To Dwell among Cedars (The Covenant House Book #1)

This was such a beautiful read for me. I truly enjoyed the history and atmosphere within this book. I felt like I was there at the beginning of Samuel's time. The writing was flawless. Each character was so unique to the other which I truly enjoyed. Eliora is such a sweet girl who stills struggled with the understanding of being in a family and not having to work for love and support. I adored her shyness. I loved the faith she had even though she was originally a Philistine. She was such a joy to read! Lukio is the younger brother of Eliora and he frustrated me the whole book. However, he is such a broken child with abandonment issues. My heart ached for him and seeing him battle with happiness was hard. I still have high hopes for him. Ronen is such a sweet guy caught up with a twisted family. I liked him a lot. I liked seeing his struggle with faith and believing God's power after dealing with a loss. I think he learned some valuable lessons and grew from the beginning to the end of the story. The romance was adorable but also absolutely frustrating because as a reader you know the motives, but can also see the genuine emotion between Eliora and Ronen. I think it was a great progressive romance that felt very realistic. I loved the drama, loved the secrecy, enjoyed the cute moments and loved the ending. The other characters were all so interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the different tribes and other nations that lived in those times. The faith aspects were great for me. This was a well-written story! Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel, Between the Wild Branches, to be released next year !!

This book had me held so deeply in its grasp that now, having finished it, I’m having trouble forming a coherent string of thoughts to be able to even compose a worthy review. It touched me so deeply that I found myself blinking away tears a time or two, only to feel a bubble of laughter rise amidst the tears, wrought by one or another of the characters’ timely remarks! Eliora (a.k.a. Arisa) was such a relatable character and I just loved getting to know her and being able to share in her thoughts, worries and discovery of the Almighty! She will definitely live on as a very memorable heroine long after you’ve finished this novel. Ronen, too, was a deep, insightful and unforgettable character that I’m loath to part with. And Natan (a.k.a. Lukio)! That boy! Frustrating and yet understandable, I can’t wait to find out what lies in store for him in book two of this duology, Between the Wild Branches! Having read through Connilyn Cossette’s Cities of Refuge series and now this book, To Dwell Among Cedars, I’ve definitely determined that this author is one to look out for from both a Biblical and historical fiction aspect, as well as if you’re a lover of romance, adventure and rivetingly insightful lessons on the nature, character and love and acceptance of God for all who let Him in!

Words always fail me when I try to describe how much I love Mrs. Cossette's Biblical fiction books. I know that I would love any genre of story she chose to write because her character-building is so on point and her storytelling is just so good, but the fact that she chooses to write Biblical fiction makes her books life-changing for me. Every single one of them has brought new insight and dimension to my spiritual walk and this one was no exception. I love how this particular book highlighted that the "God of Israel" has always had a heart for people of other nations who desired to follow Him with all their heart and joined themselves to His people. I think this is a truth that many of us think began only when Jesus came so I always love it when someone teaches on this truth, but to have it in story form is the very best! I also loved the beauty of the theme of adoption that Mrs. Cossette wove into this story. It broke my heart and moved me to tears several times to see such a beautiful picture of how Israel's God has made us His own illustrated in this book. I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from the author. I highly recommend this book!