A dangerous beauty novel

Ataxerxes, King of Persia needed a wife. This warrior lord was so powerful that he could make his choice from all his Empire. He picked the one girl who would have given anything to have been passed over, a Jewish scholar, Esther, from the back streets of his capital, Shushan. To a King bored by the chattering of women wreathed in musky scents, this changeling was a breath of fresh air. But the new Queen of Persia was lost in a world of protocol and soon lost her husband's favour. Worse, she had to hide her faith and deny her origins for Haman, the King’s favourite, was an Amelekite, an ancient enemy of the Jews, and determined to have revenge. Esther's only hope to avert a holocaust was to risk her own life and go, uninvited, before a King who had already disposed of one unpopular wife. Norah Lofts’ Esther, first published in 1951, is a magical re-telling of the Old Testament Book of Esther, the story behind the Jewish festival of Purim. [From Amazon.com]

"Bathsheba, a beautiful woman forced to become one of King David's wives, is committed to protecting her son while dealing with the dynamics of the king's household in this biblically based novel"--

Life is not easy in Philistia, especially not for a woman and child alone. When beautiful, wounded Delilah finds herself begging for food to survive, she resolves that she will find a way to defeat all the men who have taken advantage of her. She will overcome the roadblocks life has set before her, and she will find riches and victory for herself. When she meets a legendary man called Samson, she senses that in him lies the means for her victory. By winning, seducing, and betraying the hero of the Hebrews, she will attain a position of national prominence. After all, she is beautiful, she is charming, and she is smart. No man, not even a supernaturally gifted strongman, can best her in a war of wits.