Today, I get to share with you a book from a series I’ve really been enjoying lately: Haven of Rest! It’s book #4 in the Tales of the East series by Faith Blum, and guys. I think this has to be my most favorite set of books I’ve seen from Blum so far. I’ve really appreciated her other books, but this series has something special about it that I love. She shares the Biblical world in such a matter-of-fact, yet interesting way, with some intriguing plots. (If you’re interested in reading my review of book #1 in the series, Trust and Obey, go here.)
The funny thing is, I really don’t know why I love them so much—just that I do. So when I saw the opportunity come up to review this one, I knew I wanted to do that, too. And here we are!
Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links. Your purchase through these links doesn’t cost you any extra, but goes toward keeping this blog going. Thank you! Also, I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. I did end up buying my own copy, but thought you might want to know anyway…. 🙂
About the book:
Ignored by her father…
Adah was neglected by her abba and her brother. She must do something. All her previous plans have failed, but she won’t slip up this time. Since her abba is King David, author of many songs, what better way to gain his attention than pulling off a concert featuring twelve of his daughters?
As she plans, Adah’s discontentment grows. She throws herself into the work but worry edges into her heart anyway. Can Adah learn to rest in Adonai as her father? Will she learn contentment in all things?
My review:
It’s so hard to sum up a book you both enjoyed and didn’t! I’ve loved the whole series so far. The plots are fairly simple, but definitely enjoyable. I love Faith Blum’s perspective on what the Biblical times would have looked like, and that admiration has stayed fairly steady throughout the series.
This book, though, was both good and challenging. I loved how music—a central element to King David’s life—played a major role in the first part of this book. I also loved seeing the main character work through accepting a decision she didn’t agree with, and learning to yield herself to the Lord’s greater plan.
Unfortunately, I struggled to see an overarching theme in this book—I can see how they go together, in a way, but it felt like you were all set up for one thing to happen and all of a sudden the story took an unprecedented turn in another, completely different, direction. Also, the way the characters related with each other didn’t seem very likely to me—the wives of David seemed to be portrayed as living in their own spaces (huts or assigned rooms, I’m not sure which), and not interacting much at all. Cooking separate meals, working on separate projects inside their own rooms, etc. I believe as part of David’s family, they would have had a lot more interaction, living in more of a communal lifestyle—the values and ways of living life are quite different than portrayed here (or maybe I just picked it up all wrong—I have no idea!).
In saying that, I still enjoyed the book. There were some good thoughts in here. It just wasn’t one of my top favorites of the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next book holds!
About the Author:
Faith Blum is a small-town Wisconsin girl. She has independently published over 25 books in over five years. Most of her books are Christian Historical Fiction with an emphasis on Westerns. During an eBook sale, she was #1 in Christian Westerns and Christian Western Anthologies on Amazon. During that sale, she sold over 3,000 copies.
Faith currently resides in Central Wisconsin with her husband and their cat, Smokey. When not writing, you can find her cooking food from scratch due to food allergies, doing dishes, knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, or spending time with her husband. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to contact her on her website: https://faithblum.com.
Blog Tour Stops:
Comment on these to get extra entries in the tour giveaway!
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 21
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 22
All 4 and About Books, September 23 (Author Interview)
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 24
Wishful Endings, September 25 (Author Interview)
A Reader’s Brain, September 26
Inklings and notions , September 27
Through the Fire Blogs, September 28
Mary Hake, September 29
Lukewarm Tea, September 30 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, October 1
Purposeful Learning, October 2
janicesbookreviews, October 3
Just the Write Escape, October 4
Giveaway!
And, finally, the giveaway! This looks like a very fun set to win.
To celebrate her tour, Faith is giving away a themed basket with two plastic canvas heart bookmarks, a paperback copy of the book, and a crocheted doily (I’d love to see how the doily is made…I’ve been dreaming of making one sometime soon when I can get the right thread)!
Be sure to comment here and on the other blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Go here to enter.
What Biblical historical fiction have you been reading lately? Who is your favorite author that writes in this genre? (I think mine is probably Connilyn Cossette at the moment, but Blum is a close second!)
Thank you so much for the review, Esther!
Thank you for the chance to read and review! I am really enjoying this series.