Once again Connilyn Cossette creates an engaging look at what it might have been like to have been among the children of Israel, this time at the conclusion of the Exodus. A strong finish to a lovely trilogy.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the cover of this novel. It communicated mystery, beauty, and Biblical history...I was intrigued. I had never read a novel by Connilyn Cossette, but I wanted to take a chance with someone new. I was not disappointed! : )

This book is part of a series, but I was able to enjoy this as a stand-alone novel. I found the plot to be steady, interesting, and with a good amount of tension. I have never read a story that has taken place during the time of the Israelites in their 40 years of wandering the desert before entering into the Promised Land. Cossette opened up their world to me through this novel, portraying the struggles, hopes, and difficulties that could be associated with that time in history. I also thought the way she showed the perspectives of a Hebrew man and contrasted it with a Canaanite woman were well done.

Love, faith, war, survival, redemption...these are just some of the themes of this novel. I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it!

**I received a copy of this book in order to share my thoughts and opinions, which I did.**

Wow! Can this girl write, or can this girl write?! This is Biblical fiction at its most riveting. In fact, I highly recommend the whole series (although you don’t have to have read the previous books to pick this one up). For starters, they’re incredibly well researched—and I’m speaking in terms of general historical details as well as Biblical accuracy. But then to bring them alive on the page so vividly . . . I’m just in awe. Not only do I LOVE seeing Biblical history come to life, but I love the way this series has enriched my knowledge and understanding of this part of the Old Testament.

In addition to her historical accuracy, Connilyn Cossette knows how to weave a deeply gripping love story—and I do say love story, because a true love story is more than just a romance. I love stories that include an element of ‘enemies to lovers’ (for want of a better phrase), and an embittered Canaanite woman and her Israelite conqueror proved to be one of the richest settings in which to explore this tension.

It was also an ideal setting in which to contrast the ways of the Canaanites with the laws God gave to the Israelites. Alanah fully expects to be treated the way her people would treat a captured woman, but not only does Tobiah’s God forbid the violation of women, He also provides a means for their protection by allowing them to be claimed as a wife. It was so eye-opening to view the Israelite’s laws and customs in their historical context and through the eyes of one who had grown up in such a depraved society as the Canaanites. And I loved watching the way in which Tobiah’s steadfast determination to do right by Alanah gradually softened her to both Tobiah and his God.

The second half of the novel took a completely unexpected turn that had me even more hooked than the first half (if that’s possible!) I won’t say anything else on that matter except that it tied in brilliantly with the Biblical account of the fall of Jericho.

Fantastically gripping, must-read Biblical fiction!

Wings of the Wind

by Connilyn Cossette

Bethany House

Bethany House Publishers



Christian

Pub Date 02 May 2017

I am reviewing Wings of the Wind through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Alanah a Canaanite Women disguises herself as a warrior and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. She does not believe she will survive, but somehow she does.

When her helmet comes off and it is revealed she is a woman and that she is injured it is Tobiah, a Hebrew and her enemy who goes and searches for a healer to help her.

Alanah learns that as his captive according to the customs Tobiah must marry Alanah.

Alanah learns that she must put away Idol Worship that includes the Amulet her Father gave her and that according to custom as a captive bride she must have her hair shaven.

Will Alanah adapt to the ways of the Hebrews, will she come to know the one true God, and find joy in the Lord and with her husband: Find out in Wings of the Wind.

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Never before have I considered the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Connilyn's research showed in the ways that Alanah learned about life and God's laws. Because Alanah viewed things like manna in a beautiful way, I was able to experience that same perspective. The characters of Tobiah and Alanah matured in ways that were revealed God working in their lives not just as if they were obeying Old Testament laws.
The unexpected angle of Alanah being inside the city as it fell felt like a whirlwind of confusion. This too was different than the usual army position from the outside that I've read about in the Bible.
I especially appreciate how Connilyn reminds me as a reader of the numerous years that God filled with warnings for the people of Canaan. Sometimes I can read about the wanderings of God's people and simply assume that they were whiny and unappreciative of all of God's blessings. Wings of the Wind revealed to me that there were faithful ones that learned lessons by watching others rebel and they probably entered the Promised Land will sincere hearts full of praise and new hope.

You MUST buy and read this book! You just MUST! And if you haven't read the previous 2 books then you get all three. It's really that good!!!

This is perhaps one of the most enlightening books I have read as a Christian! I should start by telling you, I am what I call a "skeptical Christian." (I digress here, so if you want to skip to more about the book, scroll down) I question a lot of what is preached in churches and what is stated in the Bible. Not to say that I disagree, but that I don't take everything that is said as right and better left untested. For instance, I am not a fan of the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. I have asked several people of the cloth - ministers, pastors, priests...some nuns - and all are exasperated at my frustration with this story. So here we have a guy who loves his son and worships faithfully. But he has to prove his total devotion to God by sacrificing his son. The guy goes so far as to take his son up a hill and is about to kill him, and then God says never mind, this was all a test and you passed. I'm exaggerating quite a bit, but you get the gist of the story. This is supposed to be a lesson, to have complete and utter faith in God. But I look at this from Isaac's perspective - his father was about to kill him! What kind of father is that? I really despise this story. It's part of the Old Testament though, so at the same time, I understand why it's so dark. I also understand the moral of the story and its importance. (end of digression here) So anyway, as you can see, I am not your typical Christian. But I love Christian romance, and I particularly loved this story. It taught me a side of the Bible that I am not overly familiar with. I thought it was so cool that when I got to the end, and the author tells us that the characters were all very real. I had no idea, and it made their stories all the more poignant!

Alanah is a Canaanite, the enemy of the invading Hebrews brought to the land by their God and guided by a mysterious cloud which provides them all they need. In the battles between her people and the Hebrews, all three of her brothers and her father are killed, and she joins the fight disguised as a man to get her revenge. However, in her first battle, she is taken aback by the violence, and when one of her arrows meets flesh, she flees terror and is struck by an arrow herself. Given up for dead, she is found by a Hebrew soldier, Tobiah, who saves her upon discovering she is a woman. Knowing that she would be in danger if left unprotected, he makes the decision to marry her. Tobiah and Alanah struggle to overcome the deep-seated distrust between their two peoples, but as Tobiah shows Alanah the ways of the Hebrews, Alanah begins to realize that their God, Yahweh, has a plan for her. All she has to do is listen to Him and believe.

Both Alanah and Tobiah are complex and intriguing characters. Alanah was instantly a draw for me, because I understood her pain and wanting to get revenge. The author did an amazing job of describing her upbringing, showing her point-of-view, and allowing her character to grow with the story as opposed to having her automatically accept her fate without any challenges. Instead, she had many challenges, and she was forced to confront the horrors her people have committed, that she has become used to but the Hebrews find appalling. She, too, sees the darkness in her people, and as she becomes closer to her Hebrew neighbors, she sees the light in their way of life. Tobiah is an amazing hero, one that both inspires me as a person and encourages me to find a patient, understanding man like him as a partner in life. He accepts that Alanah is different and that she is afraid to live with him. Instead of taking advantage of her fear and using it to ensure she does as she is told, he teachers her the ways of the Hebrews and the past of his people. Both learned to accept their differences and see the good in each other. Even when faced with temptation later in the book, Tobiah proves honorable and Alanah sacrifices much out of love for him.

I was disappointed that this was the last book in the series, but also giddy that I can now go back and read previous books which feature some of my favorite secondary characters. Connilyn Cossette is an amazing writer and one I hope to recommend to many people going forward. This book is one of my favorites this year, and I hope to read many more books by her in the future.

"Wings of the Wind" is biblical fiction (with a romance) set when the Israelites were at the end of their 40 years of wandering in the desert and ends after the attack on Jericho. This is the third book in the series, but it's basically a stand-alone novel. The author stayed true to the description of events given in the Bible. She wove interesting cultural details into the story, and we get a glimpse of what the land was like just before the Israelite incursion.

The characters acted realistically and were complex. Alanah is a Canaanite that has lost everything due to her family joining in a recent battle against the Israelites. She joins the next battle, only she's captured by Tobiah. He reluctantly marries Alanah following the Deut. 21:10-14 law to keep her safe while she heals. They come to respect and love each other, and they make a good pair (though obviously that took time and their relationship was rocky during the story).

Alanah saw the difference in how women and children were treated under God's law compared to the Canaanite culture. The Christian theme was how God was in control and working things out for good even when everything seemed to have gone wrong. There was no bad language or sex scenes. Overall, I'd highly recommend this novel.

I requested Wings of the Wind on a whim and wow... It gave me so many feels. Cossette does such a great job with making these people come alive. You know an author has done a great job when you want to check out their other books.

The plot line was what drew me into Wings of the Wind . I love how we get duel (Alanah & Tobiah's) POV in this book. The first few chapters weren't doing it for me but once the plot started moving along we were moving. All the characters were superb. By far my favorite was Moriyah but I loved the two main characters as well.

I love seeing the Bible come to life. Sometimes we read it but it isn't connecting that these people (in the Bible) were flesh and blood; and they lived and loved just as we do now. It was also wonderful to see Tobiah struggle with killing the Canaanites, even though he knows it was the right thing to do. Truly a person with any morals will struggle with killing people. I liked seeing the Torah (laws) in use.

Tears were coming out of my eyes at the end of this book. I might have been bawling, if I wasn't in a plane. I DIDN'T want it to end! This was a fantastic book! Some of the best Christian/Historical fiction I've read in a while.

I find myself a little bit speechless at how much I loved this book. It is superbly written, with complex, flawed but absolutely relatable characters. The plot is intricately designed, remaining completely true to what is revealed in Scripture while flawlessly weaving in fictional events and conversations. While I loved Alanah and Tobiah's story, what I loved most about this book was how it brought out again and again the love and protective care Yahweh showed in the Torah or laws He gave to govern His people. This book, like the previous ones in this series, showed me what a gift Torah is!

I do have two "complaints" about this book. One is the emotional angst it caused me to be reading an un-put-downable-story that kept making me want to go and read my Bible! I wanted to check out every detail and law mentioned because the beautiful perspective on them was so profound, I wanted to note it. But I didn't want to stop reading!!! Ah, the turmoil!

And secondly, it ended. Not only the book ended, but the series ended. I wanted to cry!

Please write more books, Mrs. Cossette! You have such a gift, and you have increased my love and awe for Scripture in ways I may never be able to articulate.

And to all the rest of you, please read this book as well as the ones before it. I loved them so much and recommend them without hesitation or qualification! Even if you do not currently believe in God, I think you will enjoy the fresh perspective this author brings to a brutal time in ancient history, and I feel certain you will find the story engaging!