Title:
The Seduction of Esther
Author:
Jennifer Wilck
Release
date:
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Book
Description:
Samara Goldberg has a problem even
the most beautiful singing voice can’t fix. She’s a walking disaster,
especially when she’s around handsome men. To make matters worse, she’s in
desperate need of someone to play the character of Mordecai for the Purim spiel
she’s producing and the new congregant, Nathaniel Abramson, is a perfect fit.
Nathaniel is a divorced dad who’s recovering from the biggest public scandal of
his life. The last thing he needs is a relationship with the choir director at
his new synagogue, who also happens to be playing the lead female role of
Esther in the very play he’s been coerced into joining.
Woven around the Jewish holiday of
Purim, The Seduction of Esther is a story of two people whose lives mirror the
plot of the Purim story. Like Esther, who had to hide her Jewish identity from
the King of Persia, Samara and Nathaniel are hiding key pieces of themselves.
Evil Haman wanted to destroy the Jews, and the nasty Josh will do anything to
keep Samara and Nathaniel apart. Will their love survive, like the Jewish people
in Shushan, Persia, or will their fear keep them apart?
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18008161-the-seduction-of-esther?from_search=true&search_version=service
Guest
Post
The Seduction of
Esther is the first book in my Women of Valor series. What makes this series
unique is that while the books are contemporary romance, they all incorporate
Jewish themes and holidays into their stories.
The Seduction of
Esther revolves around the holiday of Purim, which is a joyous holiday that
takes place in the early spring. It celebrates the saving of the Jews of Persia
and we dress up, eat and drink.
One of the major
themes of Purim is hiding one’s identity. The heroine in the Purim story,
Esther, pretends she’s not Jewish in order to catch the attention of the King,
marry him, trap the villainous Haman and ultimately save the Jews. Talk about a
great story! And hiding one’s identity provides a great conflict for a romance
novel.
While not all of
my books incorporate Jewish themes, I began writing this series to fill a need
that I saw in romance—diverse heroes and heroines. Most books are inherently
Christian. The hero and heroine get married in a church. The holiday they
celebrate together where they meet each other’s families is Christmas. Before the
Thanksgiving meal, everyone says grace.
I love reading
these books and the warmth conveyed spills over to me. I have no problem with
books that incorporate religions other than my own. But I do think that
diversity is important, and occasionally, I think it would be nice to see
examples of other religions. That’s why I wrote this series.
Diverse
characters in romance add an additional layer of texture to the story. They
incorporate an added richness to our characters. And they help people recognize
themselves in the story. Sure, romance novels provide an escape from our every
day reality. But they also allow us to recognize the best of ourselves in the
characters. Not every reader is the same and not every hero and heroine should
be the same either.
I hope you enjoy
it!
About
the Author:
When I was a little
girl and couldn’t fall asleep, my mother would tell me to make up a story.
Pretty soon, my head was filled with these stories and the characters that
populated them. Each character had a specific personality, a list of likes and
dislikes, and sometimes, even a specific accent or dialect. Even as an adult, I
think about the characters and stories at night before I fall asleep, or in the
car on my way to or from one of my daughters’ numerous activities (hey,
anything that will drown out their music is a good thing).
One day, I started
writing them down (it was either that or checking into the local mental
hospital—the computer was way less scary) and five years later, I’ve gotten two
book contracts from Whiskey Creek Press. A Heart of Little Faith came out in
June; Skin Deep is coming out in November.
In the real world, I’m
the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men I know.
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, traveling and
watching TV. In between chauffeuring my daughters to after-school activities
that require an Excel spreadsheet to be kept straight, I serve on our Temple
Board, train the dog we adopted from a local shelter, and cook dinners that fit
the needs of four very different appetites. I also write freelance articles for
magazines, newspapers, and edit newsletters.
When all of that gets
overwhelming, I retreat to my computer, where I write stories that let me
escape from reality. In my made-up world, the heroines are always smart, sassy
and independent. The heroes are handsome and strong with just a touch of
vulnerability. If I don’t like a character, I can delete him or her; if
something doesn’t work, I can rewrite it. It’s very satisfying to be in control
of at least one part of my life. My inspiration comes from watching the people
around me and fantasizing about how I’d do things differently.
Official Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com/
