Sunday, May 7, 2017

Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette



Can vengeance give way to forgiveness when one woman's destiny becomes entangled with the very enemies she sought to destroy?

Motherless and raised alongside her brothers, Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting. When her father and brothers are killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving.

Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, has spent his share of time on the battlefield and is shocked to find an unconscious woman among the casualties. Compelled to bring her to a healer back at the Hebrew camp, he's unprepared for the consequences of what he intended as an act of compassion.

In order to survive, Alanah must unite with her enemy. But will a terrible revelation drive her toward an even greater danger?
                           -Book Description, Bethany House Publishers


My Review:

There was so much Biblical history packed within the pages of this story. Wings of the Wind is the third novel in the Out From Egypt series. It is set during the time when the Israelites are just about to enter The Promised Land. I know a little about this time period, but because of the events that took place in the book as part of their experience in the wilderness, and because of the fictional experiences of Alanah, I have a lot more to think about now.

I don't want to share all of the things I loved about the book, because I don't want to give too much away. But two of my favorite parts are Alanah's journey coming to know God, and the descriptions of the major events that took place during that time period. I always look for Jesus in the Old Testament stories, because there are many pictures of Him, and He is there.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is when Alanah is talking with one of the women who was in Egypt when the Israelites left. They are talking about the manna that falls from the sky for them every morning.

"B-but..." I stuttered. "You don't look that old!"

"Well, thank you for that." She patted her silvery curls, "I think that has more to do with the manna than anything. It seems to give all of us an abnormal vitality. But I was twenty-one when we left Egypt, and my Zakariyah twenty-eight."

I love this because in the New Testament Jesus tells us in John 6:35,

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

And then again in John 6:51 He says,

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.


I cried twice while reading Wings of the Wind and held my breath through quite a few chapters! There was so much action within the book. I had a difficult time putting it down. If you enjoy Biblical or historical fiction, then you will like this book!


Many blessings to you as you read!!

~Beth




I recently had the opportunity to ask Connilyn Cossette a few questions about her writing, and I thought that I would share them with you!

Beth: How did you get started writing Biblical Fiction?

Connilyn : It was only because Kiya's story (Counted with the Stars) came to me, actually. I had always wanted to write books but did not have enough confidence that anything I wrote would be worth reading. I'd hoped to someday write historical fiction and tried my hand at a couple of stories but never got very far, it wasn't until Counted with the Stars became a vision in my brain that I could not shake that I sat down and actually wrote on a regular basis. It took me nearly five years to learn enough about writing that I felt confident in showing my work to anyone! I certainly did not set out to write Biblical fiction, it kinda chose me :).

Beth:What resources do you use when writing?

Connilyn: I love Google Books because I can find some great out of print gems from 100 years ago for free. Of course I also scour Amazon and buy as much material as I can within my budget. I also use Chabad.org to help research the Rabbinical ideas about certain topics. And lots of Youtube and Googling of various topics. There are so many pictures and videos and websites out there that help me layer in historic detail, I can't imagine being a historical writer before the internet!

Beth: Did you feel as though God was leading you to do this?

Connilyn: I absolutely do. I know that he gave me the initial vision of Kiya (Counted with the Stars) as an older woman standing on the bank of the river Jordan waiting to go into the Promised Land. He has been so faithful along the way and has gifted me this career that I was too scared to even ask for, for fear of being disappointed. He continues to sustain me through it all and there are times when I feel he gives me exactly the words I am searching for, which usually brings me to tears of gratitude for the privilege of doing what I love with him and for him!



To learn more about Connilyn Cossette, or the Out From Egypt series, please visit her website at http://www.connilyncossette.com/.


As part of the release of Wings of the Wind, I thought I would give away the Kindle version of the first two books in the series! To enter to win, simply leave a comment below. I will draw a winner on Friday, May 12th.


Congratulations Charis! You are the winner of the Kindle versions of Counted with the Stars and Shadow of the Storm! Please message me your email to bethlisteningtohim@gmail.com so I can get your books to you! Thanks for reading!

To read my review for the first two books in the series, follow the links below!

Counted with the Stars


Shadow of the Storm



Disclosure Statement: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a favorable review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

















2 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to read this!

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    Replies
    1. I am so glad Charis, because you are the winner of the first two books in the series!

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