The Queen of Sheba has unparalleled power and wealth, but when King Solomon offers her the one thing her heart still desires, what will she risk to obtain it?

'An enthralling journey into an ancient world.' - Edoardo Albert, author of Edwin: High King of Britain A vividly-realized and beautifully crafted novel focused around the fabled meeting between Sheba and Solomon Against all odds Makeda, daughter of an obscure African chieftain, is chosen as Queen of all Sheba. Recognizing her own inexperience, yet desperately wanting to address Sheba's appalling social injustice, she is persuaded by her cousin Tamrin, wealthy merchant and narrator of the novel, to visit Solomon, King of Israel, to find out about how he governs his kingdom. She is hugely impressed by Israel's prosperity, by the wisdom and integrity with which Solomon rules, by the Hebrew religion, which she decides to adopt as her own, and by the justice for all that she determines to copy. However Solomon, who is trapped in a childless and loveless dynastic marriage with Pharaoh's daughter, allows himself to fall in love with the beautiful and intelligent African. He eventually tricks her into sleeping with him, and on the return journey to Sheba she discovers that she is pregnant. The son to whom she gives birth grows up in the court of Sheba, and eventually travels to Israel with Tamrin, to meet his father. But Solomon is a broken man, having put his doomed love for Makeda and need for an heir before his relationship with God. He has taken hundreds of wives and concubines in a fruitless attempt to recapture the love which he and Makeda shared. And Israel is no longer the nation of his youth . . . When the leader of the nation of God is apostate, where will the blessing fall?

King Solomon was wealthy and wise beyond measure. He could--and did--have anything he wanted, including many women from many lands. But for all his wisdom, did he or the women in his life ever find what they searched for all of their lives? In this engrossing novel, you'll find yourself whisked away to ancient Israel, where you'll meet Solomon and four of the women he loved: Naamah the desert princess, Abishag the shepherdess, Siti the daughter of a pharaoh, and Nicaula the queen of Sheba. As you experience the world of Solomon through his eyes and the eyes of these women, you'll ask yourself the ultimate question: Did Solomon's wisdom ultimately benefit him and those he loved . . . or did it betray them?

Solomon captured her heart. But can she hold on to his? King David is running for his life with his young son Solomon in tow when Naamah first encounters the prince. Her father is loyal to the king, and that loyalty will be sealed years later--through the marriage of Solomon and Naamah. For her part, Naamah is happy to wed the handsome prince and enter into palace life. But all is not well in Jerusalem. Solomon must navigate constant threats to his life--even from within the palace walls. And when peace is restored, can Naamah ever be truly happy as she watches the love of her life taking more wives? Join bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith as she weaves a tale of young love, heartbreaking betrayal, and the power of forgiveness, all against the vivid backdrop of one of the most tumultuous times in Israel's history.

Her father, the Great Pharaoh of Egypt, promised the renowned king of Israel anything he desired. She never could have imagined his desire would include her. Princess Siti is happy to let her older sister marry the crown prince out of duty to Egypt. She longs to marry for love--to a great man like those in the romantic poems she adores. But her mother wants her to wed her temperamental cousin, and only her father can overturn the arrangement. When news comes of Egypt's triumph over a distant Canaanite city, rumors spread that Israel's great King Solomon himself may travel to Egypt in order to make an alliance. Siti yearns to meet this fabled king, who is as handsome as he is wise, but she never dreamed she might be offered to him as a bride. Can she truly leave her beloved Egypt--and love the man who is tearing her away from all she's ever known?

A young woman at the mercy of kings... A prince whose claim to the throne is challenged... One chance to make this life all they imagined it could be. Abishag may not be living the joyful life she once had before her oldest brother took over the household, but she can always escape to the fields for solace. There she can let down her veil, sing to the flowers and the sheep, and bask in the warmth of a sun-drenched sky of purest blue. And there she can meet Yaron, the young man she has loved as long as she can remember. Yet even this will be taken from her when men come searching out a beautiful woman to attend the aged King David. Enclosed within the high palace walls as part of the king's harem, Abishag wonders what happened to the life she had planned to live. As the king's health deteriorates, his sons contend with each other, hoping to succeed him and take possession of what was his--including his beautiful young attendant . . .

The author of "Queenmaker" penned this vivid and richly-textured rendition of the biblical tale of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

A beautiful Ethiopian princess must use courage, strength, and leadership to conquer a dangerous enemy set on destroying the wealthy Kingdom of Sheba.Princess Makeda was born into a loving royal family but when her father, King Agabos, unexpectedly dies, the lives of Makeda and her mother, Queen Ismenie, are turned upside-down. Grief-stricken, yet angry for vengeance, Makeda must use her intelligence and resiliency to navigate a toxic, male-dominated hierarchy. With the odds stacked against her and her back against the wall, Makeda embarks on the deadliest mission of her life to restore honor and safety to the Kingdom of Sheba.This African Fantasy Epic is beautifully written and illustrated for both grade school children as well as fans of afrocentric anime, comics, and graphic novels. If you like historical fiction with a powerful black female hero, then you will love this ancient tale of courage and redemption. Buy Makeda the Queen of Sheba today to experience her incredible journey from young princess to legendary African queen.

"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time.

In the tenth century BC, Princess Makeda grieves as Nubian warriors storm through her beloved Sheba, forcing her to seek a political alliance. She suffers humiliation by the handsome King Solomon, who would offer her marriage in exchange for protection. Though she fears being cast into his harem of seven hundred wives, she aches to know the rapture of his tender kiss. For the first time ever, powerful King Solomon has been conquered by the defiant and beautiful queen of Sheba. He must have the sensuous enchantress who resists his remedy for the alliance she seeks. He will risk life itself to protect the woman who has pierced his heart with a tender love that he cannot deny.