I love Biblical fiction novels, but I'm picky. I particularly love novels by Mesu Andrews AND Jill Eileen Smith. They both have a way of making the Bible characters come to life and pique my interest in the actual Biblical stories. I often go back and read the original stories in the Bible after finishing one of her books to see what was real and what was fiction. I love when novels make me want to read my bible more!

Jill Eileen Smith is one of my favorite authors. I loved every single one of her books. However, this book just didn't strike me. It was very slow and the characters just didn't appeal to me. Still, I love Mrs. Smith and will continue to read more of her works in the future.

I'm not sure this book really needs a description: It is the classic, Biblical story of Ruth. Naomi, her husband, and her two sons flee the famine in Bethlehem to live in Moab. There, the brothers marry Ruth and Orpah, and then the three men of the family die. The three women are unprotected and poor, and two decide to make the trek back to Bethlehem to start afresh. And then there's Boaz, a recent widower who takes a special interest in Ruth as she works in his fields...

It is a beautiful story. The romance between Ruth and Boaz, the redemption from all the pain the characters have suffered, the new hope. This is why I have read three different retellings as well as the original several times. It's a story that never gets old.

I loved this version of it, Redeeming Grace by Jill Eileen Smith. It pulled my emotions and made me teary at the end. Watching the characters experience so much grief was hard. But the end was so beautiful and hopeful, a redemption that made everything worth it.

The historical details were interesting too. The sexism was spot on for the culture; sad, but true. And Moab, well, I appreciated the historical context. Israel had recently won a war with Moab, a fact which created tension in the characters because the Moabites were not too interested in befriending the Israelite new neighbors.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of Biblical retellings.

I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have read the whole seris in the last few days. Did not want them to end. I have enjoyed learning the customs and fears of the people of that time. Leaves me wanting dig deeper.

God does not ask for our obedience to punish us but to preserve us. He always seeks what is best for those He loves.

The story of Ruth is probably my most favorite story of the bible. It reflects our condition and the work of redemption for us. I have read several historical fictions on the story of Ruth but this account gave me a different insight that Ruth is about feminism. What feminism looks like-it is courage with humility, it is loyalty with humility, and it is centered with thinking of others first with humility.

The biblical account does not share the relationship between Naomi's family with Boaz family but this account gives a relationship that is respectful and honoring. What brought Naomi's family to Moab and how she supported her husband even though she did agree with him. I always appreciate that context was given because it is so important to understand the tension that was so prevalent and why it matters. The first 50% of the account was their time in Moab with the death of her husband and sons then the return to Bethlehem that last part.

What is most revealing is how Ruth with her relationship to her mother-in-law Naomi came to know the Lord. How the Lord prepared her heart for something greater and to walk in faith with the unseen.

A Special Thank You to Revell and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Redeeming Grace is an excellent version of Ruth's story. You will be captivated and transported back in time to the days of Ruth and Boaz. The author's writing style reminds me of Francine Rivers who is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy reading books like this one because it gives you a bigger glimpse of what it may have actually been like during the Bible times. When you read the Bible, it is sometimes easy to forget about the people's feelings when they went through hardships and joyful times. This book helps you to be more empathetic to what Ruth and Boaz and their families went through and the pain they must have felt during difficult circumstances. But we know that God always has our best interests at heart and he promises things will work out for the good. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

I have read other fiction books based on Ruth and Naomi’s story and really enjoyed them. So it always makes we wonder when I am getting ready to read a new book based on the same story if I will be bored if I could like it as much.
I should have known because it was Jill writing the book I would be reading something brand new. She put twists in this story I never saw coming. She looked at things in a way I had never imagined them happening to our cast of characters before.
The relationships each character has with the others is something new and fresh.
If you enjoy the story of Ruth and Naomi I think you will find this retelling quite interesting and moving as well.

A copy of this book was given to me. All opinions are my own.

Love Jill Eileen Smith's telling of the Story of Ruth. Have recommended this novel to all of my reading peers.

I love it. poignant ,touching and well written. I totally loved this book with strong characters, intriguing and well developed plot and a moving story. This was my first book from the author and I loved it. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes to read woman's fiction or even fiction. I really enjoyed the book

The story of Ruth is a very familiar tale to most Christians, so no plot twists or turns here. Instead, the author has given us a gentle, unhurried retelling of the story, rich with details that enable the reader to feel immersed in the cultures of Moab and Bethlehem. By the end of the book, I felt like Ruth and Naomi were friends of mine, so well-drawn were the characters. I liked the way the author drew the reader into the griefs and losses of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, thus setting the reader up to experience vicariously the joy of redemption. Genealogy is a hobby of mine, and I loved seeing Ruth’s dawning understanding of how God was working to bring beauty from ashes in her life. And I loved knowing that Ruth had no idea what was going to come of her marriage to Boaz – King David and eventually King of all Kings, Jesus. I liked thinking about how my ancestors could have had no idea what God was working in their lives, and likewise, in mine and in the lives of my descendants. Truly, God is a God of faithfulness to a thousand generations! This book pointed out that fact in subtle and gentle ways, which enabled the idea to lodge more firmly in the heart of the reader.

I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Elimelech decides to move his wife and two sons to Moab when famine strikes his land in Bethlehem. While his family seems to flourish at first, Elimelech and his sons seem to accept the ways of the Moabites more and more the longer they live away from their own people. When he and both of his sons die in a foreign land, his wife Naomi finds herself virtually penniless and with only two childless, foreign daughters-in-law to show for the 10 years spent in Moab. When Naomi decides to return home to Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Ruth decides to also leave Moab and its ways behind her, and embrace Naomi's people and their God.

After the years of famine, Boaz's land is finally producing bountiful harvests again, but after the sudden death of his beloved wife, he can't seem to see past his own grief and doubting. When his relative Naomi returns with the lovely Ruth, will Boaz finally accept the blessings God has chosen to give him?

With her typical talent, Jill Eileen Smith exquisitely tells the Biblical story of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi in Redeeming Grace. As with most of Smith's novels, the reader already knows the end of the story, but Smith's additions of fascinating historical detail and beautiful story-telling make them anything but boring. I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into the tribe of Judah during the time of the Judges. While I knew there would have to be some heartache involved, the overall feeling of the story was much less depressing than Land of Silence. Rather than waiting for calamity throughout the entire novel, the reader gets to look forward to blessings and happy endings. This beautiful story of redemption and faith shouldn't be missed.

The biblical account of Ruth is roughly three pages long yet through research and imagination, Jill Eileen Smith has crafted an intriguing and engaging novel that honors the scriptures while entertaining and encouraging readers.

This rich story is told from the perspectives of Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth. The detailed descriptions of historical customs and cultures in Israel and Moab provide a vivid backdrop and give readers a deeper understanding of the struggles endured during that time.

Redeeming Grace delivers both entertainment and spiritual depth. I look forward to reading more titles from Jill Eileen Smith!

I requested the opportunity to read and review this title through Revell Reads. The opinions expressed are my own.

The bible story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz has always been a favorite bible story of mine. Redeeming Grace is a beautiful fictionalization of that story. The author transported my imagination back to that era in biblical times. It is truly an amazing book. I highly recommend.

This is a unique take on the Ruth story that differentiates itself from several other fictional retellings of the same. Opting to focus more on the customs of the day than the romantic infusion so often pursued in the Ruth and Boaz relationship, Smith draws careful characters with deft dimension. Switching from Boaz, Ruth and Naomi's points of view, she weaves a canvas that is accurate and intriguing but often at the expense of a certain spark that makes the book come alive.

I quite enjoyed her obvious depth of knowledge and the infusion of customs and rules that are not immediately familiar to those with a working knowledge of the Bible story. But, as a biased reader who just ALWAYS WANTS LIFE TO BE RUTH AND BOAZ, I felt that the sweeping Cinderella story I had found in previous incarnations, such as Tessa Afshar's In the Field of Grace, was absent here. To add, there was a missing layer of vulnerability to Ruth and she was the least drawn of the central characters.

I recognize that my criticism of some of the tenets of the story is biased on my own expectations and, thus, encourage readers of historical fiction and fans of Smith's work (like myself) to check it out and see what they think. Perhaps because I have read so many previous incarnations of the same tale, my perspective on this was shadowed... but it didn't quite strike me the way some of Smith's other ( also excellently researched) Biblical fare has.

Redeeming Grace is the retelling of one of my favorite Bible stories, the story of Ruth. The author does a great job researching the many aspects of life during the time of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi lived and brings those to life in this book. It is always a treat to read these books so that one can get an inside look at what might have been occurring simultaneously as the Biblical story was unfolding.

She did a wonderful job developing the relationship between Naomi and Ruth. It was as I imagine it when I read the book of Ruth with only Smith bringing them to life in a bigger way in her book.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The story of Ruth has always been one of my favorite Bible stories. There is the romantic side of the story (or at least, many of us like to think that Boaz loved Ruth), but then all the threads of redemption that jump out. So, with that, I was excited to read another novel that brings this story to life.

One of the things that stood out to me in this novel, was how well Jill Eileen Smith brings the culture to life. For both the time spent in Moab and then in Israel… we see the society and how it operates, as well as festivals and celebrations. This offers a lovely contrast between a culture that loves God and another that does not.

But one of my favorite parts of this book was how much the relationship between Ruth and Naomi was a focus. I loved seeing these two brought to life and see their relationship play out. It was, I think, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this novel.

If you enjoy biblical fiction, I’d highly recommend this novel.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.**

It took me a few pages to get into [book:Redeeming Grace: Ruth's Story], as it starts by first expanding on Boaz - after all, he's an older man with no wife and no children, so there must have been some backstory - and the reasons for Elimelech to take his wife, Naomi, and their two sons to Moab, but soon I was immersed in a woman struggling to keep her customs in a new land while her husband seems to turn away.

Small details of the culture, and how daily life was managed, brought additional color and texture to the story but without bogging the reader down. Explanations and teachings were built in, bringing greater understanding and more knowledge of relationships, especially those linking Noah's sons to Egypt. Some of the characters were invented, others given names and stories of their own. The hardest thing for me was to understand the mindset of the Moabites, the somewhat cruel and uncaring nature of a society that sees no problem with human sacrifice or greed.

One of the main themes throughout is that <i>it's all right not to understand God's plans</i>. It's hard to trust in Him when things are falling apart, when nothing seems to go right and you seem to be punished, but trust is what He requires. He can handle your doubt and your questions, and will carry you through.

Redeeming Grace: Ruth's Story is book three from the Daughters of the Promised Land series. I loved this book and I believe it is my favorite of the series. I thought Jill Eileen Smith beautifully told Ruth's story. I enjoyed how she imagined how Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and others lived. The descriptions are so vivid that I felt like I had stepped back in time and into the pages of the Book of Ruth.
I highly recommend this fantastic fictional account of Ruth's life and others who lived during her time.
100 stars

Smith's research and finely drawn characters allow Bronze age Hebrew customs like marrying a family member's widow to carry on the family line to come through as humane and generous, rather than weird and creepy. Ruth here is an attractive story of loyalty and hospitality, rendered in PG terms.

Another well-known story of redemption told beautifully.

Many people know the story of Ruth, or at least they think they do. But is it really Ruth’s story? Or Naomi’s story? When Elimelech and Naomi leave Bethlehem with their two sons to find relief from the famine, they come to the land of Moab. Moab is land that worships gods made of stone and wood, which the people offer human sacrifices to. But Elimelech isn’t worried as the land he is harvesting is very plenty and bountiful. But when he is suddenly mauled by a bear on his way home from the town, things begin to change in Naomi’s life. Suddenly both her sons plan to take Moabite women as their wives rather than from their own people. These two women are Orpah and Ruth. As the years go own, Naomi’s sons become more engrossed in the culture and working the land rather than returning home until they suddenly become ill and die on the same day. Now in grief, Naomi plans to return home, but releases the holds of her two daughters-in-law so that they may return to their families. Orpah leaves and returns, but Ruth journeys back with Naomi to Bethlehem, but will she be welcome?

I end the synopsis here because if you do not know the story of Ruth, I want you to read this fantastic fictional account. I have always loved the history that Jill Eileen Smith brings to her stories and how the details always seem to fall into place. The book of Ruth in the Bible is very short and may appear vague when you read it. It may leave you with questions as to why was Ruth so loyal to Naomi? But I believe it is really more about the change in culture over time with regard to the Bible. When the Israelites would have heard the story of Ruth recited, they would have known the importance of land possession and the kinsman redeemer. Today, the common person probably doesn’t have the same biblical knowledge as they did at the time. Thankfully, this book really takes on the story and tells it in such a way that makes it extremely understandable. This is one of my favorite stories and this book just makes it that much better.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.