I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Shelter of the Most High by Connilyn Cossette Series: Cities of Refuge #2
Published by Baker Publishing Group on October 2, 2018
Genres: Ancient World, Christian, Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Bethany House, NetGalley
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The daughter of a pagan high priest, Sofea finds solace from her troubles in the freedom of the ocean. But when marauders attack her village on the island of Sicily, she and her cousin are taken across the sea to the shores of Canaan.
Eitan has lived in Kedesh, a City of Refuge, for the last eleven years, haunted by a tragedy in his childhood and chafing at the boundaries placed on him. He is immediately captivated by Sofea, but revealing his most guarded secret could mean drawing her into the danger of his past.
As threats from outside the walls loom and traitors are uncovered within, Sofea and Eitan are plunged into the midst of a murder plot. Will they break free from the shackles of the past in time to uncover the betrayal and save their lives and the lives of those they love?
I finished this book in the wee hours of the morn, while in the middle of my roller coaster month of schedule weirdness, at the Old Folks Home. Of course I didn’t have my computer with me so my initial thoughts are like dust in the breeze, gone to some other home and far away from my fingertips on the keyboard. However, I’ve spent some time marinating on other thoughts that this book brings me and am finding that words are so very hard. Words that make sense in my head can’t seem to reach my fingertips. First though, this is my fifth book by Connilyn Cossette (and oddly enough it’s the fifth book she’s published too!) and I have yet to close the back cover disappointed. Well, perhaps disappointed is the wrong word as I tend to feel disappointed that the story is over and sit back and wonder where the time went and wonder why I have to wait so long for the next book. I mean, can’t she just call me every day and tell me stories, no waiting required? OK, perhaps I’m needy or something. Back to lack of disappointment. So many people read through a book and come away with profound quotes and other things. I read through a book and find a story, sometimes flying through the pages so enmeshed in what is happening that I forget to do life things like eat, drink, sleep. . .especially sleep. This is one of those times. I don’t have profound quotes to share with you. But, in true Fizzy fashion, where I didn’t pick up in one thing I usually find some random connection to real life, sometimes something that means nothing to anyone else. . .but this time? Yeah, this time.
In ‘A Light on the Hill‘, Moriyah ultimately took what could be a life long punishment for the love of a child. Not even her own child, but her child. Eleven years later that child, Eitan, is an adult and feels trapped by the vow he made his ‘parents’ (Moriyah and Darek) to never leave the city walls. He is chafing at this promise will little understanding of it’s importance when Darek brings Sofea and her cousin Prezi to their home. A foreign girl from across the sea who does not speak their language, doesn’t know the culture, and definitely has no point of reference for their faith. However, they all have one thing in common; guilt, shame, and an overwhelming need for self-forgiveness. Fine, three things, but they are all entwined together. I can’t say too much without tossing out spoilers like candy at the Homecoming Parade but I’ll do what I can. Eitan goes so far as to take the vow of a Nazirite when Darek does not allow him to join the military when he comes of age. He feels guilty and shamed (by himself and others) that he is not able to defend his family, culture, and country. On one hand, Eitan understands that the inability to leave the city walls is for his protection but on the other he wants to be just like every other young man in his community. His guilt is doubled as what he had done as a child and what it prevents him from doing as an adult merge. And in guilt he finds shame. And in shame he lacks self-forgiveness. He has been forgiven for his childhood crime by God but he can’t forgive himself as it causes him to lack what he finds normal. And enters Sofea, and his shame and guilt and self-forgiveness intensify as he doesn’t feel worthy of her.
Sofea on the other hand has the guilt of surviving the attack on her village, the injuries suffered by her cousin, and the death of their rescuer. She has shame in the acts of her father and her lack of connection to the faith of Eitan. I mean the poor girl is convinced at the first festival she attends that her and her cousin will be the sacrifice! Having grown up with the father she had (violent) and the gods they worshiped (again violent) she cannot connect to the Hebrew faith. And when she learns that those around her are manslayers? Oh grits and gravy she comes undone! On her island there was no tolerance to live, even though her father killed the most people he did it in the name of their gods. . .right? She had a lot to figure out with letting go of her own guilt and shame in seeking self-forgiveness, and the forgiveness of the Father. Here’s the thing though. I know it’s true for me as I can’t be the only one, how often do we continue to punish ourselves for our past misdeeds? How often do we let the guilt seep back in for things long forgiven? How often do we feel shame over who we once were? How often do we take back our own forgiveness? I know I do. Bells, I’m so great at guilt and shame that I’ve been known to take on other peoples! Moriyah, Eitan, and Sofea are gentle yet strong reminders that was is forgiven is gone. That guilt and shame serve no positive purpose in our lives. That there is only forward and looking back only causes hurt to ourselves and those we are looking back at. Prezi, on the other hand, is an example of finding faith in the difficult circumstances. Unable to walk, unwilling to live, she finds solace in God, forgiveness in self and others, and knowledge that as she becomes a new person in her new life the guilt and shame of where she came from has no place.
About Connilyn Cossette
Connilyn Cossette is the CBA-Bestselling author of the Out from Egypt Series from Bethany House Publishers. There is not much she likes better than digging into the rich, ancient world of the Bible, discovering new gems of grace that point to Jesus, and weaving them into an immersive fiction experience.
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