Book Review: Trespass by Sandra Grey

Let me tell you a little story.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to spend the weekend down in Arizona as a guest speaker for the ANWA conference.  That was one of the most fun weekends of my life.  The ANWA ladies are beyond awesome, I got to hang out with Kerry Blair and Kathy Jenkins, and we just enjoyed every minute together.  In fact, you can read more about it here.Oh, and here. And here. And here's good, too.  Anyway, I digress ... suffice it to say, I had a ton of fun.

The afternoon of the conference, Kathy took me over to meet one of the authors who was in attendance.  I forget her exact words, but they were something like, "You have to meet this author.  Her book is one of the best I've ever read in my life."  That author was Sandra Grey, and with a recommendation like that, I had to buy the book. It also helped that Sandra is an extremely nice person.

I brought it home, I opened to the first page, and got sucked into language so rich, I had to stop and go back, starting again, so I could really digest it.  I felt like I'd taken a bite of a succulent roast beef sandwich and I wanted to savor it.  You can read my review of that book, "Traitor," here. I cheered very loudly when Sandra took home the Whitney Award that year.

When the sequel, "Tribunal," came out, I was honored and more than a little smug to be asked to endorse the back cover.  I believe I screamed like a girl, which isn't all that odd, considering that I am a girl.

Then, last month, my honor was doubled when I was asked to endorse the third book in the series, "Trespass."  I shall now launch into a glowing review of said book.

Natalie Allred, American nurse, is being held in the Soviet Union against her will.  Lieutenant Viktor Rostov, Soviet MGB agent, has paperwork stating that she was born as a Soviet and therefore, should live there the remainder of her life, but she wants nothing more than to return home to America.  Well, and to be reunited with Hans Brenner, the handsome freedom fighter she met and fell in love with a short time before.  But Viktor has her under his thumb.  He finds her an apartment, he finds her a job, and he makes no secret of the fact that he's in love with her.  But Natalie wants no part of the kind of love Viktor can give her.

In the meantime, Viktor's young daughter, Lucya, is being held in a Siberian camp.  Only seventeen, she struggles to understand why she's been imprisoned, and dreams of the day when her father will come for her.  But Viktor doesn't know where she is, and he has no idea how to even begin to rescue her.

Rolf, our hero from the first novel in the series, is now living in London, but has kept his finger on the pulse of activity behind the Iron Curtain.  He is now the only one who can come in and set things right, calling on his contacts and making deals with those in authority.  His goal: to get Natalie and Hans out of the Soviet Union.  To do this, he must give Viktor something he wants even more than Natalie - the safety of his daughter.  The conclusion of this novel will leave you breathless as you watch men and women give everything they have for the protection of those they love most.

I loved reading about an era of history that is largely overlooked - when the war ended officially, it was still being fought in people's hearts and minds, and we need to understand how the changes in their political worlds affected them emotionally and spiritually. I also appreciated the look into the Soviet Union in the 1940s.  My blog readers know I have been fascinated by Russia my entire life.

I read "Trespass" eagerly, my only complaint being that it was over too soon. Once again, Sandra Grey writes a story that grabs you by the throat and holds you in its grip until it's good and done with you.

I received this book as a gift from the author, but chose to review it all on my own. The gift did not sway my review in the slightest.