The Heart of a King: The Loves of Solomon

"Sometimes foolishness is overconfidence in one's own wisdom..." Travel back in time to the deserts of ancient day Israel, to the castle of King Solomon and his royal court, his legendary harem of a thousand exotic women, and lush gardens. What else could a king want? Solomon has been blessed by God with immense wealth, but even the wisest man on earth has problems he doesn't know how to deal with. He has a kingdom to expand, treaties to make (which involve the marriage of many a foreign princess!), a temple to build, psalms to write, children to raise, and never enough time for it all. All in all, it is a fine, fine life, and there will never again be a king as great or wise as Solomon. Once again, Jill has written a true masterpiece. She never fails to keep me coming back for more. Way to go, Jill!

The Heart of a King is a captivating Biblical historical book. Jill Eileen Smith does a great job of taking historical facts and fleshing out the individuals involved, Solomon and four of his wives in this story, crafting them into characters that are believable and have issues that readers can connect with. With descriptive prose that makes the reader feel like one is right there in the scenes and realistic dialogue, the author expertly portrays the struggles and emotions of the characters and brings an understanding of some of the political alliances of this time period. It is evident that the author has researched this time period well as she writes of the settings, customs, and religious beliefs during Solomon's reign as king. The story is thought-provoking as to how the wives of King Solomon might have reacted to becoming his wife and then their feelings as they realized or knew that he would take/had other wives. The portrayal of grief at Solomon's mother's death was very well done. Throughout the story, Solomon is reminded of following God's Law, especially in regards to taking many wives lest they lead his heart astray and yet even with all of his wisdom he chose to disregard this edict for kings. His emotions and thoughts--guilt, discontent, weariness, contemplation of life's purpose--are illustrated well as is his special love for each of the wives in the book. And in the end, perhaps he came to the realization that instead of pursuing and trusting the gift of wisdom God had given him, he should have been seeking the Giver instead--a good reminder for each of us. Another wonderful historical fiction from a gifted author. I read a complimentary copy of this book and a positive review was not expected. The opinions are my own.