The Queen's Cook

By: Tessa Afshar

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross, Rachel Botchan

In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire’s Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of an impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news but feels helpless to come to the aid of her Jewish friends. Desperate to support her family, Roxannah approaches the royal physician, Adin—the man whose kind eyes haunt her—and seeks his help to find employment in Queen Esther’s kitchens.

In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah tries to survive the spiteful ploys of the other cooks as she ascends through the ranks. Her loyalty earns her the trust and friendship of Queen Esther, who is navigating dangerous politics with wisdom and grace. When Roxannah and Adin uncover a sinister plot against Amestris, the king’s most powerful wife and Esther’s archenemy, they find themselves tasked with the impossible job of discovering the culprit. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Esther’s reign hangs in the balance.

“A tender and touching tale. Tessa Afshar has given us two wonderfully charming heroines.”—Angela Hunt, New York Times bestselling author of The Emissaries series

©2024 Tessa Afshar (P)2024 Recorded Books

The writing is brilliant and captivating

A lovely, well developed story filled with unexpected events and laced with beautiful imagery. The characters are captured with such great detail that you can vividly imagine them and wish you could know them. This is a most enjoyable book to fall into when in need, or simply desire, an escape.

Absolutely phenomenal!

I had a hard time shutting this off so I could sleep. It is a phenomenal book.

Loved.

This is such a beautifully written piece. I am looking forward to more in this series.

Palace intrigue

Tessa Afshar is great at weaving multiple stories throughout her books!
However. This particular reading audio version was complicated by 2 readers that were not specific to the characters. Also, the male reader was very dry. It was confusing to keep the characters straight when the readers changed, but the voices did not represent specific characters.
Otherwise, it was great!

Love how she came into her own stood up for herself!

This is my favorite book so far of the 4 to 5 I've listened to. So many changes feelings and obstacles to overcome but God was with her. I love T Afshar I think she is my favorite earthly author 😃.