Finding Sheba by H.B. Moore – Combined Review – Blog Tour

Finding Sheba

Author: H.B. Moore

Publisher: StoneHouse Ink

Published Date: August 2013

Kindle: 375 pages

Genre: Mystery-Suspense

Reviewed by: Shanda and Mindy

FTC FYI: received a free PDF in exchange for an honest review

Summary

An ancient legend is reborn . . . One that might prove the Bible false.

For centuries, historians have theorized the Queen of Sheba as only a seductive legend, and scholars have debated over the legitimacy of King David or King Solomon. When undercover Israeli agent, Omar Zagouri, stumbles onto a tomb in Northern Jerusalem he unknowingly finds the final clue that threatens to overthrow government claim to the Holy Land, pits wealthy collectors against one another, and sends ruthless archaeologists scrambling to find the queen’s secret burial place. An assassination attempt on the Coptic Pope, His Holiness, Patriarch Stephanus II, is only the first in the chain of lethal crimes. Omar must find a way to prevent the greatest discovery of the century from becoming the most deadly.

Shanda’s Review

Heather (H.B.) Moore is well-known for her ability to write excellent fictional retellings of the lives and events surrounding Book of Mormon prophets who lived thousands of years ago. Recently she has also written contemporary women’s fiction as part of the Newport Ladies Book Club series, as well as a few romance novellas for the A Timeless Romance Anthology collection.

As much as I have enjoyed Heather’s previous books, I think her venture into international intrigue with Finding Sheba is her best work yet. The story moved quickly and kept me turning pages, and, except for a few chapters in the middle where there was a lot of driving around the desert that slowed things down just a bit for me, the pace of the story kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next.

Each of the main characters were well-written, interesting individuals with depth and history. The story is told from four main points-of-view: Omar, Amel, and Jade in the modern-day setting, and Nicaula, the queen of Sheba, in the historical setting. The way Heather weaved Nicaula’s chapters in with current-day events worked great for me.

While there are several characters that play a large role throughout the entire story, the reader is introduced to them one or two at a time, so it isn’t overwhelming. I did get a little lost with some of the travel back and forth to different cities and countries (mainly because I don’t know Middle East geography very well) but I didn’t worry about that so much and just let the story flow.

Finding Sheba is full of intrigue, suspense, love, sacrifice, loss, and history, with a little bit of politics and religion as well. (Biblical, etc. – as pertains to historical events and plot – this isn’t what some consider “LDS fiction.”) There is a small amount of mild language (heck, dang), some violence (hands being cut off as punishment, battles/fights), and some adult themes (references to wedding nights, inferences about violence against a woman prisoner in historical events).

I really enjoyed Finding Sheba, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good international intrigue. I look forward to reading more like this from Heather. Well done!

Mindy’s Review

I may sound like a broken record when it comes to Heather’s books. Every book from her is solid and engrossing. I thought Finding Sheba is one of her very best (and that says a lot, because I have loved every book I have read of hers). This story is so well-crafted. I could tell that this book took some time for the author. The characters and plots are amazing. I loved all the jumping around from character to character that this book does, too. It really kept me on my toes. I love it when a book challenges me and keeps me guessing and I never know what is going to happen next.

5 out of 5 stars. This book has everything for every reader. Action, suspense, romance, and mystery. You will not be disappointed.

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