What an emotional story this turned out to be. Just like I suspected that it would be. I wasn't sure I was going to like it but over all I did. It often dealt with some tough issues but it was well written and easy to be drawn into the characters.
The desperation of both Rena and her mother-in-law, Nell is shown very clearly in the beginning chapters. They had run out of places to stay and were slowly starving to death. Nell could have found a place to stay with relatives and been fairly well cared for. That is if she dumped Rena. They do find a place out of the weather but it's still a hard place to be. But Nell is a woman of prayer and some things start to change for the better for the two widows. But there lives were often like a roller coaster, up and down as they tried to survive.
Both Rena and Lord Barric (Jack) made for good main characters with all of their strengths and flaws. It just seemed like Rena endured blow after blow as she tried to help her mother-in-law.
Lord Barric was a stern man with a temper as fiery as his red hair. But not only does he work hard, he also shows some unexpected kindness at times. It often makes him wonder at himself when it happens. He also has his position in society to consider. So many times that makes his struggles more intense when it comes to Rena.
There are also some other strong people in the story. William is Barric's steward and long-time friend. Alice is also a part of the story and she is William's sister. She also has known Barric since childhood. Charles is another person but he comes in later in the story. He is Barric's brother.
What story is complete with a villain or two? Or at least a person of questionable character? That would be Thomas, Barric's cousin. A close runner up would be Uncle George. While not truly evil, he still looked out for his position and his own wishes.
There is also Rena's struggle when it comes to her Hindu upbringing and how powerless it has been in her life after the death of her husband. That part of the story added an unexpected element to the story that I did not see coming.
There was a couple of times were the story slowed with the heaviness of Rena and Nell's situation. But the story did come to a satisfying conclusion that I was happy with.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I love the story of Ruth and Naomi. This book is a retelling set in England. The writing was very well done. I loved the characters and the twist
in the plot . I am so glad I read this book
Thank you to Barbour publishing and netgalley for the gift of the arc, the opinions in thus review are my own.

Rena was overlooked in many ways due to her being an Indian. She persevered, through it all, after she was widowed she stood by (Nell) her mother-in-laws side no matter what. They slept in some of the worst areas. Nell's faith never faltered, while Rena is not sure which faith is the right one for her.
Barric does what he can for them, even though he can be arrogant . He is struggling with his feeling towards Rena, and the hate his family has toward her.

This book was encouraging and it shows you not to be so judgmental as you never know the path someone is following.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

I have mixed feelings about this book! The writing style was beautiful, authentic, and poetic. The author did a great job of showing her character's feelings and the flow of the story was effortless. She deserves 5 stars in this category.
But, content-wise, I expected more of a Ruth and Boaz retelling... there was so much untapped potential in the setting and I feel like an opportunity to write a truly great story was missed. I wish the relationship between Rena and Barric had been developed more, and on more levels than just attraction. Lord Barric was definitely a flawed hero, which isn't wrong, but I was disappointed in the way he treated Rena at times... situations which kind of left me wondering why exactly she fell in love with him.
I did love the aspect of what it would have been like for a widowed woman from India to show up in 1861 England... the shunning she faced was very real and thought-provoking.
I feel bad for saying this, but I also feel like the British setting never quite felt real enough... calling a cottage a cabin and other American slip-ups that made the story lose a little accuracy in the time and place category.
The story started well, but it was disappointing by the last pages.
*I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are completely my own.*

In India, Rena was a Brahmin - then she married an English soldier around the time of the Great Rebellion, when tensions between the British and the Indians were high. Following the deaths of both her father-in-law and her husband, she decides to accompany her bereaved mother-in-law back to England to look after her. On their arrival, though, she is treated as an outcast or worse, and the pair are all but starving when Lord Barric takes pity on Rena after finding her taking a small amount of grain from his fields to keep them from starvation. But his protection comes with consequences to the reputations of both, and the growing attraction between them doesn't make matters any easier. Which will win out for Lord Barric - his (and his family's) reputation and position in society, or his unacknowledged love for Rena?

I found this book a little hard to rate. I enjoyed the story overall, and the writing was good, but I found the position to which Rena and her mother-in-law were relegated (scum) a bit hard to take. It may be realistic for the time - but if so, that is a shameful thing. Also, Lord Barric's constant blowing-hot-and-cold attitude towards Rena, when he effectively held her life in his hand, bothered me quite a bit. Again, perhaps understandable at times - but it seemed to be constantly putting Rena down and treating her as worthless. From the point of view of a comparison to the story of Ruth and Boaz, it was interesting and thought-provoking, but I get the feeling that (a) Ruth was greeted reasonably kindly due to her attitude towards Naomi, and (b) Boaz was more consistently kind to her, even if from a distance (not that we know much).

Overall, a good story, but not a five-star book because I spent too much time wishing Rena could just tell Lord Barric to go jump and then being frustrated by her absolute helplessness. However, I have to admit that the ending was reasonably satisfying. I may or may not read this again, but would be happy to try another by the author. 3.5 stars.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Inspired by the story of Ruth and Naomi, Stephens has crafted a story of love and sacrifice, of loyalty and renewal. Rena, a young Indian woman, is widowed after an all too brief marriage to Edric, an English soldier stationed in India, having moved their with his parents years before. Dedicated to her mother-in-law, Nell, also recently widowed, Rena decided to accompany her back to England and to see that she is cared for. Survival for the two women becomes a struggle as door after door is closed to them due to prejudices over Rena's Indian heritage. Lord Barric, much to the chagrin of many, extends them Christian charity in the form of food and shelter. Where Stephens takes the story from there puts a fresh face on the usual story line of historical romance, one readers will quite enjoy.

A secondary character that cannot go without mention as one reflects on Shadow Among Sheaves is Parson Richardson. He is truly an example of seeking to model one's life after the example of Christ. The parson is the type of Christian one would like to know and to be. His non-judging, accepting, generous lifestyle and his winsome ways draw both the story's main characters and readers to want to know this Lord of whom he speaks.

I look forward to reading more books by this author and am grateful to have received a copy of Shadow Among Sheaves in exchange for my honest opinion from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

The biblical story of Ruth is one of pure, unadulterated, redemptive love. A story that I draw new understanding and deeper meaning from every time I read it. Which lead to the reason I picked up Naomi Stephens’ new release, Shadow Among Sheaves. After all, this novel is based on a biblical story I cherish and the synopsis held the promise of a great read. So I thought,”Why not give this book a shot?”.

Well…

Before I go Further, I’d have to admit that Shadow Among Sheaves started off with a good beginning that captured me instantly. I liked how it somewhat resembled the book of Ruth yet had its own unique take. I liked how the novel’s setting seemed to leap from the pages to the point where I could almost touch it. And I loved that the leading character – Rena – originated from India. It’s a place I’ve rarely seen a leading character from in christian fiction, so it was nice seeing that in Shadow Among Sheaves.

With that said, it was one particular character in this story that ruined my upbeat feedings. I could not get over how frustrating this character was nor how this character failed to improve as the novel progressed. I won’t name this character for fear of spoilers, but I wished I liked this character as much as I wanted to. Unfortunately in the end (largely because of this character and some language I was shocked to find in a CF novel) I couldn’t connect with the story.

In sum, this wasn’t the novel for me.

Shadow Among Sheaves is the debut novel of author Naomi Stephens and she has crafted a beautiful retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi. Rena, a young Indian woman, chooses to leave her native country to accompany her mother-in-law back to England after both of their husbands die. Rena had hastily made a vow to care for Nell with no idea of the life of sacrifice that vow would bring about. Could she bear the cost? The characters are strong, realistic, and evocative--you love them or despise them. I was sometimes frustrated with Lord Barric and wondered if he'd ever figure out his relationship with Rena. Would he be able to see beyond her otherness and be able to show kindness and not just pity her? Would she ever be able to trust him to make her forget her lonely emptiness? The writing style is graceful and captivatingly creative with intricate word-pictures that accurately depict the situations and the settings of the story. "She knew exactly how it felt to have her heart cleaved in two, to weep until she thought she'd choke to death on her tears." The dialogue flows seamlessly without sounding forced. Shadow Among Sheaves is a fascinating tale of love and loss, grief beyond reason, faith, and family. Readers who love allegorical stories that are full of history and romance will not want to miss reading this book. I can't wait to read more from this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.

I almost didn't request a copy of Shadow Among Sheaves. I have a lot going on with books I've committed to read, with work, and with other life things. And then I read the description again. A retelling of Ruth? I love that book of the Bible. So I looked at my calendar again, pushed back the review date for a book that I purchased a month ago, and grabbed this one.

Sitting here now after reading it, I can't help but think what a shame it would have been if I didn't pick this one up. This compelling story has me looking at Ruth and the circumstances of her life much differently now. I've always focused on Boaz and his kindness toward her yet never really thought about the love that Ruth must have had for her first husband - to make her willing to face shame and discrimination from her people and from his for marrying him. Rena's deep love for the deceased Edrich and her grief is heart-wrenching.

Debut author Naomi Stephens has taken this familiar and well-loved story and breathed new life into it. With a richness of language and a depth of emotion, she portrays a very prejudiced England at the time of Queen Victoria in the wake of the Indian Mutiny. She tells of poverty and desperation. Of a man torn between his desire to do what is good and right and fear of the hurt it might do to his reputation and standing in the community if he does.

A friend and fellow reader commented that she didn't much care for Lord Barric - he was a little too much like Mr. Rochester. I disagree. I found him to feel very deeply about matters and to struggle with trying to live up to his father's reputation. I felt that he was very true to what an earl in this era would have been like.

I am so touched by the intense love of God that is communicated through these pages. The ""Your God will be my god"" part of Ruth's pledge was not made until later in this story and so we were able to see Rena's spiritual journey as she exchanged the beliefs of her ancestors for those of her dead husband's mother.

Be warned, though. This book requires having tissues close at hand! It will wring your heart and may even challenge your attitudes towards those who are in need and those who are "different" from you.

I highly recommend Shadow Among Sheaves to lovers of Christian fiction of all flavors. It is already on my list of candidates for "Best of" for this year!


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.

The prologue sucked me in and I knew this would be a tale I’d read until the very end. Which I did. No worrying of not finishing here. I loved Rena as a heroine, a woman, and just an interesting character to follow. She’s amazing and I was pulling for her through the entire story.

And that leads me to Lord Barric, because what’s a Ruth retelling without a Boaz? Barric is very stern but he has his moments of kindness that peek out every now and then. And although I wasn’t in love with him, I didn’t dislike him either. But about 80% in there’s a scene that turned my opinion. In the end, I can say that I don’t think he deserved Rena. I feel like she deserved someone wholly gallant and worthy of her and all that she sacrificed. Because Barric wasn’t that for me, I would lower the rating, but that’s the only reason why.

Because this story is rich in history. Filled with beautiful wealth of emotion. I was invested in the story and that’s saying a lot because not every historical story moves me. I will be reading more of Ms. Stephens in the future.

I typically enjoy retellings of Ruth and Boaz, so when this book popped up as a suggested read from NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. Then I started seeing more chatter about it from authors I really enjoy, so it moved to the top of my TBR.
I loved the way Rena persevered and stuck with Nell, no matter to cost to herself. It was outright painful at times to imagine the things she walked through and gave up for the sake of another person. Lord Barric was a tough one to get my head around. I understand his loyalties and his need to honor his father and his reputation, but I was left feeling cold and at times angry as he struggled to come to terms with his feelings for Rena. He was a little more harsh that I would have wanted, but perhaps that was the talent of the author to have him truly wrestle and struggle between what was expected and what he really wanted. He maintained his image well and I enjoyed the moments his soft side showed through. I think I just desperately wanted someone to champion Rena and treat her as the treasure she was. All in all, it ended in a way that left a smile on my face. I would love to know more about how life looked a little more down the line.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shadow Among Sheaves is yet another book based upon the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible. This particular version has a few interesting twists. To begin with the main character is from India. This particular plot twist really heightens the fact that she has left everything behind with no possible way of going back and that she is facing a completely different culture. Given the cultural differences, she faces intense backlash which is only heightened by the kindness of Lord Barrick and how people interpret his actions. Because it is the story of Ruth and Naomi, most readers are going to be completely familiar with how the story ends but will enjoy the path which author Naomi Stephens takes to get there. All in all, this book was a quick and enjoyable read.

Shadow Among Sheaves is my first read by author Naomi Stephens. I found her writing to flow well and pull me deep into her allegory based on the story of Ruth from the Bible.

Set in the mid 1800's in England, Neva, a woman of India, has followed her mother-in-law, Lady Hawley, back to England after the death of both of their husbands in India. Neva is well educated and comes from a wealthy Indian family. She is also quite beautiful. She could have stayed in India with her family; but, like Ruth, pledged to stay with her mother-in-law who now only has distant cousins. But neither of them have a way to support themselves while waiting to see if Lady Hawley will inherit her husband's estate.

Several things about this story intrigued me. First, the fortitude of both Rena and Lady Hawley. I can imagine sleeping the in the places they slept, existing on what little food they found, and accepting what little charity that was given them. Second, the horrible treatment that Rena received due to her race. Even though she was the widow of an English military officer, that made no difference in how most of the people of Lady Hawley's town perceived her and anyone who associated with her. It made me think of how in childhood kids would say things like "keep away from her/him. He/she has cooties." But this was not just a funny game. It impacted both Rena and Lady Hawley every minute of every day. Finally, Lord Barric struggled with his feelings about mixed race relationships; but even while he was struggling, he continued to try and help Rena and Lady Hawley behind the scenes.

The spiritual element in this story was very strong. It was nice to see the roles that Lady Hawley, Lord Barric, William and Alice all played in not only growing their own faith; but also showing their faith in how they treated Rena so that she, in turn, began to understand and know the one True God.

An excellent read, and I look forward to more books from this author.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Shiloh Run Press through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

'We do grieve as those without hope' - wise words from Lady Nell Hawley to her daughter in law, Rena, after both of their husbands pass away while in India. This wonderful debut novel is an allegory of the story of Ruth and Boaz in the Bible. Rena, like Ruth, left all that was familiar to travel to a foreign country to care for her widowed mother in law.
The Great Rebellion of 1857 occurred in India with a great deal of bloodshed. In 1861 England, memories are still very fresh and foreigners are not trusted and thus treated very poorly. Nell and Rena, an Indian woman, were shunned by relatives and friends alike. The detail about living conditions, the way the ladies were treated and even the verbal abuse certainly brought the story to life. I was amazed at their strength and particularly the quiet faith of Nell, something her Hindu daughter in law strives to understand. The author has done a fabulous job of bringing in the 'kinsman' redeemer as one you would totally not expect to step up to the challenge.
I received this ARC from Barbour Publishing, CelebrateLit and NetGalley. All impressions and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this book. nces and discrimination in that time period. All of these issues are still pertinent today. The idea for the book was wonderful and the plot was okay as well. The book is well-researched. I really, really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The main characters were not likable for the most part. Their behavior was annoying to me as a reader. I was looking forward to recommending this particular book to a friend, but reading through the book made me realize that I couldn’t.

Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens is her debut novel that releases tomorrow in print and is available now on Kindle. This novel is a retelling of the story of Ruth, but set in India and Great Britain during the colonial period. I was thrilled to read this book for many reasons. I've always loved the book of Ruth and the undying love Ruth showed to her mother-in-law. I have always been fascinated with the British colonization of India and found that part of the novel really interesting. I love that the author decided to tell this story, dealing with issues of cultural differences and discrimination in that time period. All of these issues are still pertinent today. The idea for the book was wonderful and the plot was okay as well. The book is well-researched. I really, really wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I found the main characters not likable for the most part. Their behavior was often irritating to me as a reader. Also, I found some language and situations a bit inappropriate for Christian Fiction. I was looking forward to recommending this particular book to a friend, but reading through the book made me realize that I could not do that. I received a copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Retelling a Bible story in another time period is a powerful tool.

You aren't tampering with the original, so anyone who's nervous about Biblical fiction can safely be enjoy it.

Readers familiar with and enjoying period fiction (*raises hand ️) can get lost in the new story and forget about a key point of the original story, and be startled (not exactly surprised) by it when it happens!

You can explore the emotions and prejudices under a different light, often discovering that you are more familiar with them than you thought you were.

Shadow Among Sheaves did not disappoint! The compassion (and lack of it), the fear and love and uncertainty pulled me in hard.

Rena (Ruth) captured my heart. She did not allow herself the luxury of selfishness or self-pity (for more than a few minutes). Uncertainty, yes. Fear, absolutely. Courage and determination? Yes.

I also enjoyed the character development of Charlie. I became very fond of him before the end of the book. And the Parson, man, he's good! Keep an eye on him from the beginning!

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys clean romance, Biblical Fiction or novels set in Victorian England.

A Historical Novel Based on the Story of Ruth and Boaz

Set in 1861 England, this is the story of Reva (Ruth) and Nell (Naomi). Reva, a Brahmin Indian girl, and Nell, her mother-in-law, have returned to Nell’s home in Abbotsville after the death of Nell’s husband and son. Because Reva is an Indian and this is shortly after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the people don’t accept her. They are outraged that Nell has returned with her Indian daughter-in-law. The women have been cast out by everyone who could help them. They have no money. They’re starving and living living at a disreputable inn in a storage room with a dirt floor.

Reva tries to take care of Nell and find food, but it isn’t easy. She goes into the fields trying to gather grain to feed them. Lord Barric’s steward finds her and lets her continue to get grain even though the earl is not pleased. Barric finds himself drawn to Reva, but he fears to compromise his social position.

Reva is a strong character. She is in many respects alone in a strange land. Even the god in England is not the god she grew up with. Barric wants to help her, but he is intimidated by the fact that she is grieving for her husband, a British soldier. He also knows that the towns people dislike having an Indian among them, and it would hurt his standing.

Both Barric and Reva have to grow and learn to accept things and people who are foreign to them. I love the story of Ruth and Boaz. I think the author did a good job of recreating their story in a different setting. It makes the point of how difficult it is to accept people when they are outsiders.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a re-telling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi; a story of a daughter-in-law's ultimate love and sacrifice for her mother-in-law, and the triumph and restoration that she received. The book is set during the Victorian period in a small town in England. The characters are rich, varied and the writer interjects an appropriate amount of humor. I would read more by this author!

Naomi Stephens set the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz into England in 1861. Rena and her mother-in-law, Nell, left India where both of their husbands had died to return to Nell's relatives, who made up various stories of why they couldn't take Nell into their homes when they saw that Rena accompanied her. Soon destitute and starving, Rena picked up some fallen grain from Lord Barric's fields. The characters are likable, even though Lord Barric had to overcome society's expectations which took him awhile. Rena puts Nell's well-being above her own, and Nell treats Rena as her beloved daughter. One supporting character that I really liked was Parson Richardson, who behaved as a true Christian--giving, loving, and kind. The story is well written, the plot has twists and turns, and the dialogue seems natural for the time period. There were some slight mistakes with spacing which did not effect my enjoyment of reading Shadow Among Sheaves. I would highly recommend it to clean/wholesome romance readers and to Christian romance readers. I received a copy from NetGalley. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this moving book.