Shelter of the Most High (#02 in Cities Of Refuge Series)

If I hadn't already been captivated by this author and her amazing way of making the Bible come alive, I might not have picked up this book. Murder, dark secrets, kidnapping in fiction are not generally things I voluntarily choose to read about. But, yep, already captivated, and I'm so glad, because this book was incredible! I loved the way these two broken characters came to care for each other, and behind the scenes of every moment was proof of God's love and sacrifice, judgement and grace, and overall sovereignty - both in the Bible times and now in my own life. I also loved catching up with Eitan as an adult, after having read about him as a child in previous books. Absolutely beautiful and a story I know I will read again and again.

This is the second novel in Connilyn Cossette's Cities of Refuge series. While it is a standalone novel, the backstory will make more sense if you read A Light on the Hill first. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe opening chapters are full of action, but it felt like the story took a long time to get going. I think this is because it takes several chapters before Sofea and Prezi reach Kadesh, and before we meet the hero of the story (I initially thought the hero was one of the pirates, but I was wrong). \\r\\n\\r\\nEtian is Moriyah's adopted son, and the reason he and Moriyah have both been banished to Kadesh. As Sofea learns the local language and settles in Kadesh, she and Etian fall for each other . . . but Sofea is a child of the sea and Etian can't leave the city to take her to the sea. The result is I found the second half of the book wasn't as strong, as it focused on a suspense thread at the expense of the characters. \\r\\n\\r\\nThere is also (unsurprisingly) a strong faith thread in Shelter of the Most High, as both Sofea and Prezi learn about the Yahweh, the Hebrew One God, and the way he cares for his people. Recommended for Biblical fiction fans. \\r\\n\\r\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This was SUCH a thrilling book! It had me up and down and all around. The tenderness, the adventure, forgiveness and redemption. \\r\\n I was so thrilled to be able to revisit little Eitan, now a grown man and bucking against the confines of his life, unable to let go and move past the mistakes made in his childhood. \\r\\n Sofea is such a spunky, curious, free-spirited kind of person, yet unsettled by the life she has always known and the new one she is growing to love. \\r\\n Eitan and Sofea are drawn to one another and that is just the beginning of a whole mess of trouble. Lies, betrayal and hurt, but also courage, sacrifice and love. \\r\\n I'm serious, this book has it all! This series (two books, so far) is INCREDIBLE! I was only about a quarter of the way through the book and ALREADY so thrilled by it that I had to stop everything to run and tell my sister that she would absolutely ADORE this series and needed to get reading it immediately!\\r\\n Way to go, Ms. Cossette! This is one of the BEST Biblical fiction books I've ever read! I can't WAIT to get the chance to dive into book #3,""""Until the Mountains Fall""""!