QUEEN'S COOK (QUEEN ESTHER'S COURT SERIES) THE

"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

In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire’s Jewish citizens face an ominous edict. Roxannah, the daughter of an impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news. But her father sees this decree as a stroke of good fortune, an opportunity to settle his mounting debts by killing the Jewish physician, Adin, and seizing his belongings. His plans go disastrously awry, leaving Roxannah destitute. Desperate to support her mother and settle their debts, Roxannah seeks the help of Adin—the man whose kind eyes still haunt her—to find employment in Queen Esther’s kitchens.

In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah strives to overcome prejudice and adversity as she ascends through the ranks in the royal kitchen. Her culinary talent and loyalty earn her the trust of Queen Esther herself, an extraordinary woman who is navigating treacherous palace politics with grace. But things get more complicated when a mysterious book and a sinister plot throw Roxannah and the palace physician together. Can they discover deadly secrets in time to save Amestris, Esther’s arch enemy? As mysteries unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Amestris and Esther’s future hang in the balance.

Be swept away to ancient times in this captivating story of courage, sacrifice, and the unexpected bonds that form in the face of adversity.

The Queen’s Cook is the first novel in the Queen Esther’s Court series.