A Divine Romance

By Ifueko Ogbomo

Description:

“In a writing style reminiscent of Tessa Afshar, Ifueko Ogbomo spins a breathtaking tale readers won’t be able to put down!”
~ Heidi Chiavaroli, Carol Award-winning author of The Orchard House and Hope Beyond the Waves

Hers is the flawless face no man has seen—except her father.
His is the foreign face everyone reveres—save his family.
The royal decree that couples this unlikely pair will make or break the history of an ancient empire.

Considered a gift from the sun god due to her arresting eyes, Asenath was veiled in childhood and destined to marry Egyptian royalty. The 17-year-old is resigned to a loveless future in the royal harem, when Pharaoh’s shocking declaration forces her to marry the new vizier of Egypt—a mystical foreigner with powers of divination.

Known as Zaphnath-Paaneah, her husband turns out to be handsome, charming, and possibly insane since he worships an invisible god and expects her—the daughter of a high priest—to do the same. Facing a fate seemingly worse than that she grew up dreading, she desperately searches for a way out of the arranged marriage. The secrets she uncovers usher her into a world of intrigue and treachery that questions all her beliefs about men, gods, and love. Will theirs be the most monumental mismatch made in Egyptian history, or will her daring demand for a sign from his god make all her childhood fantasies come true?

Combining original poetry with well-researched history, A Divine Romance is an Own Voices retelling of a beloved Biblical tale that takes readers on a riveting journey through Ancient Egypt and introduces them to a fresh, poetic voice in Christian fiction.

“A Divine Romance that will resonate in our hearts well past the last page.”
~ Toni Shiloh, Christy Award-winning author of In Search of a Prince

Book Takeaway:

Two things:
1. God’s love is unconditional, undeserved, undying, and absolutely life-changing. And He freely gives it to ALL people because he SO loves humanity. (John 3:16).
2. True forgiveness is not just divine, it is utterly liberating. But it is very much a choice we must make. Although, if we want to enjoy God’s forgiveness, He stipulates that we must also forgive others. (Matthew 6:14-15).

Why the author wrote this book:

“Write Joseph’s memoirs.” These three little words dropped in my spirit during a time of quiet devotion on April 6th, 2019, while I was staying at an Airbnb in Los Angeles. I wrote them down in my prayer journal, listing titles of possible entries that Joseph’s hypothetical journals might contain, and thought nothing more of it. It wasn’t until I received an unexpected prophecy about my writing five weeks later, during a TV-show taping of Praise on TBN, that I took action on what I truly believe to be a divine assignment, and started writing my debut novel. I knew absolutely nothing about writing novels then, and I had no idea how long and tumultuous the journey from idea to publication would be. Suffice it to say, one pandemic, two continents, three and three-quarter years, four versions, fourteen residences, and several personal traumas later, A Divine Romance was born.
Surprising to me, is that as I thought about how to write Joseph’s story, I was drawn more to the perspective of the Egyptian woman that became his wife, thanks to Pharaoh’s decree. Thinking about what Asenath’s life must have been like before she was suddenly forced into an arranged marriage to a mystical foreigner, who was not only from a people group despised by hers, but was an ex-prisoner, and a heretic in the eyes of her Egyptian priestly parentage, I sympathized with her. Knowing that she too was someone beloved of God, as scripture tells us God so loved the world—which means everyone—I decided to explore not just their romance as a couple but Asenath’s individual journey with God. Because He is forever the Lord that leaves ninety-nine in the fold to chase after one outside it. That’s why I call Him my Eternal Lover; the One to whom I dedicated A Divine Romance.