa to the palace of King Xerxes of Persia. After undergoing months of preparation, Esther is taken to Xerxes chambers. Her quick wit, intelligence, and novelty quickly excites Xerxes and it isn't long until Xerxes takes her as a wife. When the king is swayed by a counselor to exterminate all of the Jews, Esther pleads for her people’s lives.This was a well written and engaging book. It wasn't preachy or overly biblical. I felt that as a non-Christian, it was a fascinating story. I really wanted to read more, I would love to see a sequel, or other books from this author. Overall, highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Esther, A Royal Beauty - Angela HuntThis is a novel i savored. I did not rush through this one in a mad need to find out the outcome, for most of us know the biblical story of Esther. Once again Angela managed to take a beloved story and tell it in a new and refreshing way. I loved how she told it in deep point of view, using Hadassah and an Eunuch in the King's rooms to round out the story. We do not know what is going on around them unless they see it, or hear about it. This is a unique way of learning about life in the land of Persia in ancient times. And though we only get to know the King through these two people, because of their association with him, we forget that we really do not have much to do with him. The same can be said of both Haman and Mordecia, yet all four of them are main characters in the story. By being privy to Esther's thoughts and feelings we see the world first through the eyes of a teenage girl who is really not that different from teenage girls any where any time. She does not stay there long, though as she is thrust into circumstances beyond her control. She has the strong foundations of a family who loved her, who appreciated her, and taught her well, so that later on, these things stand well for her.This book is the first in her set of three books Dangerous Beauty, and I look forward to sharing those with you as they come into print.Thank you to Cheri and Fred at The Book Club Network, Angela Hunt and BethanyHouse for the opportunity to read this novel. I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my won.
    • 4/5
      Angela Hunt is one of those reliable authors that I look forward to reading. She’s sold millions of books and won awards, and you can see why when you pick up her books.In Esther: Royal Beauty, Angela tells the story of Esther in the Old Testament. The gist of the story of Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa and how she is taken to the palace of Xerxes (king of Persia) along with hundreds of other beautiful young women from every province in the kingdom. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king’s heart and a queen’s crown. She keeps her ethnicity a secret until she learns about a plan to kill all the Jews. The climax of the story is how she risks her life in order to save her people. It’s a story that many of us know fairly well, but in this book the story is told in first person by Esther and by Harbonah, a eunuch in the king’s palace. Angela takes us deeper and spends a lot of time on the time before she becomes queen and adds a lot of historical details, “putting flesh” on the characters. I saw some things differently than what I had thought earlier. For example, Angela writes of Hadassah’s struggle with valuing the Persian culture over the Jewish culture when she was growing up in the shadow of the palace. I hadn’t seen this before and it brings a new level to the story for me. I’ll confess that it took me a little while to get into the book, since I know the story and wanted to jump ahead. But once I allowed myself to enjoy the fictionalized backdrop of the story, I was hooked. If you want to visit Esther’s world through powerful storytelling and amazing characters, definitely treat yourself to Angela Hunt’s Esther.Disclosure: I received this free book from Baker Publishing House through LibraryThing in return for an unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      Esther was a nice easy to follow storyline. The story being told from two perspectives- Esther's and the eunoch's- added dimension to the story. I liked that the author didn't add anything unbiblical to make the story more grandiose. The story of Esther in the Bible is a fascinating read and I think that this book is a good companion for fans of Esther and for all people who like it when the underdog wins.I look forward to more books in this series! The cover of the book is beautiful and I hope the other books have covers like this one!
    • 3/5
      I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book. I knew it was more of a biblical fiction novel. I have never heard the story of Esther before. I thought the subject matter was very interesting. I much preferred the chapters narrated by Harbonah, the king's eunuch rather than the chapters narrated by Hadassah aka Esther. It was still an interesting story. I would recommend this book to people who like biblical fiction or historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      The Biblical tale of Esther recounts the life of a Jewish maiden as she rises from obscurity to queen of Persia. Taken from her home by the edict for beautiful women to be gathered for the king to choose his new queen from, Esther finds favor with those around her while retaining the secret of her heritage. After Esther is crowned queen, a law is issued to exterminate all Jews. To save her people, Esther must risk her life by violating Persian law in order to convince the king to save her people.I almost passed over Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Hunt. Some time ago, I'd read another version of Esther's story and disliked the romanticism and idealism. However, the stunning cover stands as an example of how a cover can positively affect a book's appeal and convinced me to try it.Ultimately, I was glad that I choose to read Esther, the first in Angela Hunt's Dangerous Beauty series. I didn't get too much idealism and the plot was well-written. I liked the perspective changes between Esther (Hadassah) and the king's attendant as it added depth and, at times, suspense to the story line. The plot captured my interest early on and didn't drag – I finished the book in two days.The ending seemed a bit rushed. The author spent substantial time throughout the book adding in fictional, but appropriate, details that made for a good work of fiction. However, the finale recounted the Biblical ending without much fictional addition. This isn't necessarily bad, but it just felt different from the rest of the book. I still will reread the book in the future and recommend it to people who enjoy Biblical retellings.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
    • 4/5
      An incredibly inspiring retelling of the story of Esther from the Bible. I love how Angela went back and forth between two characters perspectives throughout the book, giving us a better overall understanding of the historical scene as well as experiencing the character's emotion! I am looking forward to the next two!!!
    • 5/5
      This book just sucked me in and I read it every chance I got. I've translated the book of Esther from the Old English as one of my grad school projects, and so I jumped on the chance to read this book. It does take a little while to get going in terms of the plot, and if you're not well-versed in Judaism some of the names can get confusing, but wow...this book is great!
    • 5/5
      As a young girl, Hadasseh, who will be better known as Esther, dreams of marrying a prince. As she matures she has to submit to her uncle's decision to betroth her to a young Jewish man she knows only casually. With King Xerxes decision to seek a new queen, Uncle Mordecai sends her to Jerusalem with the young man she is to marry and his father; however, shortly after leaving on their journey, Hadasseh is kidnapped by slave traders and sold into the king's harem. Through the years she comes to love her king, and eventually is forced to reveal her true identity in order to save her people. Through this crisis she realizes how far she has strayed from love, devotion, and worship of Adonai.Hunt does a good job of bringing the biblical story to life by weaving in the culture and history of Persia so that the reader has a clear understanding of of ancient times and customs. She stays true to the familiar Bible story story while providing realistic detail and a back story from her extensive research. This is a well-written book which I thoroughly enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      Esther: Royal Beauty (A Dangerous Beauty Novel) by Angela Hunt ..ARC.Paperback – January 6, 2015From Jewish orphan to Queen of Persia the story of how Hadassah is transformed in Esther is one of the most incredible in history. She comes to care for the king and risks her life to save his, then she risks her life to save her people the Jews.
    • 5/5
      I finished reading Esther: Royal Beauty by Angela Hunt last night and was completely lost in the telling of this old story. I'm a big fan of Biblical fiction and this will now be on my list of favorites as such.I have read the Biblical story of Esther and studied it at different times, but after reading this book I will never look at it quite the same again! Angela Hunt brings this old story back to life by letting two characters, Esther (Hadassah) and a eunuch by the name of Harbonah tell the story. I tremendously enjoyed reading this age old story from this perspective. Even though I knew this story, it was still a real page-turner as I read from the view point of Hadassah and Harbonah. It was so easy to love these two, as I read along, crying and laughing with them. One of my favorite quotes from this book, about this time long since past, so easily fits the Christian life that I walk, today as well. We walked in it, traded in it, communicated in it, and did acts of kindness for it. To the casual observer, we might have looked like ordinary people, but we were not. About that, at least, Haman was right. We were children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and we served and invisible God, who remained close to us no matter where we lived. But our hearts did not -- should not -- belong to this world. I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes Biblical fiction.I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you.