Susan K. DownsCritiques

Even when a fiction series is complete, I usually mix up my reading with books by different authors rather than read two books from the same series back to back. I made an exception with this book, jumping right into it after I finished the one before it.

This historical fiction novel, fourth in the Heirs of Anton family saga, can technically be read as a standalone. And it's where I would have ended this ChristFic series if I'd either started at the beginning or if Book Three hadn't enthralled me the way it did and left me with questions I'm assuming are answered in Book One—since this is a series that gradually goes backward in history rather than forward.

So. After reading Books Two through Four, yeah. I'll be going back—but forward in time—to finish the saga with the first novel.

My goodness. This has been a lot so far. A good lot for my soul.

Considering what's revealed about the past in the two books before this one, I was amazed to find the surprises this novel still held for me. In particular, two major ones at critical parts of the story.

Pretty genius plotting on the authors' part, if you ask me.

Now, the writing is a little repetitive at times, including where it's apparently meant to drive home one of the big plot twists. On a different note, after the nature of suspense and spy/wartime action in the previous two novels, this read was a slower one for me for much of the first third or so. Also unlike in the previous two books, the key love story in this one doesn't really get going until around halfway through the novel.

Nevertheless, the substance overall, the richness of the family story that carries over into future generations... It's indeed a good lot.

So good that, instead of taking a break with a book by a different author, I'm going to go right ahead and finish this series first.

Because the Heirs of Anton series begins in contemporary times and gradually goes backward in history (which is plenty intriguing but also something I'm not used to), and because historical fiction often has a stronger pull on me than contemporary, I started with Book Two of this ChristFic series, which takes place in the 1970s. My thought was that if I felt like I was missing something after finishing the three historical novels, I'd go back (but ahead in time in the saga) and read Book One last.

Well, folks. I'll be going with that thought, because Book Three riveted me from start to finish and left me so messed up.

So meaningfully, wonderfully messed up.

I liked Book Two well enough, but after being floored by this third novel, I had to go back and reread some related chunks of Book Two. Chunks that now hold so much more significance to me. Now that I remember certain questions that the second book doesn't answer, I want to prolong my own suspense and find out the answers to those questions last. When I get to the first book—where I'm assuming those answers are.

Whew! What a rush this is turning out to be.

Granted, the rush isn't because this story is a "fun" adventure, which of course it isn't. It's a depiction of war, deadly and tragic. (Heads-up: Two brief mentions of harm to a child particularly hurt my heart, though the mentions aren't overly graphic.)

On a different note, it seems that a few of the characters' emotions and intentions sometimes swing from up to down or way from the left to the right or wherever, even if it means swinging in a matter of minutes. I'm sure that's meant to create engaging tension, but for me, it made the characters somewhat hard to make sense of in places. Also, I found quite a bit of repetitive actions and descriptions in the writing, such as the "cupping" of this or that, the "tracing" of faces, and the rather frequent mentions that one or another character's hair is blond and their eyes are blue. In the end, though, that was all minor.

The characters' spiritual reflections and comments felt organic to the story to me, not shoehorned in for the sake of a faith message. And the resounding hope in the beautifully bittersweet ending...

My goodness. Wonderfully messed up, I am.

I reckon a part of me will remain this way until I finish the series.

RTC

56644

56491

Disclaimer: As historical fiction often has a stronger pull on me than contemporary, I'll admit the familiar pull pulled me right past the first (present-day) Heirs of Anton book to read Book Two instead, which takes place in the 1970s. But if I really feel I'm missing something after I've finished the three historical novels in this ChristFic series, I'll go back (but ahead in time in the saga) and read Book One last.

Now! The original cover of Nadia and my strong liking for a few other historical fiction books by Susan May Warren drew me to this novel, which I later realized she originally published in co-authorship with Susan K. Downs. I was hoping to find this Cold War romantic suspense story to be engrossing, and for the most part, I did.

But the read took somewhat longer than I prefer to paint a pretty clear picture of what's going on. (I usually like to be clear about the basis of the characters' situation and why it matters within my first fifteen minutes or so of reading, or it's hard for me to get invested.) I can't say the faith messages were my favorite overall; I found the "hope" theme, while relevant, to be overused/repetitive; and Nadia and Mickey frustrated me by going back and forth mentally and emotionally, changing their minds about being together (or not) over and over again.

Even so, the two of them and their married-couple relationship moved me in other ways too. Good ways. And as the twists of intrigue and danger ramped up, I was all in.

There's certainly plenty of family intrigue open for answers in the following books. And again, if I still have pressing questions after I read them, I'll go back (but forward!) and check out the first book.

Judy W says very good

Most stories were 4 stars though a couple felt like they were full of anachronistic references. Quite few gave me the feeling of reading an L. M. Montgomery story collection. Clean romance left me feeling warm and cozy.

I quite enjoyed reading this although the focus was not so much on the mystery, but on the lives of each of the four aspiring mystery authors, and the challenges that they underwent in their attempt to separate reality from fiction.

Suspect of my Heart/
'Til Death Do Us Part/
Love's Greatest Peril/

An Acquired Taste*
The Perfect Blend*
Breaking New Grounds*
Coffee Scoop**

One Little Prayer*
The Tie that Binds*
The Provider**
Returning Amanda**