Publication Date: February 18, 2025
She’s been pulled up from the depths of despair—but what happens when the hope she has found slips from her grasp?
From her earliest days, Mary Magdalene has known fear and loss at a level so deep she has no hope of surfacing. Bound to the demons within her and incapable of freeing herself, Mary walks in shadow—until one day she encounters a healer, a rabbi who is radically different from the religious leaders and family members who could do nothing to help her. One touch from Jesus and Mary is never the same.
Now Mary’s one mission in life is to serve the one who freed her. She is determined never to leave his side, fearing that if she loses him, she’ll return to her former bondage. Even when the unthinkable happens and her savior is arrested and sentenced to execution, she cannot abandon him as so many others did. Let her be buried in his tomb, for she cannot live without him.
On the brink of despair, Mary is about to discover that while the life of faith is never perfect, perfect love casts out fear—and Jesus makes all things new.
Mary Magdalene serves as the central character in a new series featuring the New Testament.
Author Jill Eileen Smith, already well-established for works featuring Old Testament characters, weaves a powerful fictional account of Mary Magdalene in Dawn of Grace.
While there are many things written throughout history about the character, the author notes that much of it doesn’t fit with Scripture. In putting together this story, the author focuses on Mary’s suffering as a result of demon possession and the aftermath when Jesus set her free.
Mary’s story wouldn’t be complete without including her dedication to Jesus and his message. The ensuing story is one that breathes life into her character and puts readers in a front-row seat.
Dawn of Grace delivers a fascinating story surrounding Mary Magdalene and her testimony as a follower of Jesus.
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther’s Story, Miriam’s Song, The Prince and the Prodigal, Daughter of Eden, and The Ark and the Dove. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in biblical times. Jill lives with her family in Michigan.
