The Royal Artisan by Tessa Afshar

The Royal Artisan
by Tessa Afshar

ISBN-13: 9780764243707
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: November 4, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Sazana of Persia creates exquisite pottery that graces Susa's finest tables, but her employer, Lord Haman, does not know Sazana is one of the Jews he despises. When Haman discovers her true identity, he forces her into indentured servitude. In an unexpected reversal, at Haman's downfall, Queen Esther becomes the new master of the pottery workshop, restoring Sazana to her rightful place. But her troubles are not over. The loss of their inheritance has enraged Haman's ten sons, so the queen assigns one of her men to the workshop, posing undercover to root out any spies.

Sazana is shocked to discover that the queen's agent is none other than the man who left her heart in ruins years ago. On assignment from the queen, Jadon safeguards the workshop, yet the situation escalates with the need to discover an ancient artifact. Can Jadon and Sazana work through past heartache and unearth the secrets that will allow them to thwart the impending tragedy threatening their people?


My Review:
The Royal Artisan is a Christian historical romance set at the time of Queen Esther. There's some mystery, too, as there's a hidden document that Sazana's parents and guardian hid, but they didn't tell her the location of the document (except in vague hints) before they died. Queen Esther believes that document will help protect the Jews. Esther and Sazana both lost their parents as children and took on Persian names to hide their Jewish heritage. When Esther is given the pottery workshop at Haman's downfall, the two women meet and become friends. The search for the document brings danger, and Jadon's assigned to help and protect Sazana.

Jadon broke a betrothal with Sazana years ago because he felt he shouldn't have children. Only he didn't tell Sazana why, leaving her feeling unlovable. They had to work through this pain, and Jadon had to find the courage to explain why he broke off the betrothal. The main characters were likable and acted realistically to events. Sazana and Jadon supported and cared for each other. Historical details about pottery-making and the dangerous time they were living in (accurate to the Bible account) brought the story alive in my imagination.

The Christian theme was trusting God with an unknown future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.