I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read and enjoyed Angela Hunt's books before and this was no exception. I really enjoy Biblical fiction and this did not disappoint. Everything that came from the Bible and the history of Jesus was accurate and not tampered with. The fiction comes in with Jude and Tasmin, Thomas's twin. Jude is a true person but Tasmin is pure fiction.

This story takes in the years of Jesus' ministry starting with the wedding at Cana and ending with his return to heaven. The story is more about Tasmin and her views on what is happening, along with Jude's views. The story switches between Tasmin narrating and Jude's narration.

The story is well written, the editing was well done. The main characters were very well developed and the story was believable.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 star review. Five stars are saved for truly exceptional books. Most books are 3 star. I would recommend this book to my friends. https://mybooksiread.blogspot.com/2020/05/daughter-of-cana-by-angela-hunt.html

At a wedding in Cana, Tasmin oversees the week-long feast, with the help of her twin brother Thomas. But Thomas becomes more interested in what a guest from Nazareth has to say than helping his sister. Then that guest appears to turn water into wine, though Tasmin isn't convinced. And neither is the guest's brother Jude. After the wedding, Thomas goes with the Nazarene to Capernaum, and both Tasmin and Jude follow, each determined to retrieve their wayward brothers. But it turns out the task is not so easy, and Tasmin's and Jude's lives are upset as they try to balance their own lives with still making their brothers see sense--and hope to prove that the Nazarene is not who he claims to be.

This was an interesting take on the ministry of Jesus (referred to by his Hebrew name, Yeshua, in this book) from the perspective of one of his half-brothers, who did not believe he was the Christ during his ministry on earth, and the perspective of a sister to one of the apostles. As Jesus himself put it, no man is a prophet in his own hometown, and that principle applies in some way to both of the main characters (in their view of Yeshua). Most of Jesus's works are seen from a distance, and I expected that to become tedious, but I appreciated the way the miracles were told by those benefited by the miracles or even bystanders.

I was a little concerned early on, as it seemed Yeshua was being portrayed as lazy and even slightly belligerent to his parents, slacking off while his brothers did all the work, even before his ministry started. I came to see that as the perspective of a frustrated, even jealous, brother, though. There was also one point where Jude talked to his brother in private, and I mentally winced in anticipation of the words the author might choose to put in Jesus's mouth. Fiction or not, that strikes me as an unwise thing to do. However, his dialog was still right out of scripture. Granted, he obviously said those things to a larger crowd in the Bible, but there is evidence Jesus repeated some parts of his sermons anyway. It was a good decision on the author's part, I feel.

While Tasmin and Jude spent most of the book with little in the way of their own story, and even of their own personalities, they grew enough later in the book that I still felt some connection to them. The best thing about the book, for me, was that it gave me the ability to feel like I was there, back in Jesus's day, hearing him speak, seeing him myself, even if from a distance much of the time. There were Hebrew words and phrases sprinkled here and there, and the meaning wasn't always clear to me. I didn't quite see the reason for most of that, but that's a small down-side to an otherwise lovely book. I would recommend it to fans of Biblical fiction.

The Daughter of Cana is book one in the Jerusalem Road series by Angela Hunt. This is such a good book. It is so well written I had to keep reminding myself it was a fictional writing based on Biblical facts.

The story starts in 27 A.D. with Thomas and his twin sister, Tasmin, being hired to do a wedding in Cana. More guests arrive at the wedding than planned for. Some of them are Mary of Nazareth and her family. Her oldest son, Yeshua (Jesus) is there and several men join him and follow him through his next three years. Thomas is one of these men.

Through the story we see what it might have been for those who knew Yeshua and his disciples' families. We see the struggles the carpenter's family went through without having him there to do the intricate work only he is skilled with. We see Thomas' family struggle to keep up with the fruit trees, especially when his father can no longer tend to them. We also see how the people of the time do not understand what Yeshua is saying.

I especially appreciate the question and answer part after the story, where the author points out the extensive research she has done to give as accurate accounting as possible. She gives bible verses that she used for naming characters. I would highly recommend this story for anyone who enjoys reading Biblical Fiction.

I received an e book copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

#Daughter of Cana# by Angela Hunt is a Biblical Fiction story. Angela Hunt is a Christy Award winner. She has written 180 books. She is well respected. This book is the first book in the Jerusalem Road book #1.. This book takes place in Nazareth and Cana. The narrator of the story is Tasmin. who is a twin with Thomas. Tasmin shows the reader what life was like during the times of Jesus. The author writes with lots of wonderful description about life in Nazareth and how the people lived then. Tasmin has a beautiful character. She lived and cared for her very elderly father. The scenes show the impact Jesus had on the world then. This story will have a sequel. I look forward to the sequel. Thank you to netgalley, the publisher for allowing me to read and review this wonderful Biblical fiction book. The opinions about this book are my own. I will share my review with Amazon, facebook, Goodreads, my blog, Bookhub, , the church staff.

⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars ⁣
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I am conflicted with this book. I really liked the characters and the way that they were described and developed throughout the story and how this story really made me think about Jesus in a new way. But I didn't like how the time line of the Gospel stories wasn't right. Some events happened in the book before they actually happened in the 4 Gospel accounts. I also thought the story was slow at times and I'm used to reading suspense. ⁣
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I thought that this book was well written and gave me many interesting things to consider. This was one of my biggest take aways: this book showed the sheer disbelief of the Jewish people as Jesus claimed he was the Messiah in such a powerful way. It's a perspective I often forget about when reading the Gospels, that not everyone immediately believed in Jesus. In fact most didn't until they incountered Him. I think that actually taught me a lot about current day evangelism, looking at it through the first evangelistic movement (in the first coming of Christ). Once people experience Jesus in a real way, they are forever changed. I loved at the end when Thomas described the Lord coming back and putting his fingers in his hands and then he said that Tasmin was blessed because she believed when he couldn't. That was the best part I think. ⁣
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Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book. All my thoughts are my own.

Moods are tricky things and mine can be trickier than most. For some books, I just have to be in the right mood to read them. This wasn't the case for this book, but I will review what I do know.

Angela Hunt writes high quality fiction and she researches her topics, settings, and characters to make a cohesive story that is not only believable, but also enjoyable. Her readers love her books, and she writes to please her readers.

Daughter of Cana is the first in the Jerusalem Road series and takes place at the wedding feast in Cana where water becomes wine. Tasmin and her twin brother, Thomas, are what's today known as caterers and had hired to provide the food and drinks for this wedding. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited to the wedding, and brought to the wedding her children and the entourage following Jesus. They were a rough looking bunch of characters and were looked down on by most of the guests, but Thomas listens to Jesus and decides to follow him because of the radical ideas he put forth. Tasmin teams up with Jesus' brother, Jude, to try to bring her brother back.

This book has the promise of being a five star book, but moods being what they are, I didn't read it all the way through. I will give it five stars, two thumbs up, and a glass of the best wine you've ever had.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy for me to read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Daughter of Cana is written from the perspective of Tamsin, twin sister of Thomas, and Jude, Jesus's brother. The author begins with the wedding in Cana and follows Jesus' ministry from that point.

I found the Daughter of Cana somewhat disconcerting. It was told from the perspective of eyewitnesses and stories heard by Jude and Tamsin.

While the book stuck closely to the biblical narrative, I read it feeling like I was stuck on the outside looking in. While I'm fairly new to biblical fiction, this book wasn't as immersive as I have come to expect. The two characters spent much of their time chasing Yeshua and his disciples. I was also very uncomfortable about Tamsin's attachment to her brother. The secret that bonded them together when finally revealed was implausible (sorry, I can't say any more without revealing spoilers).

My impression of this book was a lot of walking. In my opinion, the time spent walking could have been used to mull over the stories they had heard about Yeshua which would have made their conversion more natural (technically, that wasn't a spoiler because everyone knows that Jude eventually became a disciple of Christ).

Still, it was interesting to imagine how it may have felt to be one of Jesus's siblings especially when you didn't believe He was the Son of God. The anger, resentment, fear, and a whole truckload of emotions must have been hard to handle.

It was also interesting to imagine Thomas's twin, why wasn't his sibling listed among the twelve? The perspective in this novel is that the sibling wasn't a disciple. Daughter of Cana expressed the full gamut of emotion that a sibling would feel if they were left behind.

Daughter of Cana is worth reading if you've ever wondered how the siblings of Jesus felt about his ministry. It's a conjecture of what it feels like to be on the outside looking in...coming close to the Saviour but not believing. After finishing the book I was determined to reread the Gospels to experience the ministry of Christ for myself...and that is an awesome result of reading biblical fiction.

I received a copy of Daughter of Cana from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

What a beautiful story!

Tasmin and Thomas are twins living in Cana.
They are hired to prepared the banquet for the wedding feast of their friends.
Mary and her familly is present with her children Yeshuah, Jude...
It's the beggining of Yeshuah's ministry and one of the first miracle happens. During the feast they run out of wine, but Yeshuah turn water into wine. All the guest was amazed that the best wine was served at the end of the festivities!
Thomas is drawn to Yeshuah and his teaching and decide to follow him after the wedding. Tasmin his twin sister doesn't understandwhy people our attracted by him, she is very skeptical so is Jude one of Jesus brothers.
Tasmin and Jude are going on a journey together to try to convince their brother to come back home, but what they are going to see will make them open their eyes, the miracles, healing, deliverances... Only a man send by God, the Messiah can do those things and speak the way he speaks.

The story is well written, captivating... Though Tasmin and Jude have a lot of doubts at the beginning at the end once they eyes open the strength of their faith is beautiful. Thomas who has follow Jesus from the beginning, on the contrary will struggle with doubts after Jesus crucifixion until he sees Him again once resurrected. This show us our faith is important in every situation, the Son of God gave is life for us and in surrendering everything to him we find the meaning of life. This is what they will all come to realized at the end. This is a book I recommend.

I received a copy of this is an honest review.

This is a novel of the three years of Jesus' ministry from the point of view of Thomas' sister and Jesus' brother Jude. It was well done and gave me a picture of how hard it was for the Jewish people to understand who Jesus was.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Daughter of Cana is a beautiful story about Tasmin, twin sister of Thomas. It begins with the wedding of Cana and follows her as she chases her brother Thomas (Jesus' disciple) all over Israel. Covering the major miracles and healings Jesus performed through his death and resurrection this book will make a really nice Easter present. It was fast paced, moving, and I felt so much richer.
Any doubts someone might have about Jesus' ministry are dealt with as Tasmin questions every miracle and healing. It was believable and makes me wonder what I would have done living as a Jew during the time of Jesus. The other perspective is from Jude, Jesus' brother giving the novel another layer of thought to Jesus' ministry and what it means to leave your family for God.
A lovely story, easy read, and a book I'd definitely recommend.


I received this book from netgalley for my honest review.

Okay, WOW! I can't do this book justice, but I'll try.

Tasmin's frustration is so relatable. And the progression is so real! She's frustrated with her brother, and blames this Yeshua character who showed up uninvited and rocked her world, taking her twin brother Thomas away like a pied piper. Which colors her view of everything she hears about Yeshua over the next few years. I could be her, or definitely be friends with her.

Spending some time in Jude's head was so cool! His protective instincts, getting a peek at what his heart might have been going through?

The whole story- shifted slightly off focus (but closely related) from the main players, made this one of the best Biblical fiction stories of Jesus' days on earth that I've ever read.

And the Q/A section at the back, to help discern the fiction from the fact, was both fun to read and helpful too.

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley, and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

Daughter of Cana
by Angela Hunt
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian
Pub Date 31 Mar 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Daughter of Cana through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:



Twins Thomas and Tasmin are hired to oversee a wedding feast in Cana. They worry when the host runs out of wine. But a guest tells Tasmin to have the servants fill the pitchers by the gate with water from the cistern. Tasmin obeys but is reluctant at first but when the rain water turns to the finest wine ever tasted in Cana she is amazed.



After Thomas decides to follow Jesus, he and Tasmin argue, the twins have been together since they were in there Mother's womb. Tasmin is not ready to accept loosing her brother to whom she sees as a magician prophet!


Tasmin decides to follow the Nazarene groups and do whatever she can to get her brother back, aided by Jude, younger brother to Jesus of Nazareth.



I give Daughter of Cana five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Angela Hunt's new series will focus on women who were tangentially around Jesus during His earthly ministry. This first book is about Tasmin, one of the bakers at the wedding of Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine. Tasmin is skeptical about this Nazarene and sure He must have pulled a trick with the wine. She likes Jesus even less when her twin brother Thomas leaves their family business in order to follow the young rabbi.

Tasmin decides to go after Thomas and convince him to come home. She cannot travel by herself because she is an unmarried woman, but when Jesus' brother Jude passes through Cana on his way to find the group of travelers and talk his brother into giving up this madness, the two join up with a group of others to track Jesus across the country.

I was really captivated by the first part of this book. Tasmin's skepticism and getting an up-close look at Jesus' earthly family were both interesting drawing points. I understand historically why certain parts of the story had to draw out, but others seemed to be drawn out unnecessarily or beyond the suspension of disbelief. The end also wraps up very quickly.

If you enjoy Biblical fiction or are interested in what it might have looked like to live at the same time as Jesus but doubt that He was truly sent from God, this is a story I would recommend. Getting a different perspective always makes you think about the Bible in a new way.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I'm always excited to read a new Angela Hunt book. I read this one over Easter week, which was the perfect time to dive into this story. I loved the premise of this book, and Tasmin is an excellent main character. I understood her frustration with her brother for just up and leaving her with all the responsibility. I also thought the author did a wonderful job fleshing out Jude's character. Watching him struggle with his relationship with Jesus was so interesting. I highly recommend this book for readers of biblical fiction.



I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher but I also purchased a copy for my

Wow!!!
The book overwhelmed me in a totally good way. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading it, but as Biblical fiction is my favorite subgenre I knew I was going to enjoy it. I didn't know I was going to enjoy it so much as to be overwhelmed.

The author did a great job!!! Very, very fantastic job. I loved the beauty she wove, the flow of the story and the uniqueness of the characters. This book is like none other I have read.
The story tells us of the half-brother of Jesus; Jude, his wife Tasmin, the ministry and death or Jesus and His siblings' journey to acknowledging and beliving in Him as the Son of God.
This story made me remember how everyone at one time in their journey of life had doubts and sin and God designing events and circumstances to bring us to the knowledge of His dear Son.
In this book I saw the sovereignty and the almighty power of God displayed beautifully.

If I was going to tell someone about Jesus who would not want to read scriptures I would lead them to this book because it will ultimately and definitely lead them to scriptures and to God.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

Angela Hunt’s biblical fiction novel, Daughter of Cana, follows the story of Tasmin, twin sister to Thomas, who became one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. While the tale is clearly fictional, Hunt weaves a story that helps readers grasp a lot of the cultural and historical context surrounding the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and those who knew and followed him. Hunt does a good job of pulling together historical events from the biblical narrative and keeps that as true to the Bible as possible while telling a fictional tale.

Hunt paints a beautiful picture of life in Nazareth, Cana, and Jerusalem, helping readers understand what it would be like to travel with the itinerant Jesus. She helps readers understand the different reactions people had to Jesus—some accepting him as Messiah, some saying he was a prophet, and others claiming he was crazy. I truly felt like I was seeing Jesus through new eyes—vicariously through some of those who met him in the biblical narrative. I guess the best way to say it is that Hunt helped to put skin on Jesus through her story telling.

I’d highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to truly “experience” life in Jesus’ time. It will help you appreciate Jesus more, and it will help you to better understand the history and the culture so that his teaching makes even more sense.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

If you have never read any of Angela Hunt’s historical fiction books, then you are missing out! I was riveted this week by her most recent book, Daughter of Cana. This book tells the story of Jesus, starting with the miracle at the wedding in Cana, from the viewpoint of the apostle Thomas’ twin sister, Tasmin (a fictional character), and Jude, the brother of Jesus.

A good portion of the book was Tasmin and Jude trying to catch up with Jesus, Thomas, and the other disciples. The whole way, they are hearing these incredible stories about the miracles and words of Jesus. The story kept me on the edge of my seat, because I kept wondering what would happen when Tasmin and Jude found Him, and if they would get the miracles and information that they sought. I felt the heartbreak as they witnessed his crucifixion and their triumph at His resurrection. I also loved the way that their characters grew and transformed as the story went on.

If you are looking an intriguing read to keep you occupied, then I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed! I received a copy of this book from Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

Daughter of Cana by Angela Hunt is the first book in the Jerusalem Road series. I finished it on Easter weekend, and it moved me so much that I have been pondering it ever since. Hence the delay in writing my review.

I loved taking a peek behind the scenes into the lives of Jesus' family and his apostle Thomas. I had forgotten that Thomas was a twin. This book focuses on his twin sister Tasmin, and how she reacts to Thomas' sudden departure from her life to follow Jesus.

Together with Jesus' brother Jude, Tasmin is determined to hunt down her brother and bring him home to help their father with their orchard. Jude also wants Jesus to return home because he has just received a lucrative job offer to make a bed with an intricately carved headboard. But he needs Jesus' skills to complete the bed and to get paid. If he can't convince Jesus to come home and help his family, then he will have to pay back the money he spent on purchasing the wood. Both Jude and Tasmin are determined to get what they want and set out on a journey that will change their lives forever.

While it was clear Jude and Tasmin were going to fall in love, it was not the central theme of this story. The real story was Jesus' message. This is the perfect book for someone who is seeking to know more about Jesus or needs a faith boost. I loved the way Hunt described the Kingdom of God, and I loved that I read the last page on Easter Sunday!

"The kingdom of God was wherever God was king. It was within those who surrendered to His kingship."

So few people realize this as they make that all-important commitment to God. I love that Hunt made this clear and did it in such a way that if someone is reading this and they do not know the Lord, they will make that discovery at the same time as the characters.

​Daughter of Cana is a definite must-read, and the perfect gift to give someone who is seeking.

I received this book courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through Netgalley.

"Daughter of Cana" is biblical fiction set in 27-30 AD in Israel. It covered the time from Jesus's miracle at the wedding feast in Cana to after his resurrection. The author had Jesus' ministry start right before the Passover and his death on the fourth Passover from that one. The first half of the book was Tasmin witnessing the miracle at Cana, her doubting it but her brother following Jesus, and then Tasmin and Jude trying to catch up to Jesus as he went to Jerusalem for Passover, going back to Nazareth, etc. They only heard reports about what Jesus had done and said, pretty much quoted from the Bible. They personally witnessed a few more gospel scenes then came home where they continued to hear others tell about what Jesus was doing and saying. I felt like my time would've been better spent just reading the Gospels. Tasmin and Jude were more of a way to show what a common woman and a brother of Jesus might have felt about Jesus and his claims. They didn't have much of a story of their own (maybe 50 pages of the story?), but they bonded due to traveling together on multiple occasions.

I also wasn't impressed by the level of historical accuracy. For example, the author had Jude and others loading their donkey with water jars when going on long journeys. Water jars are heavy and fragile, so it's more likely they would've used water skins. Little things, but it added up for me. Also, the author was determined to have Jesus die as the Passover lambs were actually being slaughtered, so she had the sun darkened at the exact time that the Passover lambs were being slaughtered. Okay, if that's what she believes, it's her book. But Tasmin and Jude walked around observing things like it was broad daylight out during the darkness, and she made a point that the lambs were being slaughtered during the darkness. The torn temple curtain wasn't even mentioned though they passed the temple shortly after it should have occurred (after the earthquake). The people inside Jerusalem acted like everything was completely normal even though it's dark and an earthquake just happened and resurrected people ought to be causing a stir. It just didn't work for me. (Please note that I read an advanced copy, so the text may change in the final copy.) There was no sex or bad language.

I experienced both gain and loss by reading this book...
The gain: I gained a new perspective of what it could have been like, living during the time of Jesus's ministry here on earth.
The loss: I lost - sleep. The story was riveting enough that I stayed up way too late because I couldn't put it down!
With all that being said, I really really enjoyed this book. It's the first book by this author that I have read, and it certainly won't be my last. Biblical history is one of my favorite subjects, and this story taught me a few new things, which I am very thankful for.
I was extremely impressed by the author's talent for taking Biblical facts, and weaving them together with her imagination - and creating believable circumstances that fill in some of the gaps in Biblical accounts.
The characters were well thought out, and the story never lagged. I felt like I was on the road to Jerusalem, Cana, Nazareth, etc. I felt like I was in the group of people that sat mesmerized while Jesus taught. The images that the chapters created in my mind were vivid and lasting.
The characters Tasmin and Jude are both struggling to bring their 'wayward' brothers home - for different reasons. While chasing after them, they experience many adventures along the way. Little do they know that their lives are about to change - immensely!
I love all the scriptures quoted - from both the Old and the New Testaments. They bring such clarity.
I love the Hebrew words used throughout the story that give it authenticity.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. I am not required to leave a review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
I will be recommending this book to everyone I know! It was so well done and worth the time to read!