Miriam Scavenger Hunt!

I'm so excited to be a part of this scavenger hunt blog hop in celebration of the launch of Mesu Andrews' second book in her Treasures of the Nile series, Miriam!  (This post is long, but be sure to read all the way to the end to see how you can win a copy of both books!)

I realize most of you are probably already "on the hunt", but if you just happened on this page first, you'll want to hop on over to the start of the hunt at Mesu’s blog and then you'll finish your journey at Mommynificent.com. At the bottom of this post, you can find the full list of stops for the entire hunt. Between March 15th and 20th, click on the next link, head over to the page, meet a new book-lover, and read their thoughts about Miriam. Somewhere in each post there will be a single word that is in BOLD AND ALL CAPITALS. Write it down. (The words “Home” and “Good Luck” are not secret words for anyone.)

Then, go to the next stop. That post will also have a word that’s bolded and capitalized. You will need to visit all 14 blogs as each one will have a word that you need. Once you reach the end and have found all the words, you will have found an inspirational quote from the book Miriam. There are 14 words in this quote. Enter the quote into the Rafflecopter on the last stop and you will be entered to win a Kindle Fire from Mesu Andrews! (Open to U.S. residents only) If you have any questions, get lost, or experience any technical difficulties, you may email Tina at tina{at}mommynificent{dot}com for help. Now, let's talk about this fantastic book!

About the Book

Title: Miriam

Author: Mesu Andrews

Series: Treasures of the Nile, Book 2

Publication Date: March 15, 2016

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Print Length: 384 pages

Summary from the publisher: At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.

Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of the Pharaoh? Enter an exotic land where a cruel Pharaoh reigns, pagan priests wield black arts, and the Israelites cry out to a God they only think they know.

My Thoughts about Miriam by Mesu Andrews

This is the eagerly awaiting sequel to The Pharoah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews! If you read and enjoyed The Pharoah's Daughter, I promise you will not be disappointed. If you haven't read it don't worry, it's not necessary to your understanding and enjoyment of Miriam (but you definitely will want to read it!).

As a long-time lover of Biblical fiction and Mesu Andrew's books I could not wait to read this one. Miriam takes up the story of the prophetess of Israel, the brother of Moses when she is 86 year old. As only Mesu can do, I was immersed in the culture of the Hebrew people long enslaved in the cruel, polytheistic culture of ancient Egypt. I loved catching up with old familiar characters from The Pharoah's Daughter as well as meeting new ones. The characters and descriptions of landscapes, buildings and scenes are superb - one of Mesu's many talents!

As Moses returns bringing news of deliverance we begin to see the turmoil this news introduces into the hearts of God's people. Should they believe in this God who has been silent for so long, who has revealed a new name, Yahweh, and who many have long turned from? Should they trust Moses who has been gone from Egypt for so long and who many still view as part of Pharoah's family? All these questions and more surprisingly creep into even Miram's heart.

The story takes us through the plagues one by one and lead us to the eventual deliverance of Yahweh's people. Along the way, we experience many emotions along with Miriam. She desperately wants to feel the old familiar closeness with her El Shaddai, she struggles with doubt, fear, trust, love and must chose repeatedly to follow Yahweh even though she DOES not have all of her questions answered.

I love this quote when Miriam is questioning one of Moses's directives. He gently reminds her "Obey, Miriam. We must all obey in order to reap the promises of the God who loves us." So true! This is one of those books that you really don't want to end! The twist and turns of the story keep you reading "just one more chapter". Each event, each character, each storyline blend together to create one of Mesu's finest books yet (I have read them all, and I could never say which is my favorite, but they do seem to get better and better!). I was inspired by the faith of these Biblical heros, chosing to follow Yahweh even when they are afraid or don't understand His ways. Each of Mesu's books are so full of Biblical truth and application and that's especially true with Miriam.

Read it for yourself and experience this "treasure" of Biblical fiction!

Discloser:  I received this book from Waterbook Press, a division of Penguin Random House, in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author

Mesu Andrews is the award-winning author of Love Amid the Ashes, Love's Sacred Song, Love in a Broken Vessel, In the Shadow of Jezebel, as well as two books in her Treasures of the Nile series: The Pharoah's Daughter and Miriam. Winner of the 2012 ECPA Christian Book Award for New Author, she has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture, bringing the biblical world vividly alive for her readers. She lives in Washington.

Mesu's Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Stops on the Scavenger Hunt

1. Mesu Andrews
2. A Holland Reads
3. Mother of Three
4. Just A Second
5. Grace and Glory
6. Angela Arndt - Joy on the Back Roads
7. God's Peculiar Treasure Rae
8. What If
9. Carole Towriss
10. Kate Hodges, Storyteller
11. Backing Books
12. Creative Madness Mama - This blog is not working right now. :( The keyword for this one is WHO. Sorry for any inconvenience.
13. Climbing to the High Calling
14. Mommynificent

Win Both Treasure of the Nile Books

WaterBrook Press has given me permission to give away one copy of each of Mesu's Treasures of the Nile novels to one lucky winner so to enter to win your own copies of both The Pharoah's Daughter and Miriam, all you have to do is leave a comment below. (Open to U.S. residents only.)