Just a quick sip of tea…..

to announce that ANNA is the winner of The Warrior’s Vow by Christina Rich!
Thanks to all participated, and a BIG thank you to Christina for providing a copy of her book!

Please join me in my garden to discuss The Warrior’s Vow by Christina Rich. I’m serving Raisin Cake and your choice of chamomile or mint tea. Christina has generously offered to giveaway one copy of The Warrior’s Vow to one commenter! Please see the information about the giveaway at the end of this post. The cover is absolutely stunning!
About The Warrior’s Vow:
He Was Hers to Command
Swept away from her home and into the desert, Abigail is as much a prisoner as she is a princess. A ruthlessly ambitious captain of the palace guard intends to force her into marriage and rule Judah through her. Yet the badly beaten soldier Abigail rescues offers another choice—if she dares trust him.
She is royalty, yet Jesse is surprised by the gentle compassion Abigail shows him as he heals. In return, he will help her escape to Jerusalem, protecting her life with his own. But Abigail’s rank and Jesse’s deadly past makes any future impossible, unless forgiveness forged by love can triumph over all.
MY THOUGHTS:
What an enjoyable book! It was interesting to see these delightful characters develop in their journeys toward truth and understanding.
Though romance is my favorite genre, this is the first time I’ve read a romance novel set during the historical times of the Bible. The Warrior’s Vow, by Christina Rich, brought the people of that period alive for me. It is interesting to get a sense of life during those times through the well-chosen words used by the author.
This is a well-developed story, emphasizing that the choices people make defines their characters. I enjoyed the progression of Abigail’s evolving strength, belief in God, and commitment to Jesse. Jesse is such an honorable man…my kind of hero. A great story!
After reading this book, sunrises will be even more meaningful to me. I’ll definitely be reading more books by Christina Rich. Her debut novel, The Guardian’s Promise, is on my to-be-read stack, and I will be reading it soon! I don’t think this reverse order will detracted from the stories, though characters from the first book are mentioned in the second.
My favorite quote from The Warrior’s Vow: “I cannot see the plans God has for me. All I can do is seek His guidance and trust that He is faithful in all things.”
A link to The Warrior’s Vow on Amazon
*The author generously gave me a copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
Now for the recipe……I did top the cake with a cream cheese frosting (mixed with a touch of honey, because that seemed fitting with Biblical foods). I put the walnuts on top rather than mixing them in with the batter. Click below to see the recipe.
My husband is great help with finding recipes for me. He is my taste tester, and he gives this cake a “thumbs up.” He found this recipe at www.cookingwiththeBible.com, a site that has many interesting recipes and information about foods mentioned in the Bible. Though I picture the Raisin Cake mentioned many times in the Bible to be raisins pressed together to allow for storage, this Raisin Cake from Cooking With The Bible seems more appropriate for serving at our tea celebration.
THANK YOU for celebrating Christina Rich’s newest novel, The Warrior’s Vow, with me today on #TUESDAYTEA! Hope you try both the book and the Raisin Cake!
GIVEAWAY: To enter this giveaway for one copy of The Warrior’s Vow, please include your email address in your comment so that I can contact you about where to send the book if your name is drawn. The winning name will be drawn from the submitted names from a tea cup. The giveaway is open from July 8, 2014, until midnight on Sunday, July 13, 2014. Please check the Legal Page of this blog for the legal requirements.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTINA! You can read more about Christina on her blog/website.
http://cookingwiththebible.com/javascript/cookingwiththebible.js