Review: Shelter of the Most High

Shelter of the Most High

"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?"

Author: Connilyn Cossette

Length: 352 pages

Format: paperback, hardcover, e-book, audio book

Devastation brought her to the gates.

A promise keeps him inside the gates.

Can love thrive in broken pasts, and language barriers?

While I normally don't read a whole lot of biblical fiction, this just reminded me I TRULY need to get on the ball. I forgot how much I loved it, and how comforting it is. 

This is the first book I've read by Connilyn Cossette, and it will not be my last. I'm already WAY ready for the next book. (Not gonna lie I shipped the couple before I knew the next book was going to be about them) 

Jenna is totally going to disown me for saying this...(I loved our friendship while it lasted my dear)
But SINCE this is my first book by Connilyn, I didn't read the first book in this series. I know I know scandalous, but it happens. 😝 I have heard from trusted sources *cough, Jenna, cough* that this series is best read in order, and even better if read RIGHT on the tail of Connilyn's other series. 

I reveal this secret because it is vital information to this review...
.
.
.
READ THESE BOOKS IN ORDER!!!!!
.
.
.
I enjoyed the story, do not get me wrong! I loved the characters and the relationships that they had. But therein lies the problem. These relationships that I feel in love with were crafted a decade before in the first book.

I feel I would have understood all the crazy undertones that were FLOWING through this book if I had read #1.

Now this is no one's fault but my own!! My schedule has been what one *might* call "PSYCHO" recently, so I wasn't able to get to it.

Heed the warning of the girl who jumped the gun, or really just jumped a decade worth of drama and backstory...READ BOOK 1 FIRST!

Click here to watch an IN-DEPTH explanation on what order to read this books!!

***

Now on to my thought about the ACTUAL story.

I really enjoyed it! 

I was devastated by the plot twist at the beginning.

*muttering*  Leave it to me to get attached to the bad guys...🙄😅

One thing I had to keep in mind while reading this book is marriage/romance was done A LOOOOTTT different than it is now. So yes the romance was like WAY quick, but it all was back then. 

I personally didn't feel or see Sofea turn towards God like Prezi did. I felt more of a spiritual change in the secondary character than in the main character which was a little strange to me. NOW I'm not saying she didn't learn the ways of God, but it just didn't stand out to me.

Overall Eitan and Sofea were okay. They definitely weren't my favorite of the cast, but I'm also not standing super solid in that opinion since I did miss half of Eitan's life.

Sofea was just really immature to me, though I did see her grow up a bit through the story. Eitan was rash, though he learned patience and how to use it well as the story progressed.

I preferred the side characters in this particular book, and hope a certain couple makes an appearance in book 3.

In all honesty I gave this book a 3.5/5 stars, BUT I think it has the potential to be a 4/5 once I read book 1.

*I received this book for an honest review**All opinions are my own**I was not required to leave a positive review*

***

Thank you ALL for your support this last year! And all the comments and congratulations I got regarding my book-iversary. 

So now I will announce the lucky winner of the subscription to Hope by the Book...

Congratulations "THEBECCAFILES"! I will be emailing you to get your information.

Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart! 💕