His Brother's Wife

Days of the Judges Volume 2

By: Mary Ellen Boyd

Narrated by: Pamela Lorence

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the days of ancient Israel, Hannah is a woman oppressed. Her once-hopeful marriage is a nightmare, her husband Levi is violently abusive. Hannah believes it is because she is barren, and if she could only give him a child, all would be well. But no child comes, and she does not know how long she can possibly endure. She prays for release and after six long years of Levi's cruelty, he suddenly drowns. Hannah is finally free, free to heal her body and spirit. But she has forgotten brother-in-law marriage, and Levi has a brother. Far from being free, she is given to Joshua, whom she barely knows, and Hannah fears being plunged once more into the nightmare she just left.

Joshua is a virtual stranger for one reason. He fell in love with Hannah the day she married his brother, and he has kept his secret, and his distance. Now he has what he always dreamed; he has his brother's wife. It seems too good to be true, that God has given him his dream. Surely there must be punishment for his coveting.

Indeed there is. All is not well, not with Hannah nor with the farm he inherits with her. Joshua faces a mystery that he must unravel, and in the doing risks losing everything he thought he knew about this brother he loved before Levi's plot traps both Hannah and himself.

©2013 Mary Ellen Boyd (P)2015 Mary Ellen Boyd

Good listen

Joshua has loved Hannah since the day she married his brother 6 long years ago, but said nothing. According to the Law, he must marry her after the brother's death, so that a child can inherit his property. This is the story of how they each come to deal with the after effects of an abusive first marriage, and the unfolding treachery of the dead man.

I enjoyed this. As the story unfolds, we see how each of the characters changes and grows as Hannah learns to trust, and Joshua comes to understand just what kind of person the brother he loved really was.

The narrator had a good steady pace which suited the book. Each character was clearly recognisable. without any of the unnecessary exaggerations sometimes used to denote characters of the opposite sex. There were a few rather odd pronunciations, but not enough to distract from the story.
All in all, well worth listening to.

Character's Names & Widow Tradition Biblical But..

Character's Names & Widow Tradition Biblical But that is all.

This book is about a love triangle, of sorts. There's a Bible verse at the beginning of each chapter, and explanation of the Old Testament tradition/law for widows marrying, but other than the names of the characters – Levi, Hannah & Joshua – there is no biblical attachment to the story, in my opinion.

A romance that finds Joshua in love with his brothers wife from the day they were married. Hannah has been severely abused by Levi because she is barren. When Levi died, the biblical concept of a brother must marry his widow to carry on the deceased brother's namesake comes into play. Joshua and Hannah marry and must work through many challenges including her wariness, a farm that is destitute, slaves who are to be freed according to their contract, in the near future and many more challenges make this book interesting and thought-provoking. I really enjoyed it.

Pamela Lorence is good, a bit slow for my preference, but listening to it at double speed solved that problem. (I listen to almost all of my books at a faster speed.) Her ability to tell the story without distraction is a rare gift.

Notes: Nothing to warn of here. There's no strong language, mature themes or violence. Suitable for any audience.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for my opinion and this review. I hope that you found it helpful in determining whether or not you would like to purchase this book

If you did find the review helpful, would you please take a moment and select yes directly below this text. Thank you.

Lovely Historical Christian Romance

If you could sum up His Brother's Wife in three words, what would they be?

Treachery, Illness, Faith

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Taleh so much I want to read the previous book to see her story, she seemed very capable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Joshua discovers what his brother Levi was planning to do to Hannah. It gave me chills to think about what would have happed if Levi hadn’t drowned.

A Sweet And Tender Love Story

What does Pamela Lorence bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Pamela Lorence did a great job with the voices of the two main characters. Hanna's voice was perfect because it reminded me of a young woman who was afraid of marrying again and not wanting to have the same abuse as before. Joshua's voice sounded very caring and tender toward her. The concern in his voice could be heard when Hanna became deathly ill.

Any additional comments?

His Brother’s Wife is a historical romance that takes place in Israel among the Hebrew people. This is a touching story about a young woman who learns to love again after an abusive marriage. She never thought any man could be so caring. The sweet tenderness of Joshua teaches Hanna that she can trust someone and that she is of great worth.

A Story of Hope

If you could sum up His Brother's Wife in three words, what would they be?

Soul-touching, unputdownable, lovely

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joshua was my favorite character. His love and devotion for Hannah was beautiful to me, but even greater was his refusal to grieve God and act on his love for her when she wasn't his. His selfless love allowed me to enjoy this book all the more.

Which character – as performed by Pamela Lorence – was your favorite?

I really like Pamela Lorence's performance of Hannah's character the best. I could relate easiest to her voice for a women though the male characters were easily discernable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It warmed my heart and I didn't want to walk away from it when I had to go to work. I loved this book. I hurt and the rejoiced with Hannah and also with Joshua. The narrator was spot on and not once did she distract me from the story.

Any additional comments?

I was sad to see this audio book come to an end. I had to fight from slowing it down to draw out the listen.

Stand Alone Story from DAYS OF THE JUDGES set

What made the experience of listening to His Brother's Wife the most enjoyable?

It was a strong story that had a narrator well-suited to the style of the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hannah, of course, because she is so brave and inspirational.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Exposing the strength within us all

A Nice Historical Story

Would you listen to His Brother's Wife again? Why?

No, but I generally do not listen to audiobooks again. There are way to many stories out there I need to listen to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of His Brother's Wife?

Without giving too much away, Hannah's sickness.

What about Pamela Lorence’s performance did you like?

Pamela is actually the reason why I listened to this audiobook. I'm familiar with her work and she is a narrator I enjoy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

This book was out of my typical genre and took me a while to get through, but I did enjoy it. As I don't have much knowledge for the time frame this book was set in, I can't make any comments on historical accuracy, but I found it very interesting.

Some of the book was a bit predictable, but not all, and it was a satisfying read.

Great Ancient Historical Romance

Any additional comments?

His Brother's Wife by Mary Ellen Boyd surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I'm a huge fan of historical romance of the Regency era variety; and I also enjoy Highlander stories set during the 12th and 13th centuries. I have to admit that when I agreed to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review, I thought the story was set during the days of the Crusades. Instead, it is set during the Old Testament era in ancient Israel. Despite having a biblical reference at the beginning of every chapter, I didn't find the story religious or preachy at all.

The story centers around Hannah who is married to an abusive man who regularly beats her. Thankfully other than knowing it has occurred, there are no descriptive beating scenes. Rather we are told a story of how Hannah emerges from the isolated cocoon she built around herself after her husband drowns and she slowly learns to trust again.

The title of the book is taken from ancient biblical law requiring a widow to marry her brother-in-law so that the issue from the marriage can inherit the deceased husband's land. Although Hannah at first fears her brother-in-law Joshua because he is a virtual stranger to her, she soon starts to realize Joshua is very different from the man she used to be married too. As a bonus, he's been secretly in love with Hannah since the day she married his brother.

Pamela Lorence narrated this audiobook and did an excellent job. She had differing voices for all characters and had good tempo and inflection in her voice. Her narration definitely contributed to my enjoyment of this book.

Great story!

Loved it! Great story line. Took some getting used to the narrators tone and pitch, especially when she read the male parts. Once I did I really enjoyed the story.

Took me by surprise!!! Spoiler alert

I love this book especially when you don't know the method behind the madness until the very end. Not many out there anymore. My one complaint is that I would have Loved to show the baby off to the entire town especially to that spoiled twit and her father.