“Recently widowed, Rivkah refuses to submit to the Torah law compelling her to marry her husband’s brother and instead flees Kedesh, hoping to use her talents as a scribe to support herself. Without the protections of her father, Kedesh’s head priest, and the safety of the city of refuge, Rivkah soon discovers that the cost of recklessness is her own freedom.
Malakhi has secretly loved Rivkah for years, but he never imagined his older brother’s death would mean wedding her himself. After her disappearance, he throws himself into the ongoing fight against the Canaanites instead of dwelling on all he has lost. But with impending war looming over Israel, Rivkah’s father comes to Malakhi with an impossible request.
As the enemies that Rivkah and Malakhi face from without and within Israel grow more threatening each day, is it too late for the restoration their wounded souls seek?”
My Review:
What an amazing story! This series by Connilyn Cossette is set in a time period of the nation of Israel with which I’m not as familiar and her research for this time period is extensive. She has taken this research and incorporated it into a story that fired my imagination and pulled me completely into that time period as I read. But it’s the characters that seem to step off the page and become someone that I knew. Rivkah’s story is not pretty. Her story is loosely based on the Biblical account of the Prodigal Son. There are levels of her disobedience and sorrow that grabbed at my heart. She runs away to avoid a marriage with Malakhi, not trying to see his heart for her or her own father’s heart as he had arranged their marriage. Though many times I was frustrated with her, I came to respect and admire her as she grew in maturity and into a full understanding of her spiritual heritage. Her journey to home is a dangerous one. She must trust Malakhi as she never had before if she’s to return home and seek the forgiveness of her father.
I felt Rivkah’s emotions all through her journey. In the process, it made me ever more grateful for the unfailing love of God and the forgiveness of sins I’ve received through Jesus. I was reminded once again that God’s desire for all of us is to be in a close relationship with Him. When a book can touch my heart in that way, it’s well worth reading.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I’m just about done with this book too Patti. I decided I’d get an ebook while i’m waiting for the book itself