"ANNA: THE PROPHETESS," by H.B. Moore, Covenant Communications, $15.99, 220 pages (f)

“Anna: The Prophetess” by H.B. Moore is another of this popular author’s well-written historical novels about women and men of the scriptures.

Anna’s great-niece Julia refused to marry the man her parents have chosen for her — a man old enough to be her father. As a result she is brought to live with her great-aunt for a few weeks, with the hope that Anna’s single condition will convince Julia to comply with her parents’ wishes. As Anna shares her devotion to and faith in the Lord, along with the story of how she met and married her husband, things take a turn that Julia’s parents hadn’t dreamed of.

Although not much is known about this Anna of the New Testament, the scriptures call her a prophetess, widowed after only seven years of marriage, a devout temple worker, and one who became a physical and spiritual witness of the Messiah when his parents brought their infant son to the temple to present him to the Lord. In her introduction, Moore describes Anna as “… a testament to modern women that it’s possible to live a life of joy even when struck with a severe trial.”

Moore has done the research to build on what little there is in the scriptural account to create a believable fictional story of what Anna’s life might have been like — weaving together Julia’s love story with that of Anna’s, as well as encounters with Simeon, who was another temple witness of the Messiah, and Elizabeth and Zacharias’ son, John.

It’s an enjoyable, faith-filled piece of romantic historical fiction.

There is no swearing or other foul language. The described sexual content doesn't go beyond discretely described romantic interaction. There's some violence (knifefighting, shooting with bow and arrow).

Moore, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is an award-winning writer who graduated from Brigham Young University and also studied at Cairo American College in Egypt and the Angelican School of Jerusalem. Other historical fiction she has written includes “Ruth,” which was released earlier this year.