Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring her to a Hebrew healer back at their camp, he is soon confronted with a truth he can’t ignore: the only way to protect this enemy is to marry her.
Unused to being weak and vulnerable, Alanah submits to the marriage—for now. As she comes to know and respect Tobiah and his people, however, she begins to second-guess her plans of escape. But when her past has painfully unanticipated consequences, the tentative peace she’s found with Tobiah, the Hebrews, and Yahweh is shaken to the core. Can Alanah’s fierce heart and strength withstand the ensuing threats to her life and all she’s come to love?
I've been flying through the books in this series, I'm so invested in the characters and the way that the author has the talent to take this period of Biblical history and made it so real and alive. I was ready to jump into the lives of these people I have fallen in love with. I realized that the names for the synopsis were not one's I'd seen before. Perhaps children or grandchildren? Perhaps a continuation of Jumo or Dvorah's story a generation later? Perhaps? Well, I made myself stop perhaps-ing and jumped into the book with glee. And pulled up on the excitement. I was jumping back in 40 years later, just as the Israelites were on the cusp of taking the promised land. Shira was there, Kiya was there but what about Ayal and Jumo and Ebon? I was sorta kinda maybe perhaps becoming interested in Dvorah and where her life might lead. I pulled it together, fought off my disappointment and kept on reading. And fell in love all over again with new characters, new romances, and a new period of time.
Tobiah may be my favorite male lead in this series. He has a tenderness that is hidden behind his warrior facade. He finds himself in a difficult situation that he never anticipated and didn't really even think through when he rescues the hard headed Alanah on the battlefield. He just new that it was right. There was no thought about it, just a doing. A moment decision that want so much a decision as a God Moment. And all those pages later what a God Moment it was. Alanah was hurt, emotionally broken, and at the battle incognito only to avenge her father and brothers' deaths at the hands of the Hebrews. She never expected to survive and was angry that she had. However, through the 'God Moment' she found herself in a journey that could have only been designed by God. A moment that would play itself into the future of all the Israelites. Oh, there were bumps and bruises along the way. But God even used her hard hardheadedness for the benefit of an entire civilization.
Despite the rocky start and my abject disappointment in losing out on beloved characters I was drawn into this new story. I fell in love more slowly than before but at the end of the day this author has the ability to overcome my disappointment, draw me back in, and make me fall in love within the first quarter of the book. I appreciated the tie-ins to the previous characters with an elder Shira and Kyia. They gave me continuity. I'm saddened that Tobiah is not of their family but he brings a freshness and a different perspective from the twelve tribes (he was even of a different tribe). Alanah brings an awakening to the spirit, much like Kiya did previously. The importance of finding a way to cast off the old things (her idols, our pride or money or anything that anyone - then or now has that keeps them separated) that didn't work and seeking God even when it's hard and you don't understand why.
I was blessed to receive a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. Without that I may have never discovered this amazing series. 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.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads
Loved this book <3
ReplyDelete