If there were an official Connilyn Cossette Fan Club, I could count myself among the founding members. I have followed her writing career ever since I read her tweet in March 2015 where she mentioned the manuscript for her novel based on the Exodus. By April of the following year, I was enthusiastically sharing my review of her debut novel Counted with the Stars.

What I loved then and what keeps drawing me back is Cossette's impeccable gift for storytelling. Each story is a harmonious blend of word choice, pacing, biblical themes, and wonderfully complex characters; and this is true of her latest release To Dwell Among Cedars.

To Dwell Among Cedars is unique for this genre in that it's set between 1 Samuel 6 and 2 Samuel 6 in a period of time where Scripture is silent. Anyone who has read the Old Testament knows the story of how the ark of the LORD was taken captive by the Philistines and then returned on a cow-drawn cart. What if two Philistine orphans happened to follow that cart and how might the presence of the ark have affected the men of Kiriath-jearim or the home of Abinadab where the ark came to rest? These are the questions Cossette posed and then set about fleshing out in her novel. Even though I prefer books in this genre to lean heavily upon the truth of God's word, the author's use of creative license did not detract from my enjoyment.

Knowing the historical context, you would expect to find the themes of God's judgment, sovereignty, and provision. While these are present, the most dominant theme is that of adoption. Cossette uses Arisa (Eliora) and Lukio's (Natan) adoption into a physical family became the foundation for expounding upon the beauty of the believer's adoption into God's spiritual family.  

I would be remiss not to mention Eliora and Ronen's relationship. Following their initial meeting in Beth Shemesh, 8 years would lapse before they would be reunited in the home of Abinadab. In the interim, Ronen would be changed greatly by his uncle's radical beliefs. Unbeknownst to Eliora, God would use the strength of her faith and character to break down the walls of his heart. To me, this spoke to the importance of living faithful and righteous lives.

In closing, I'd like to say that his book held all the admirable traits of Connilyn Cossette's previous novels. If you are not already a fan, the book may appeal to you based on Eliora and Natan strong sibling bond, the beauty of adoption, a predisposition to books that explore the gray areas of Israel's history, or the allure of a transformational love story. In short, I expect this book to appeal to a wide audience.

4.5/5 Stars

I received this book from the publisher through the NetGalley review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TO DWELL AMONG CEDARS is the first novel in the Covenant House series by CONNILYN COSSETTE. I have read and loved all this author;s books, and have been looking forward to reading this one for some time. I am definitely not disappointed. What a truly lovely story of redemption and restoration in which we get a taste of the awesome Presence and holiness of God in His interaction with His people.
With the two Philistine children, we follow the Ark of the Covenant to its resting place among the cedars at Kiryat-Yearim. The children are adopted by Elazar, the Levite who is in charge of guarding the Ark, and his wife Yoela, and treated as part of their large and loving family. Arisa, or Eliora as she is now called, has adopted the Hebrew faith and loves Yahweh and the Ark, which the Hebrew slave, Azuvah, who helped them escape Ashdod, told them to follow. She loves all her brothers and sisters, especially her brother Lukio, or Natan as he is now called, for whom she has felt responsible since their mother died in childbirth and their father abandoned them.
In 1062 BC Ronen, an apprentice Levite, comes to Kiryat-Yearim with a group of Levitical musicians to celebrate Yom Terua, and finds that the young Philistine girl who he carried up the mountain eight years before has turned into a beautiful woman.They have a lot in common, in spite of the fact that he seems to have lost his faith in the miraculous and is hiding a deadly secret - they both feel beholden to the people who have adopted them into their families.
There is intrigue, jealousy, violent disagreement and even idol worship amongst the priesthood. We come across Samuel, the great man of God, with his words of warning and prophetic direction. We are also strongly reminded of the danger of running ahead of the Lord and following man made plans, trying to do things in our own strength.
The novel follows the Bible closely and the fictional characters flesh out the story beautifully, giving us an idea of life at that time for both Hebrew and Philistine through the author's solid research.
I do not want to tell you any more for fear of spoiling the read for you.
I highly recommend To Dwell Among Cedars to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction. It is a most enjoyable and inspirational read and I am looking forward to the next novel in the series.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I can't imagine having to do all the research to craft a Biblical fiction novel. I don't read a lot in this genre because a lot of the stories are dry and really don't capture my attention. But I always make an exception after reading my first Connilyn Cossette novel. She does a wonderful way at crafting unique and memorable characters. I love how she takes a story or an element of the Biblical narrative and transforms it into a lively story. A story that takes me back to Biblical times. A story that comes to life on the pages. A story that makes me want to dive into the Bible more and read more about the story she has expended on. I know Cossette takes liberty with the line because it is Historical fiction, not a new discovery on the topic. With her newest story To Dwell Among Cedars, I love how Cossette took the idea of the Ark of the Covenant and made it come to life before my very eyes. A delightful story. I really had a hard time putting it down. The romance was nice and slow. I loved seeing how she didn't toss out the emotions so quickly. I loved how she allowed it to grow naturally. Overall, Cossette is a wonderful crafter of the Biblical fiction. I have enjoyed all her stories and can't wait to read what she crafts next.

I received a complimentary copy of To Dwell Among Cedars by Connilyn Cossette from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

a book review of Connilyn Cossette’s latest release, To Dwell Among Cedars. With it, she launches a new series: The Covenant House.

I was so excited when I came across this novel; I have really enjoyed Cossette’s previous novels–I’ve read all of them–and looked forward to diving in to this one. To Dwell Among Cedars is set during the time that Samuel is a prophet/judge before the nation of Israel has a king. This is moving right along from her first novel, set during the exodus out of Egypt.

This follows the story of a Philistine girl who travels to Israel after the Ark of the Covenant was captured by her people and subsequently returned to the Israelites, and intersects with the Levitical priests who take care of the Ark upon its return.

Maybe it was because it is setting up an entire series, or because of the transitional time period in which is was set, but this particular story didn’t grab onto me like others by Cossette. I was confused by a lot of the events in the first part of the book; it seemed as if 3-5 chapters went by before I could even figure out what the main character’s name was. The connection between the Philistine girl and the Israelite who first meets her was hard to follow for me, and I found myself confused as to what was happening, where it was happening, when it was happening, and who was there for many scenes of the book. The chemistry between the characters didn’t pop for me, and overall this novel just left me scratching my head.

However, based on all the other novels I’ve read from this author, I fully intend to read more of this series and whatever else she may write! It’s just this particular story that didn’t make sense to me, and I still highly recommend this author.

Thank you to Bethany House publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an electronic copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*