What a wonderful story set in Bible times. The author takes us on a journey with Paul and his sister from Tarsus where they were born to Jerusalem. Not only a richly atmospheric tale but also documenting their faith journey using existing scriptures and filling in with very plausible scenarios. I felt like I was right there with them.

Ms. Hunt is very adept at bringing the scriptures to life and connecting the Old Testament with the New, putting the words of the Bible into the mouths of the characters. She gives a glimpse of what life was like in Jerusalem around the time of Jesus ministry, death and resurrection, the conversion of Saul and many others. Interesting to me was the description of Saul and his education and installation into the Sanhedrin and the Jewish traditions and culture of the times.

I recommend this for all who enjoy Biblical Fiction and a well-written story about early Christian faith.

Another wonderful biblical historical novel by Angela Hunt! This is the 4th book in the Jerusalem Road series, but is not connected story-wise to the others, so it can definitely be read on its own. They are connected solely as taking place in the time of Jesus's ministry and immediately following.

This one follows Aya, the Apostle Paul's sister. Though her name is never given in scripture (and so that was fictional), we do know that Paul had a sister because her son learned of the plot in Jerusalem for his life and told Paul and the Roman guard. Knowing he had a sister and speculating on what her life must have been like as being the sister of the young member of the Sanhedrin whose zeal persecuted members of The Way to being the sister of one who converted to following Yeshua was something I hadn't considered.

Aya has always lived in Saul's shadow, both because he was firstborn, but also because he was intelligent and ambitious and climbed the ranks quickly to get to the scholar status he did when he became a persecutor of Christians. In this story, Aya longs to be a singer and use the gift HaShem has given to her, but because she is a woman, she is expected to marry and bear children. I enjoyed watching her goals change and her character grow and develop throughout the story and through various hardships. I enjoyed seeing her mother's advice play out for her as well and see how she grew to appreciate being a wife and mother. In addition, I enjoyed learning more about Tarsus and its demographics and how that played both into Paul's Roman citizenship, but also how he related to the Gentiles.

There was a lot of good history in this one that I'd taken for granted in my Bible reading. As always in Biblical fiction, I encourage fellow readers to read the author's note at the end which tells what was factual and what was fiction in the story and to always lean upon the actual Bible as their source of truth. I think this one is my favorite of this series and I really enjoyed learning more about Jerusalem in the time of the early church and learning more about where Paul came from and speculating how his choices impacted his family. If you enjoy Biblical fiction, this is one I'd definitely recommend!

The Apostle’s Sister is the fourth book in Angela Hunt’s Jerusalem Road series, but can easily be read on its on. This is the parallel story of Aya and her brother Sha’ul, whom we know better as the Apostle Paul. This is an interesting fictional account of what their lives might have been like. It is full of Jewish festivities and traditions common to that era. Fans of Biblical fiction are sure to love this one.

As with all of Angela Hunt's books the reader is swept back into the time of the characters.

This particular book follows Saul/Paul and his sister. I loved reading about the culture and customs of the time period as well as connecting with the emotions of the main characters.

This is another great installment of the Jerusalem Road Series .

I'd never read an Angela Hunt book before, so I jumped at the chance to read this. The title itself intrigued me. I felt, though, that she put some modern day thinking into Aya's desires. I didn't care for that, but it all balanced out in the end.

I loved seeing the Hebrew prayers and the different names of God. I'm a sucker for the historical side of things like those ancient prayers that I think are still said today among the Jewish people. I also really liked seeing the wedding rituals. It gives a whole new perspective on being the bride of Christ, and what that means. The questions and answers at the end also helped clear things up; I had never before thought of Paul having a sister. How I've managed to skip over that in Scripture all these years is beyond me! The oral traditions fascinate me, too. I'd never read any of them before.

I did have a hard time remembering who was speaking in each chapter. The voices didn't "sound" any different to me.

All in all, a solid read.

Angela Hunt is not only a master storyteller; she is a scholar. Her latest book in The Jerusalem Road series, The Apostle’s Sister, draws the reader into life in first century Tarsus and Jerusalem with vivid descriptions of sights, sounds, and fragrances to complete the story. The accurate use of the Hebrew language woven throughout the story immerses the reader more fully into the culture of the time and people.

The inspired Scripture gives us the perspective of the writers. It is complete and lacking nothing. Angela’s story helps the reader to understand potential perspectives of other participants in the stories contained within the Scripture.

In this narrative, the Apostle Paul’s free-spirited sister, Aya grows up in the shadow of her brother who is a student of the Torah. We travel with her as she marries, leaves her home in Tarsus and the freedom to sing and teach others music, and moves to Jerusalem with her new husband, also a student of the Torah who has committed his life to the study.

Through the eyes of Aya, we are given a front row seat to observe the goings on leading up to and surrounding Paul’s conversion and his impact on the known world.

One of the most difficult aspects of writing historical fiction is studying and researching and understanding the history of the time and bringing it to life for the reader. Angela has not disappointed. Her work will teach and inspire you. It will give you a better understanding of the struggle of women, children, Jews, and believers in the first century.

The fourth book in the Jerusalem Road series. I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series. I felt that the book was fine as a stand alone book.

The story takes place in 30 AD, in Jerusalem. Ava was married as tradition would have it and a husband was chosen for her. At 16 she was married despite not having a choice. She had to bury her dreams. Ava was a strong and likable character. Despite her not wanting to get married she was respectful and honored her parents and most of all she was going to follow HaShem’s will in her life. Aya, is the sister of Sa'ul of Tarsus. The story also goes into Sa’uls life too. When Paul has his encounter with Yeshua how will it affect Ava?

The story has a lot of Jewish customs/traditions, culture, and the religious and Biblical observations throughout. Some Jewish prayers are throughout the book and are accurate. As in any historical Biblical Fiction there is some liberty taken. The author has always done a remarkable job in all of her Biblical Fictions novels. The story isn’t a fast paced story and did take me a bit longer to read. However, the story was delightful and I enjoyed it very much.