Marina, by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs, is the third novel belonging to the Heirs of Anton series. The series covers several generations of a Russian family and their faith in the Lord. Marina covers the love story of Marina (Mara) Antonovna Klassen Vasileva, a Russian partisan fighter, and Edward Neumann, an American OSS agent who has been assigned to help rout the Nazi invaders from the USSR during the Second World War.
Both Marina and Edward have had significant losses that have left them wounded in their hearts. Marina is an orphan who lost both her natural parents as a child, and now as an adult, she has also lost her husband and home to the Nazis. She fears that she has also lost her unborn baby. Her faith in the Lord is in shreds, and she renames herself, Mara (meaning, "bitterness"), as Naomi did in the Old Testament Book of Ruth. She joins a partisan group and becomes an excellent sniper.
Edward wrestles with guilt; it appears that every partisan group that he has assisted in the war against the Nazis has found death and destruction, rather than freedom. He is especially guilt ridden over the death of Katrina, his fiancée, who Nazis executed after following him to her location. Edward escaped capture, and Katrina's death has left him reluctant to accept help from partisan groups in the countries that he works in. He is afraid that he will lead them to their deaths. Unlike Marina, Edward still has a faith that clings to the Lord.
Marina and Edward meet when he comes into contact with her partisan group. He plans to blow up a bridge on a Nazi supply route, but quickly comes to realize that he cannot carry out his mission without the help of the partisans. The time spent in each other's company leads Marina and Edward to fall in love with each other as they learn to trust and rely on each other for support. Will Marina regain her faith in the Lord with Edward's help? Will Edward be able to let go of his guilt so that he can open his heart to love again?
Psalm 100:5 is a significant verse in the Heirs of Anton. It says, "For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." We can partially see how the truth of this is carried out in this installment of this series, although we do not see the completion of what the Lord will do for this family in Marina. Our protagonists must trust and wait on the Lord for the future. They are also required to make very difficult and costly sacrifices. I want to say this: I think that the character of Edward Neumann is truly a saint. In my opinion, Marina gets pretty close to being a romantic tragedy.
I also have a minor quibble about the cover. Marina is supposed to be a blonde, but the woman on the cover looks like a brunette to me.
I would not consider Marina to be a stand alone novel. I think that Ekaterina, the first book of the series, has a stronger link in the continuity with Marina than Nadia, which is the second book. Several questions raised in Ekaterina are answered in Marina, but if you read only Marina, you will be left with questions that can only be answered in Ekaterina. Having said that, there are still other questions that haven't been answered in any of the books offered so far in the continuity. Hopefully, these will be addressed in the final book, Oksana.
