Author: Connilyn Cossette
Genre: Biblical Fiction

Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting and survival. When her family is 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, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring her to a Hebrew healer back at their camp, he is soon confronted with a truth he can’t ignore: the only way to protect this enemy is to marry her.
Unused to being weak and vulnerable, Alanah submits to the marriage—for now. As she comes to know and respect Tobiah and his people, however, she begins to second-guess her plans of escape. But when her past has painfully unanticipated consequences, the tentative peace she’s found with Tobiah, the Hebrews, and Yahweh is shaken to the core. Can Alanah’s fierce heart and strength withstand the ensuing threats to her life and all she’s come to love? ​

Reviewer: Beverly Wallin

Come to Me is the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It's not only scripturally accurate, but also adds a wonderful insightful story from Mary's perspective about her conception and life with her son, the Son of God. It really brings alive the possibility of the fictional account, as if it were completely true.

Reviewer: Chris Lambert

What a delightful story! This book takes place many years after the resurrection, with Luke and Matthew visiting Mary to ask about her life raising Jesus. 
 
Mary is shown to be a complex person, at times laughing, sad, fearful. It’s a refreshing change from the traditional, rather boring, presentation of Mary (and Joseph) as serene and serious. 
 
I am familiar with some of the stories, and found it fun and interesting to read them from Mary’s point of view. There are other stories that fill in some gaps, such as Joseph’s courtship of Mary and her friends in Nazareth. A very interesting read and I recommend it to any Christian as an entertaining and thoughtful read of a different point of view.  

Reviewer: Cierra Loften

I read this novel around late December, which I believe made it all the more enjoyable. I loved the fact that the Biblical story that we have all grown up with and heard was being taken on my Mary's point of view, which attracted me to reading it. The cover is simple, yet lovely. There's nothing gawky or overbearing about it and it's easy on the eyes. Character wise, the author did a great job filling in the gaps with certain mannerisms and personality traits of well-known Bible characters. That's not an easy task and while reading, I felt like I was able to truly grasp the emotions and thoughts of each character. The plot also earns a 10 for me. You know, with a story so etched in people's minds for centuries, that a majority of the people know the basis story of Christ and if the author misses a certain detail or changes some things around, readers will take notice. However, in this case, it's obvious that Davis really did her research and even if someone is new to the faith and new to their relationship with God, they can easily understand the references and refer back to the verses mentioned (They're footnoted). Style also brings out a 10 from me. I liked how short the chapters were (makes me feel like I'm reading faster), the story flowed very easily, and the text size was perfect. Addictiveness gains a 10, as well because I really was excited and determined to finish this one. I found Mary's perspective to be really insightful and intriguing and it was a fresh look on a classic story. As mentioned above, in my opinion, the author really worked hard to get all the details right. Therefore, the content also earns a sold 10! Come to Me earns a 5 star rating from me.

Reviewer: Carol A. Brown

Long Road Out Of Ur is an intriguing book! I am by no means a biblical expert; on the other hand I’m not biblically illiterate. So, when the author presented a man that I know the bible describes as “righteous” as a low life, scheming, plotting cheat and scoundrel, I took umbrage, and prepared to defend the righteous! I thought, “How dare he cast aspersions on Lot whose righteous soul was vexed by Sodom!”
 
At this point my reading took on the attitude of a defense lawyer searching for loopholes in logic and details that required one to step outside reality. But the more I read, the more I put my hackles down. By the end of the story Lot moved more and more into a lifestyle that increasing aligned with godly values. I had to agree that the scenarios presented would explain Abram’s family’s willingness to abruptly leave the area of Ur and never look back. I felt it was a rather accurate portrayal of societies devoid of the influence of Judean/Christian values.
 
Then as I sat mulling the story, I also saw the connection with generations yet unborn! That same “scoundrel” gene showed up in later generations, and the propensity to look out for number 1, to lie, and to cheat. Just because Abram had a relationship with God, did not immediately solve the moral problems stemming from a tendency toward conniving. It was still present in the family DNA—the tendency toward conniving showed up in Jacob, and later violence in Levi and Simeon.
 
Characters were well developed. Scoundrels were painted in 3-D and Technicolor! I wanted the bad guys to be caught and after a while wondered if maybe God should do a rerun on the flood! The good guys were sweet relief when they showed up. It was difficult for me to keep up with all the foreign names and to remember who was related to whom and what the relationship was. Thimell did provide a cast of characters, but when you are reading on a Kindle, and are not particularly adept at using its features, I found myself recognizing names and hoping I would recognize the relationship from context. A paperback would have served me better in that regard. I would have been able to flip back and forth.
 
The plot was one twist after another—until I wanted to edit a few to get to where they left this God forsaken place! I would not say there were lulls or slow places in the plot as much as that I experienced mental fatigue from all the gyrations. Could one person survive all of that? Yes, I suppose so if the hand of God is watching out for you. Well written and thought out. The book cover was intriguing—in fact that was one element that drew me to read the book.
 
I appreciated the larger view of the era and some “back story” on Abram and Lot’s exodus from Ur.
 
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially to those interested in biblical fiction or cultural/societal types of books and to those who can cope with the tangle of foreign names.

Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

I wasn't sure what to expect when I happened upon A Miser, A Manger, a Miracle by Marianne Jordan. I thought it would be about a miserly old man who refused to give Mary and Joseph a room at the inn, and it was that, but it was so much more.

The author has taken A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and mixed it with the story of the birth of Christ and it works beautifully. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge, is still called Ebenezer, but he runs an inn in Bethlehem and he's hoping to make a buck because of the census Herod has called. All the characters are there - tiny Tim is Timothy, Bob Cratchit is Aaron and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are instead, angels who make their visits to Ebenezer all in one night.  And all the characters of the "first Christmas" are there as well - Mary, Joseph and of course baby Jesus. The author skilfully introduces them to Ebenezer through the angels who visit him and he gets a glimpse not only of Jesus in the manger, but he is able to see what happens to Jesus at the end of his life.

While the story is charming and interesting in its adaptation and could quite easily become a "Christmas Classic," it did not move me as it should have and that is probably because the "Scrooge" story is all too familiar. However, I loved the creative aspect of this story. The author has taken a Christmas classic that was devoid of Jesus, but heavy on redemption, and remade it to include Jesus who redeemed mankind. I highly recommend this book as something you should be reading this Christmas!

Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

Panic seizes Kiya, a lovely young Egyptian teen, when she is faced with the fact that her father has sold her as a household slave in order to absolve his unfortunate business debts. Forced to serve a cruel and demanding mistress , she is befriended by a young Hebrew woman, Shiya, who gently introduces Kiya to the one true God, an anomaly for any Egyptian to comprehend.

When a Hebrew prophet enters Egypt bringing with him a myriad of pestilence and plagues, Kiya bravely listens when urged by her kind master to flee their beloved homeland under the cover of darkness, on the historic Night of Death. Convinced that this decision will save the life of her mother and beloved brother, Kiya cautiously joins Shira's family even though Eben, Shira's enigmatic older brother, appears to vacillate between attraction and disdain for his sister's new friend.

Connilyn Cossette has skillfully breathed new life into the familiar biblical account of the Exodus, carefully crafting her fictitious characters to mirror those who might have witnessed this miraculous event. Enjoy meting Yahweh through Kiya's eyes, as she learns the glorious truth of being "counted with the stars".

​This book  has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.