*Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review*
I was teleported back to the days of Christ’s first coming to his death/resurrection, to the days following his return to his Father. As a Christian, this book increased my faith and understanding of Jesus. The storyline went along with my Bible great. The.characters were so relatable with their faith and struggles being a Christ follower. You truly got lost in what was perceived to occur during this historical time and the feelings were so raw from the characters that you yearned to discover more. The ending left you hoping for the promise of his second coming and I’m so thankful I will be in that number joining him in that crowd as we are transported to our home in Heaven. What an amazing account of Jesus, the Bible and historical biblical times. I encourage anyone who is a born again believer to read the his book and bask in the beauty of God’s presence as you do so. For those who aren’t, I encourage you to read in hopes that your life will be gloriously changed so that you have a home in Heaven with me. God is Good 🙌🏻

Reading Janette Oke's new book felt like visiting an old friend. In my early teen years when I was first allowed to read "adult" Christian fiction books, I was handed the Love Comes Softly series, so reading Oke's new story written in her simple, distinct style gave me nostalgia.

The Pharisee's Wife follows the story of Mary, a young woman who suddenly becomes the wife of a corrupt Pharisee who only wants her because of her beauty. The reader watches her adjust and endure, all while hearing rumors of a man called Jesus of Nazareth whom the Pharisees despise.

I appreciated that the story occured during the time of Jesus's ministry, death, and resurrection. It made me realize what coming to faith may have felt like during that time. For example, early Christians thought Jesus was coming back very soon after his ascension and probably faced each day like Mary, wondering if today would be the day He would return. Now it's been 2000 years or so and we are still waiting, and sometimes we kind of forget to anticipate His return!

I will say I found the last 20% of the book difficult to get through. I just wasn't as intrigued. Also, things sometimes felt rushed or glossed over, while there were other moments that felt preachy. Mary was likeable enough, but felt a little "flat." There was also an event in the book which I felt came suddenly and felt unrealistic, but it's a spoiler.

Overall, The Pharisee's Wife is a good read. Those of us who enjoyed Janette Oke's earlier books will especially appreciate getting to read a new story from her.

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mary is a young Jewish girl living in the times of Jesus’s ministry. She is spotted in the market place of a city by a Pharisee Student. Enos sees Mary and must make her his wife. What follows is a woman grappling with this life change as a new wife and the political and spiritual unrest in Jerusalem during the days of Jesus.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed with this book. The writing felt choppy and the characters felt one dimensional. The overarching story seemed to follow pretty close to the end of the Gospels and the beginning of Acts, but the pacing felt very inconsistent. I know he was a Pharisee but Enos’s actions during the entire story just made me mad and incredibly sad.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

-Positive Content-
▪ I liked the writing style and the worldbuilding was excellent!
▪ I also liked the marketplace vendors the first few chapters in.

-Negative Content-

-The NLT version of the bible is used.

Romance Level: Clean and non-explicit.
▪ A couple were in their bedroom talking, and it mentioned the husband playing with his wife's hair and then laying beside her. Nothing further happened.

-Language (minimal): fool/fools used a few times.

-Triggers-
▪ One mention of a woman having had a miscarriage in the past.

▪ A man marries a young woman solely for her beauty, not out of love. He was insincere, verbally abusive and easily angered.
The man also jerked his wife's face to look at him, after she had turned away from him.

◾Extra comments: The writer's storytelling and worldbuilding were excellent, and the way she described places were as if you were there with the characters.

One of the things I didn't really care for was that the main male character was very irritating, selfish and honestly evil. He made the book less enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.

The book was ok, it just wasn't really my cup of tea.

Many thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for the complimentary e-book I received to review through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

“𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.”

I suggest you have tissues on hand when reading 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞 as you may need them!

Where do I even start? First, although I haven’t read a Janette Oke book other than this one, I’ve got a feeling this book is very different from the rest of her books. I warn you, if you think this is a fluffy, romantic book, then you are sorely mistaken. In fact, there wasn’t any romance at all.

In reality, this book is a story of trusting in God even in perilous circumstances, and of faith even in what you don’t see.

Mary/Simona is the protagonist of this book. From the beginning, she had very few choices of her own—even in the man she married. Throughout this book she faced the dire trials before her in a positive outlook. Many would let themselves become bitter over those same trials, but not not Mary. While I appreciated this, I also struggled with connecting with her, and I found her a little too perfect at times.

Another part that I battled with was whenever Enos, the Pharisee, was in the story. I couldn’t stand him! I’ll actually give the author credit for this as writing a truly despicable villain is not an easy task, and she certainly did a good job!

Towards the end of the story it got really good, and I teared up a few times. I really liked the ending, and I definitely recommend that you read the author’s note.

Overall, I thought 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞 was a very well-written book, and I’d highly recommend to any biblical fiction fans!

Janette Oke was one of my first favorite authors. I still own most of the books by her from my adolescent/teenage years. Getting the chance to read an advanced copy of one of her books has been an honor. Unlike most of her books this story is geared more towards adult than YA. It is a fictional story based on a pivotal time in history. She weaves in true historical events with characters and events that "could have happened". This is not an easy read, but a heavy read that had tears running down my face through most of it. As a believer one of the most impactful thing I got from it was instead of praying for Him to hurry back we should be praying for those still lost to hurry before time runs out. I highly recommend this book to be read by everyone.

If you like Biblical historical fiction, do I have a recommended book for you! The Pharisees Wife by Janette Oke is about a young lady named Mary, who catches the eye of a Pharisee that make her his bride, and the challenges she faces, learning their culture, leaving her parents, and community.

This story taught me what it would have been like to be a young lady, married off, while during the time of Jesus’s death on the cross and the Christians facing persecution. All the characters in the book faced different fears and beliefs. Enos dealt with pride and unbelief, Mary faced fear and loneliness, Mary and most of her family came to believe in Jesus, her dad struggled with health and doubt and rejected Jesus, Mary’s brother Benjamin was martyred, Mary’s mother who once dealt with anger was changed after she became saved.

This story kept me up late reading and waiting to see what would happen next.

Quotes I took from the book:

Mary struggled. There was so much pain in her world. Deep, deep down within her, she had an unquenched thirst for answers. For truth. And she kept thinking, feeling, that somehow the unknown Jesus held answers.
We all make mistakes. We all need forgiveness. But we now know where to find it.
The great news, Father, is that He is not only the Healer, but the Savior we have long awaited. our Redeemer, The Messiah.
We either accept Him, or we reject Him. We cannot be undecided. There is not a third.
But what it could cost me to believe Him is little compared to what it could cost me to deny Him.
She prayed the same prayer over and over. Lord lead me. Lead us. We need your guidance and care.
It was so hard to wait, but faith would sustain her. She would continue to pray for patience–and strong, courageous, faith-until the Day of Deliverance would take her home.

I was so surprised by this book. I have been a Janet Oke reader for decades, I was thrilled to grab this copy. However, it is nothing like her usual books (Love Comes Softly/When Calls the Heart offerings).

This book felt like it was rushed and not that well written. The two main characters were irritating, and the supporting characters were fairly one dimensional.

I might have enjoyed this more if I had been a new reader, instead of already her backlist in every format (Kindle, paperback and reprints lol).

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

It's been quite awhile since I read a Janette Oke book, so I was happy to receive this book as an ARC. I loved the cover for starters. This book--while taking place during the time of Christ--isn't like some where the character meets Christ during their lifetime. This one instead begins about weeks before Christ is crucified and then continues years after His death.

Our lead character goes from being a 15 year old lovely young woman seeking to find the "Carpenter" to help heal her father--to the wife of a passionately anti-Christ Pharisee in a matter of weeks. the book gives insight about what it would be like to be curious about the message and rumors of Christ but living in a household and social standing where everyone is full of rage and hatred against him.

I also appreciated how it ended with them seeking the return and desperately wondering when it will be...a reminder for ourselves about still eager awaiting it.

All in all--it really didn't have the mmmf. I'd say it's about a 3. Just okay.

Like typical Janette Oke, you will see her own faith woven throughout the story.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. All opinions are 100% my own.

This was my first book by Janette Oke and it won’t be my last. I love historical fiction and this was so different, being Biblical Historical Fiction. I was completely engulfed in this world from the beginning. I loved getting to see the biblical world come to life on the page.

The descriptions that were given were so mesmerizing and made me look certain things up multiple times. (Which I always think is the best sign of a good historical fiction book.)

I loved the way the story was woven together and the greater message of Jesus and our faith was beautiful.

If you’re looking for a historical fiction book that will pack a faith punch, this is the book for you.

Mary is the young but stunning daughter of a poor millwright who is injured in an accident. On a visit to a village, chasing after Jesus to ask him for healing, she has the misfortune to be seen by Enos, a student Pharisee.

Enos is truly a white-washed sepulchre and even worse. I hated him thoroughly. He thinks he's the cat's whiskers and everyone else is dust beneath his feet. Pah!! This attitude extends towards his finding a wife. He has decided he must possess the beautiful girl he saw in the village, so he will be the envy and the cynosure of all eyes, whispered about as the husband of a most beauteous wife. 🙄

Possess her, he does - as a thing, so much so he arrogantly changes her name to Simona because 'Mary', is "too common", and sends her to "train" to be a Pharisee's wife and learn to follow all their extraneous rituals and traditions.

Being the awful, proud, full-of-himself man that he is, he is 100% against the upstart Rabbi, Jesus and we are told of his contempt repeatedly.

What will he do when he finds out his carefully, chosen beautiful wife has an affinity for the despised, despicable, false prophet he has decided Jesus is, and needs just eye-witness testimony to believe that He is indeed the Messiah?

Read the novel to find out what happens to Enos and Mary, aka Simona. I didn't much care for it. I found Enos rather one dimensional - wholly wicked! With zero redeeming features. Mary is the good, obedient, quiet, Jewish girl. The plot develops upto a point, beyond which it is just a narrative of the everyday, ordinary and life of the early believer in Israel. Stirring events are just reported in a paragraph or two. If the intention was to show the mundane, daily life of a Christian in the first century AD, even in the midst of persecution and stirring events, it's a resounding success.

I was given an ARC for my reading pleasure. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.

The Pharisee’s Wife is a very powerful and thought-provoking story about redemption by Janette Oke. At age ninety, Oke has granted her readers with a truly remarkable and unique story of Biblical fiction as she transports us to the time when Jesus walked this world spreading the word of God.

Told by two points-of-view, Oke, with her exquisite prose, takes her readers back in time where we meet Mary (a.k.a Simona), a humble country girl, and Enos, an ambitious Pharisee in training. Throughout their journey, Oke painted vivid images, which kept me totally engaged from beginning to end. I felt every single moment of Mary’s love, loss, and doubts as she struggled with being the wife of a Pharisee. Enos, so concerned with prestige for himself, goes into debt to possess Mary. Oke had me in awe with her ability to get so deeply into the minds of both of these fantastic characters, making reading this book an amazing experience.

I highly recommend The Pharisee’s Wife, an unforgettable story, written by Janette Oke, an amazing author who has been writing some of the best historical Christian fiction books I have read for over thirty years.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book more than I did. I think this might be a personal preference, because the writing was great and the characters were realistic with a well developed plot, but there was something about the subservience of the main character that I didn't like. I couldn't understand her motivations especially when faced with such an unloving husband. I confess that I put this book down many times, but that is in no way a reflection on the author. I'd love to read more from them in the future.

The story started well enough. We were introduced to Mary, and soon saw how drastically her life would change. But we never actually got to KNOW Mary, and we certainly only got to know her husband on the surface. Their stories were very separate. It was strange. Things would just happen to one of them, but there was no investment on my part as the reader because I never got to know anyone well. Three-fourths through the book the story slowed down. There was even more telling about all the things going on, and the story of Mary seemed to fade. Time flew by and things happened at an alarmingly fast rate. It was like reading an overview of someone’s life. Nothing to keep me engaged or make me feel for these characters. It was like there wasn’t a story there anymore so we just finished it off by saying what happened to everyone. Very strange.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a treat to have another book by Janette Oke! A beautiful work of fiction set in biblical times. The Pharisee’s Wife follows the life of a Jewish woman from the start of Jesus’ ministry until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The writing pulled me into the story from the start and I loved getting a glimpse into what life could have looked like during this time. The perspective of the Pharisee intrigued me, although his treatment towards Mary infuriated me. At the end I felt like things happened quickly and I wanted more of a story. But reading about the longing for Jesus’ second return inspired me and challenged me on how I have been praying. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!!!

The Pharisee's Wife was an inspirational story about a young girl named Mary, who is chosen by the Pharisee Enos to be his wife. He isn't a nice man though. Cruel and hungry for power her life quickly becomes a nightmare. But as she begins to hear about the carpenter who some people are saying is the Messiah, she realizes she and Enos have some very different dreams for their lives.

Janette Oke is a masterful storyteller and the main characters were well developed. Having Mary and her family begin to believe in Jesus amid all the turmoil in Jerusalem is fascinating to read and I thought the author did a great job with having the characters feel as they they were in that time and setting.

I was given an advanced copy of this book by the Author and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Just when I think Janette Oke can't get any better.....I have been reading Janette Oke for 30+ years. And once again, she swept me off my feet. From the very first page, I was taken on a front row seat into the life of Mary "Simona" and how she was raised in a humble home. Only to be bought for a bride price by a Pharisee even at a young age. I felt like I was sitting there in the same room watching her life unfold. 'Simona" quietly obeys as she is taught the ways of a Pharisee's wife. Yet while she is learning, her husband is actively trying to find and persecute Jesus. The author made it seem so very real and as intense as I'm sure it was at that time. The very hatred of the name of Jesus was astounding. I love how this author made me feel like I was in the streets AD33 watching this unfold as they find and persecute Jesus while Simona is yearning for Jesus and His redemption and His love. You can feel the excitement as they find out 3 days later His body is missing. And even when Simona's life isn't turning out like expected, the author kept Simona's heart always longing for Christ. You can feel her desire for the Lord's return. The ending wasn't what I was expecting, yet was absolutely perfect for the setting of this book. I highly recommend this book as you will not be able to forget it!!

This was an ok read for me. The expectations of and training for being the wife of a Pharisee was a topic I haven't seen explored before, and I found it interesting. But the pacing was off and there seemed to be gaps in the storyline.

The author is a talented writer, but this is not up to her usual standard.

This is biblical historical fiction so expect discussions about Jesus.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tyndale House. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was fascinated by the era when a Pharisee had so much power over the Jewish people they were to be serving.. Janette Oke never fails to open our eyes. The Pharisee's Wife is thought provoking.

The life of a Pharisee was one of privilege when Jesus walked the earth., Scholar Enos was at the top of his class. He lets his fleshly desires propel him to change the life of young, poor Mary. Enos' fervor over Jesus' claim to the the Messiah blinds him to reality and his true nature reaps the rewards that destroy Mary's new world.

I believe I’ve read every inspirational fiction book by the beloved author Janette Oke. Most of these novels feature strong female protagonists and are set in the pioneer times. Each one has been a blessing, beautifully highlighting God’s love and care.

Now, at the remarkable age of 90, Janette Oke has written a fresh take on Biblical fiction with The Pharisee’s Wife. As the title suggests, the story is set in Jerusalem in 33 A.D. It begins like a typical romance: a young, ambitious Pharisee in training spots a beautiful girl, desires her, and marries her.

But as the story unfolds, we see that the Pharisee becomes consumed by worldly ambition—the desire to appear successful, to be better than others, and to use his wife to further his own opportunities. His kind-hearted wife means little to him, and their relationship is anything but loving.

Everything changes when the Pharisees in Jerusalem decide it’s time to silence the presence of a poor carpenter from Galilee who claims to be the Messiah. The lives of the young Pharisee and his wife are dramatically altered, and they are forced to confront their faith and purpose in ways they never expected.

This book is unlike the sweet and gentle stories Janette Oke is known for, which have been so meaningful and entertaining to me. But I believe that at age 90, the author felt called to boldly proclaim the Gospel to a world in desperate need of God’s love and care. The Pharisee’s Wife is a powerful and thought-provoking read, reminding us of the radical love and sacrifice of Jesus.

Thank you, Janette Oke, for writing such an inspiring book. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a deep, soul-stirring story.

I received a complimentary eBook through Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.