Actual Rating: 3.5

Whoo, boy! Connilyn Cossette has a special way of writing that I can't help but love, yet a struggled a bit with this one. Admittedly, I expected to not love this one, but want to give it a try anyway, mostly for Lukio's sake, but also since I started at the end of a series last time with Tirzah's book (Like Flames in the Night) which I loved, but wished I had a little more of the back story from the other books for since I enjoyed her family as well... I found much of what I loved about this one also included the MC's family, and Lukio...so I wasn't wrong, but I also found myself enjoying this story on it's own as well.

I wasn't sold on this one until about halfway through and kept wondering if I shouldn't just DNF until the 8-year time-skip finally happened...Then Ronan's uncle kept butting in and reminds me far too much of one of my relatives, so he was infinitely frustrating. And boy, does Ronan know how to dig a hole (for himself that is!) But I enjoyed seeing how everything would be resolved and seeing the character growth in places along the way.

I'm definitely more of a Tirzah than an Eliora, yet to my surprise, I did find that I could still relate to her at times, and I adored her adoptive mother and her outpouring of love for Eliora and for all of her family! So heartwarming to see families and friendships written like this, so wholesome! ( )

I really enjoyed this book---much more than I thought I would. I pretty much gave up contrived Christian romance quite awhile back but this one was definitely different. There was some real meat to it and I felt it was straight from the pages of Scripture, as well as being pretty faithful to Torah.

I appreciated that the author used Hebrew names and words and that the story was not the normal contrived and obnoxious blah that Christian fiction usually puddles into. I love how the author took seriously Yahweh's commands and made a good representation of the feast days. All in all a great story! ( )

Once again, Connilyn Cossette has taken a small part of the Bible and made it into a very compelling Biblical novel. She has taken an event that is not greatly expounded on in the Bible when the Ark was captured by the Philistines in I Samuel. But Connilyn used her imagination to give rise to "what ifs" and tell of the great love, mercy, and goodness of our wonderful, wonder-working God. I love reading her books and am ready to start the next in the series. ( )

I couldn’t wait to dive into this book, after reading Cossette’s previous Cities of Refuge series! I loved those books and expected another good read here—which I got. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of my favorites of hers in the end, but that was because the action seemed more stilted here and wasn’t in the high-risk/high-stakes danger I was accustomed to in her other books. Despite my slight disappointment there, however, I was impressed at her ability to pull the Biblical account into the story the way she did.

Many parts of this story—especially the first section—felt almost as if they were lifted from the Bible. They were taken a step higher with a touch of fiction added, but it felt very close to the Biblical account. I loved that.

Otherwise, this book was good. Encouraging, somewhat challenging, but good. If you’re looking for a book similar to her previous series, you might be somewhat disappointed—I didn’t feel like it was as good as those. In saying that, though, I still enjoyed it enough I can’t wait until the next one comes out, so my disappointment can’t be that great! Another good story, with a strong historical basis and an intriguing setting.

I requested a complementary review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it. ( )

First, I have to gush over the cover art. It makes my heart happy to see a book cover that makes me stop and sigh, and this one does that. It not only sets the mood for the story inside, but it transports me to Biblical times.

It’s so exciting to begin reading a new book series, especially when it’s a biblical fiction series written by Connilyn Cossette! I believe I’ve read most, if not all of her stories and have rated them all with 5 stars. Yes, they’re that good!

The story begins with young Elisa and her brother Lukio, Philistines under the care of Azuvah, a Hebrew slave. Oh, how I love Azuvah, who stays true to her faith and convictions in a difficult environment. When an urgent time arises, selfless Azuvah urges Elisa and Lukio to run away and follow the Ark of the Covenant. There escape from a dreadful future is pivotal, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

It was common in Biblical times to receive a name change from the Lord during a pivotal time in someone’s life and faith, and when Elisa’s name becomes Eliora and Lukio becomes Natan, the story takes on a new life as well.

To Dwell Among Cedars, the first book in The Covenant House series, is captivating, heart-breaking, heart-pounding, and stirring. I effortlessly sank into this story and enjoyed the varying points of view. I stayed up late reading, unable to put the story down, for upon reaching the end of each chapter the story urged me to read further. The research that went into writing this story is evident and taught me so much about the customs and lives of people in that time in history. And I just love it when a story teaches me something new!

Walking in Arisa’s shoes has been quite an experience. I look forward to the next book in this series, delving deeper into Natan’s life.

Connilyn Cossette has done it again, becoming a favorite read of the year. A gorgeous cover, a captivating story, and brilliant storytelling.

#2021Favorites #BiblicalFiction #TheCovenantHouse #MustRead #CoverLove

Dɪsᴄʟᴏsᴜʀᴇ: I ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʀʏ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ. Mʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ. ( )