Wow! This book has it all! Drama, love, and history! It's an extremely well crafted historical fiction novel that brings a woman from the scriptures to life. The authors research is phenomenal! Angela Hunt brings to life the time period of when the Apostle Paul was living. I could imagine myself in the setting of ancient Philippi: the sounds, the smells...

One thought I took away from this book is that the power of God is undeniable! Lydia or Euodia is a woman of strength and strong convictions. She follows her heart and loves those deemed unlovable. She is someone who reminds me of God- how He loves us. The rest of the characters are amazing! Sabina's story is heartbreaking. Ariston is compassionate, loyal, loving and brave. The characters each touched my heart and I invested in their lives.

I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series! I know they're going to be fantastic!

I was provided a book through Bethany House via Interviews and Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

I love biblical fiction and I'm a fan of Angela Hunt, so I was especially anxious to read this book. The Woman from Lydia features the apostle Paul, his traveling companion Silas, and Euodia, who is mentioned in Acts 16 as Lydia, a seller of purple cloth. Much of the story is told from Euodia's point of view as she valiantly tries to free a girl from slavery after the apostle Paul casts a demon from her. Euodia's determined efforts to free Sabina from a retired Roman soldier's possession are equally matched by his intentions to use Sabina's gift of divination for his own personal gain! Will Euodia succeed in thwarting Hector's intentions?

Hunt possesses a wonderful talent for weaving facts with fiction and this book is a perfect example. I enjoyed the relationship that evolves between Euodia and her new husband Ariston, along with those that she shares with Phebe and Syntyche. I gained a new perspective on Paul's missionary journeys, and relished the explanation of slavery versus freedom, in both physical and spiritual terms. I know that an author of Biblical fiction has succeeded when I find myself reading my Bible to verify a fact, or searching a Bible commentary to learn more about a scene. I did both of these while reading this book!

This is a story that will inspire Christian readers and challenge non-believers, and I'm thrilled to have it as my church Bible group begins its study of The Book of Acts. I highly recommend The Woman from Lydia and I look forward to the next book in The Emissaries series!

I was provided an ARC courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews and a complimentary copy from Bethany House. These are my own thoughts. ( )

When Euodia, a Christ-follower in AD 51, sees a young slave girl being treated terribly by her master, she buys the slave to free her. But though the slave no longer brought a profit for her masters after a Jewish rabbi had robbed her of her "gift" of divination, one of her masters claims the sale was not done legally. He takes the girl back and travels to find someone who can restore her gift so she can continue to earn money for him. Euodia and her servants follow the master and slave in the hopes of rescuing the girl who should rightfully be free.

Hunt takes a couple of passages from the book of Acts and weaves them into a rich, heart-filled story that I absolutely loved! The bulk of the story is the journey east from Philippi, Euodia trailing behind Hector Hostilius, hoping to catch up to him before he manages to restore the slave girl's gift with an unclean spirit or sells her for being worthless to him. Even before that, though, and throughout, I was caught up in the setting, from the work Euodia does making purple clothing to the travel on the Via Egnatia and so many other things. A warning for those who might be bothered by this kind of thing—Hunt doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life during this time period—violence, idol worship, sexual immorality, etc.

Euodia's faith in Christ came from an encounter with the apostle Paul, who is also the rabbi that "cursed" the slave girl Sabina by casting a demon out of her (these are both of the parts that came from Acts). While most of us don't face the kind of situation Euodia is in here, trying to literally free a girl in captivity, I mentally cheered her resolve and wholehearted trust in God. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it was all going to play out. The book goes back and forth between Euodia and Hector for much of the book, and I'll admit that that led me to expect a far different outcome to the book than it has. An unpredictable plot is a good thing, though, and there was not one thing about the plot or the ending that I would have changed. Well, maybe one thing, but it's small and would be a spoiler to explain. And I did notice a few weird name discrepancies, wherein a slave was first given one name then later referred to by another and Hector's business partner had 2 slightly different spellings for his last name. If either of these things was intentional, I didn't pick up on it.

There is some romance in the story, but it also was not what I expected from early in the book, and it was my favorite kind—subtle and sweet. I appreciate that Hunt didn't give us more than necessary in the way of physical interaction between the two involved, which I feel happens far too often in Christian fiction. Overall, I earnestly recommend this book for those who enjoy Biblical fiction, especially from the time after Christ.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

This book is amazing!! The author’s attention to detail makes it seem like you were actually there. Euodia/Lydia is a woman who is a “dyer of purple” but in this story she cares more about finding a slave named Sabine to free her. I will definitely read more of this author ( )

It's been a long time since I've picked up an Angela Hunt Biblical fiction. My very first Christian fiction was Esther by Angela Hunt, and I've loved Christian fiction, particularly Biblical fiction, ever since. This book is a little different from her older books in that much of the circumstances and premise are fiction. I did love how the author created this entire book of redemption, hope, and faith from the mention of Lydia in Acts 16. Paul's words and Jesus' teachings are straight from the Word, which I appreciated. I learned a lot about purple cloth dyeing process as well as the culture and attitude in Philippi and Macedonia, which were truly fascinating. The plot had some interesting twists and turns that kept me on my toes. The author’s notes at the end answered many questions and showed how thorough her research had been.

Euodia was a great combination of steel and silk, strength and compassion, determination and humility. Her first person voice carried the bulk of the story and her pursuit of Sabrina seemed like a metaphor of God’s relentless and sometimes illogical pursuit of us. Ariston, though he doesn’t have a voice in narration, was a delightful hero with loyalty and noble intentions etched into his actions and words. Hector represented the abominable villain who was truly despicable. Though I loved Ariston, I didn’t fully connect with Euodia. And Hector made me cringe with each scene. The plot and premise didn’t seem totally believable and though I enjoyed the story, I didn’t completely love it.

I received the book from Bethany House via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. ( )