Added to extensive evidence of potentially republic-hastening idiocy that Mayer – a mildish Charles supporter – believes are outweighed by his virtues, her accumulation of authorised tributes, each one more gushing than the last, until they explode in a final, doubt-deafening chorus of servility, is one of the most compelling reasons to reject any assurances that, on inheriting the throne, Charles will be able to stop himself from trashing it. It evidently remains a condition of successful courtiership never to stop hailing “sir” as a synthesis of visionary, saviour and gifted dance artiste, sent to lead his people out of science-oppressed darkness. Solomon's character as shown in the book was quite multifaceted. He sought to follow God and showed a deep love and concern for following His ways - at first. Though in some ways he appeared strong - in his rulings - he also seemed quite insecure and unsure of the right actions to take, especially after the death of his mother. His portrayal was a bit swarmy in the way he related to the women. Then again, this is probably the way it really was. Seeing his alleged reason for taking on all his wives was quite thought-provoking.

The Heart of a King is a fascinating look at what it might have been like to be one of Solomon's wives. Beginning with Naamah, the mother of Rehoboam, and ending with the Queen of Sheba, each women's thoughts and motivations are examined. The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're Rivulets of waters is the heart of a king in the hand of Jehovah, Wherever He pleaseth He inclineth it. This book brought four of Solomon's wives to life: Naamah, Abishag, Siti and Nicaula, the queen of Sheba. All became characters that you cared about for different reasons. Some of them there is very little known about but that, too, is something that this author handled well.I've always wondered why King Solomon in all the wisdom God gave him at the beginning of his reign, was foolish in disobeying God's laws in the end. Jill Eileen Smith explores this question in The Heart of a King , taking literary license since scripture doesn't expound on many facets of his life or those of his wives. As I read this fictional account of a true story, I had to shake my head at Solomon whenever he justified his actions in disobeying what God so clearly told him not to do. As in the case of his third wife Siti; she worshiped the goddess Bastet and he built her a palace outside the walls of Jerusalem for her to honor her goddess and to display Bastet's images. In his thinking, as long as it wasn't seen or placed inside the walls, it was okay. He also justified that since his heart remained true to Adonai, he could take many foreign wives, horses and chariots as gifts from the kings & dignitaries to keep his kingdom peaceful. For anyone who knows scripture, would know that Solomon was unwise in these things.

You will never be all that he needs, dear girl. Only God can give us all that we need. Only He can feed the hungriest places in our soul." Nicaula, the virgin Queen of Sheba who seeks Solomon's wisdom and a trade agreement. In her search, she finds wisdom for herself in a relationship with the God of Israel.

In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him. Fear of invasion by Spain remained high in England, especially with the action of the Spanish Armada taking place so close to England's shores. As a result, the ageing Robert Dudley was put in charge of the land army at Tilbury, on the Thames, to the east of London in Essex. My new favorite from this author, The Heart Of A King is a novel I think lovers of biblical fiction would very much enjoy reading!

King Solomon was a very layered man. Reading this book gives you insight and perspective into this wise king. The heart of a king is well written. It seem to be about the life of King Solomon. We see it though the view of the his wives. This is what I got though reading the book. It seem like book that tell the story of the king. Nicaula was the fourth wife and queen of Sheba. I loved her second to Abishag. She was smart, kind, pure. Everything about her screamed royalty. She did almost make some dumb mistakes, but she felt convicted about them. I loved her desire to know more about God. She ruled well. Carried herself as a queen and didn't allow Solomon to play with her emotions. Of the four she was the most intellectual.However, I did not enjoy this book very much. The imagined personalities of the first three wives were terrible. If, as is to be hoped, the Guardian is successful in exhuming his letters to ministers, we may shortly enjoy some further, not necessarily encouraging, insights into Charles’s interior life. It is regrettable, though all too characteristic, that neither Charles nor his advisers recognised the arrival on his planet of a journalist as shrewd, respected and notably well-disposed as Mayer, as a divinely ordained opportunity for him to say, in somewhat more detail than Shakespeare’s Henry V, “Presume not that I am the thing I was.” I also began to understand that the gift of wisdom can be a double-edged sword. It can blend with human wisdom so imperceptibly that we can be deceived into believing we are still fully heeding God’s wisdom when in fact we’re relying on our own, as happened with Solomon. My only complaint here is that I felt as though this theme didn’t become clear until towards the end.