Judah's Wife by Angela Hunt

Seeking peace and safety after a hard childhood, Leah marries Judah, a strong and gentle man, and for the first time in her life Leah believes she can rest easily. But the land is ruled by Antiochus IV, descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals, and when he issues a decree that all Jews are to conform to Syrian laws upon pain of death, devout Jews risk everything to follow the law of Moses.

Judah's father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his life. But before dying, he commands his son to pick up his sword and continue the fight--or bear responsibility for the obliteration of the land of Judah. Leah, who wants nothing but peace, struggles with her husband's decision--what kind of God would destroy the peace she has sought for so long? 

The miraculous story of the courageous Maccabees is told through the eyes of Judah's wife, who learns that love requires courage . . . and sacrifice. 

Judah's Wife by Angela Hunt is the second novel in her Silent Years series. This series occurs between the last Israelite prophet and the birth of Jesus when God was silent with His people, and the series is about different women during different areas/time periods that were critical to the Jewish. These books can be read in any order as a result. This novel is about the Maccabees and their revolt against the terrible cruelty of Antiochus IV. The plot is well written and jumps smoothly between Leah and Judah's perspectives. The storyline spans over a decade and details the hardships that the Maccabees faced as they faced fight after fight and were reliant on the strength and power of God to see them through. The characters were well developed with realistic strengths and weaknesses. As the story progresses, it was interesting to see how Leah changed and began to love and to trust both her husband and God. The end of the novel was incredibly sad, no less so because it was based on historical recordings. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I look forward to reading the next Silent Years book. 

I received this novel from Bethany House through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.