Sophia Sasson

The first book I've read by this author or in this series. The central characters are Luke Williams and Alessa Parrino--both are in the US Army.

Luke's twin brother is presumed recently killed (during a mission) though Luke thinks he is still alive. Luke suspects someone on his brother's team is leaking information and the only person he can trust is the one he just hired, Alessa.

Alessa is coming off an assignment that hurt her chances for promotion. It's nice to see a woman character who's strong enough to pull her own weight and who's not afraid of alienating the guys by showing what she can do. It was also nice to see that the team bonded with her and trusted her--a kind of family.

Unfortunately, there's a colonel who doesn't think a woman should be part of the unit, so Luke can only hire Alessa as a logistics specialist--at least until they get into the field where there's less oversight by the colonel.

So their mission has several objectives:
Locate Azizi (the target Ethan and his team were after)
Locate Ethan
Find out who the leak is and who the leak has been reporting to

I liked that the book wasn't only about the developing romance between Luke and Alessa. I liked that Luke made Alessa feel loved and safe, but I didn't like the way he went about it sometimes--I do think he sometimes resorted to ordering her around or manhandling her because he was afraid for her but I can also understand her not wanting that special treatment when it came to having to do her job and feeling like it might undermine the team's confidence in her.

In the end, I didn't really guess who was behind the leak or why (to be fair there weren't many clues as to the why). There were a few clues about the who that are more evident after knowing the who. I also didn't guess who in the unit was the leak until close to when the author revealed it.… (plus d'informations)

Sophia Sasson's Heartwarming debut, First Comes Marriage, is a winner!!

Dr. Meera Malhotra's upcoming marriage to childhood friend Raj Sharma has already been arranged. Raj is Meera's best friend and shares her goals, culture and financial status. By all accounts it seems like a perfect match. Then why is Meera trying to escape her family in London under the guise of completing her medical rotation in the States? In truth she wants to get away from all of the prearranged plans for her life for just a month so she can breathe and taste a bit of freedom. While a brief respite from her stifling life is anticipated, meeting Jake Taylor, the rugged, handsome green-eyed cowboy who makes her heart leap, is not. Meera loves Raj, but this feeling she has when she's in Jake's company is different. In fact, Jake's whole world is different. She's a vegetarian and he's a cattle rancher. She was born in India and he's American. Her family is loaded and he's struggling to keep his ranch afloat. Meanwhile, Raj is so much better suited to her. They're both doctors, they're of the same culture and they've known each other for 20 years. Everyone expects the two of them to marry. The pressure is on. Will Meera return to London, marry Raj and live the life she was destined for? Or can Jake convince her that theirs is the love that she was meant to have?

First Comes Marriage was such an entertaining and enjoyable read. I loved the characters, both primary and secondary, and I'm always thrilled when my reading experience gives me a glimpse into other cultures. Sophia Sasson crafted a story that kept my interest and heightened it as I proceeded reading. By the time I was 3/4 of the way through the book I was flipping pages so fast that before I knew it I had finished. I highly recommend this book to those who love sweet romance with a bit of family drama and lovable, small-town community characters that will make you spit out your beverage from unexpected laughter.… (plus d'informations)