A Light on the Hill + Giveaway

Random Retro ReRead

Though Israel has found relative peace, Moriyah has yet to find her own. Attempting to avoid the scorn of her community, she’s spent the last seven years hiding behind the veil she wears. Underneath her covering, her face is branded with the mark of the Canaanite gods, a shameful reminder of her past captivity in Jericho and an assurance that no man will ever want to marry her.

When her father finds a widower who needs a mother for his two sons, her hopes rise. But when their introduction goes horribly wrong, Moriyah is forced to flee for her life. Seeking safety at one of the newly established Levitical cities of refuge, she is wildly unprepared for the dangers she will face and the enemies—and unexpected allies—she will encounter on her way.

My Review:

published in 2018

Gasp! This is me actually re-reading a biblical fiction novel! This time I gave it a listen though, courtesy of Audible Plus and thoroughly enjoyed Rachel Botchan’s narration. And guess what? It was just as compelling a read the second time around!

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Connilyn Cossette’s writing style is so lyrical it begs to be read out loud. Exquisite descriptions about life and customs in biblical times — I swear this author must have a time machine because she gets it right every time. At least, I feel like it’s right for the time period. Even the dialogue. Not being in possession of a time machine, I can’t say for certain. 🙂 But though I’m not widely read in the biblical fiction genre, I will always find room on my TBR pile for this author’s novels. They are irresistible!

And interestingly enough I knew nothing about Levitical cities of refuge until a few weeks ago when my pastor mentioned them in a sermon. Totally fascinated me and then, a short while later, this book shows up on my doorstep. How cool is that? And it’s the first book in the Cities of Refuge series so there’s lots more good reading ahead. Oh — and to make this even more special for fans of Cossette’s Out of Egypt series, Moriyah was a secondary character in Wings of the Wind. Love that bridge between series.

And what an action-packed adventure! The author constantly surprised me with a new twist, an unexpected turn. The whole story is told from Moriyah’s first person point of view and it was easy to instantly relate to and root for this vulnerable young woman who has already suffered so much. Her personal faith journey is inspiring as she goes from living in the shadows because of her scars to becoming a light that transforms people — including herself. Because it isn’t until Moriyah has the courage to look beyond her scars that she can finally live up to her potential.

This would make an awesome book club selection because there’s such depth for discussion within these pages. I mean, don’t we all have scars in some form or another? Visible or invisible — things that hold us back and drag us down? And there are great discussion questions at the end of the book. The kind that make you really think. And stretch. I love it when I connect with my faith through fiction the way I did with this book. Makes for a life-changing read…if you dare to exercise Moriyah size courage!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy and is available to any reader, any where — so, yay, another International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Light on the Hill, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 5 2025.

20 thoughts on “A Light on the Hill + Giveaway”

  1. I love Connilyn Cossette! I actually just finished the second book in the Out of Egypt Series this past week, but I have yet to read this series. Do you have plans to read the next one in the series? I would love to read your review once you finish the next one as well and I would love to be entered into the giveaway. Thank you!

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  2. WOW! What an awesome sounding book! And yet, somehow or other, it’s seems it’s slipped and not made it to my already read list. Definitely need to rectify that.

    Thank you for the retro-review that brought this fabulous book to my attention and for the wonderful chance to win a copy!

    In for some horrible weather conditions next few days. Time to buckle down the everything that can blow or float away and settle in for some reading time.

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  3. A Light on the Hill was my first Connilyn Cossette book and I was hooked. I read all the City of Refuge books in this series next then went back and read all the Out of Egypt books and on to her newer ones. As you say she has a lyrical writing style that I love. She does months of research for her books. I am on pins and needles waiting for her Splendor of the Land, the third book in the Kings Men series. She’s one of my “read to zero” authors we talked about recently.

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  5. Your review hit this book right on the spot. I was just as captivated by this story. Don’t enter me for I already have this book. Love to read this author’s books.

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  7. Yeeeesssss!!😍😍 This was the first book I ever read by her and I second all of your sentiments! She became an instant automatic-read author for me🥰🫂 And the entire series was just a-mazing!🤩

    (p.s. Don’t enter me, I’ve got the whole series😜)

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    1. Love your bookish enthusiasm! Have to admit you were one of the blog voices who encouraged me to try biblical fiction again. I decided to test the waters gently with a familiar book in a different edition. I read it the first time but listened to it this time round. Happy Reading, Elly!

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