Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she's a woman in a man's court.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance, and she came to two conclusions: God does not care about me, and my accomplishments are the measure of my worth.

Catapulted into the center of the Persian court, Sarah is working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure--but success--that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Sarah soon learns that she has something of worth to offer beyond her ability with languages and sums; her very being proves to be a blessing to others, particularly the aristocrat Darius, whom she is given to in marriage.

Sarah and Darius' story continues in Harvest of Gold. Darius may be able to learn to love his wife, but can he ever learn to trust Sarah and her Lord?

The Family Fiction-sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 named Tessa Afshar New Author of the Year for her novel Pearl in the Sand. Before relocating to the United States, she was born in Iran, lived there for fourteen years, and attended an English boarding school. In her twenties, she converted to Christianity, which changed the path of her life permanently. Tessa earned her MDiv from Yale Divinity School, where she also served as cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship. Since then, she has dedicated her life to Christian service.