Review: Oksana by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs

Oksana, by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs is the fourth novel belonging to the Heirs of Anton series.  The series follows the faith journey of four generations of a Russian family.  Since the series goes backward in time starting with the latest generation, and since this is the fourth book, we have come to the start of the family saga.  I began this novel wondering who Anton was, but it soon became apparent after delving into a couple of chapters that I should have been asking who Oksana was.

It is March 3rd, 1917.  Anton Klassen accidently meets Tsar Nicholas II in the forest when the train that he is on makes a temporary stop and he steps off the train momentarily in search of some food.  The Tsar asks Anton to take on the care of a family servant, Oksana, until the political situation becomes safer, which would permit Oksana's return in service to the Imperial Family.  The Tsar also entrusts to Anton the care of the Crest of St. Basil until his mission is finished.  Accompanying Oksana is another servant of the Tsar's household, Yulia Petrovna, and her brother, Monk Timofea, who has come from the monastery at Pskov to help Anton escort the two women to safety. 

Anton doesn't know quite what to make of Oksana when he meets the servant.  He is impressed by her beauty and is puzzled by her regal manner, her fine clothes and her ability to converse in several languages.  When the party reaches Petrograd, Anton expects to receive orders soon from the Tsar, directing him to return Oksana to the Imperial Family, but instead finds that political upheaval has spread to this city.  Yulia is attacked.  The two women fear that the intended target may have actually been Oksana.  They realize that it would be best for Yulia and Oksana to separate to make it more difficult to track Oksana. In fear for her safety, Oksana asks Anton if he would be willing to enter into a marriage in name only, so that her identity can be disguised and so that it would allow them to travel together without raising the suspicions of others. Because servants of the Royal Family are not allowed to be married, they would need to have the marriage annulled when the Tsar sends for Oksana.  Oksana is confident that the Tsar, who is the head of the Orthodox Church, will allow this to happen. 

Just before the marriage, Anton is given a verse by the Lord:  Psalm 100:5, which says, "For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."  It gives him the confidence to take a step of faith and to enter into a marriage with Oksana, even though he knows that she is looking to leave it in the future.  It is a verse that both Anton and Oksana need to cling to, because Oksana is not who she says she is, and the political turmoil caused by the Russian Revolution brings a huge wave of destruction and heartache into their lives.

I had been prepared to read another romantic tragedy, such as the one that I found in Marina, which is the third volume of the Heirs of Anton.  However, I was satisfied with how Oksana concluded for Anton and Oksana, except for what happened to their child, Marina. 

The author also points out in one of her notes that Oksana is a "What If?" story, and is "not a chronicle of history but a fictional parallel to historical events."  Oksana was published in 2005, and since then, history has revealed what really happened to the person who was represented by the character of Oksana in the novel. 

Once I realized who Oksana really was supposed to be, I experienced quite a bit of a reshuffling in my mind about who Marina, Nadia, and Ekaterina were.  I wonder, though, if readers will be the only ones who know what special lineage they have, because after reading Oksana, it becomes apparent that although these women may know of their connection to their forefather, Anton, they may not really know who Oksana was unless Timofea told someone or if Anton made note of it in his journal, which has been referred to throughout the series.  This journal, as Anton explains, is a record of his spiritual journey, to be left for his heirs and descendants, so that they might learn from his experiences. 

I enjoyed reading the series as a reverse chronology.   I think that the revelation of who Oksana really is has a greater impact when read in this order, but it would be interesting to read the series in a forward chronological order and see how different that experience is. 

Review: Marina by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs

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.

Review: Nadia by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs

Nadia, by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs, is the second installment of the Heirs of Anton series.  The series covers four generations of a family of Russian background and their faith.  Nadia is the immediate prequel to Ekaterina, and is the story of Kat's parents, Hope Nadezhda (Nadia) Moore and Michael (Mickey/Misha) Moore, who are both spies for the CIA. 

The story is set in the USSR, in 1970.  Hope has covertly entered Russia with the purpose of freeing her husband, Mickey, who had been imprisoned by the KGB and is scheduled to be executed in a matter of days.  She is on her own without support from her father, spymaster Edward Neumann, who, along with the rest of the CIA in the United States, believe Mickey to be a traitor who betrayed two of their sleeper spies who were stationed in Russia.  There are also the rumors that Mickey had betrayed their marriage by having an affair with another spy.  Hope can't bring herself to believe that Mickey would betray their people, but she has another reason for wanting to get Mickey out of Russia; she needs him to be a father to their infant daughter, Ekaterina, even though she has doubts about his marital faithfulness.  Mickey is unaware of the existence of Ekaterina; he has no knowledge of what had happened to Hope after his arrest. 

With the help of friend who is a KGB mole, Aranoff Chornov, Hope springs Mickey from prison, but they narrowly escape capture when their escape route out of the country is blocked by KGB agents.  Will Hope and Mickey be able to evade capture and make it out of the Soviet Union? Is Mickey a double agent who betrayed his own people?  Or was he betrayed and framed by another?

One of the spiritual themes that is prevalent in Nadia is the need for both our protagonists to "let go and let God (do as He wills)."  They need to surrender their own plans and agendas and trust God for whatever outcomes will result, even though what God has in plan for them may not be entirely clear. Hope is determined to get Mickey safely out of the USSR so that she and Ekaterina can have Mickey play the role of a father at home in the States.  However, she runs into the brick wall that is Mickey's desire to make an impact as spy who has served his country well.  Can she leave Mickey behind so that he can make his own way with his life and fulfill his career objectives?  As for Mickey, can he give up his desire to find significance in making a difference for his country by serving as a spy, or can he settle for a quiet and less exciting life as a father to Ekaterina in the States?  In addition to that dilemma, his struggle also involves his desires to exonerate himself and get revenge on whoever betrayed him.

While our heroine and hero work these things out, they continue to encounter danger and intrigue, including the mysterious appearance of Hope's father, Edward Neumann, in the USSR.  One of the reasons for Edward's appearance is to support the continuity between the books in the series. There are other hints of information that are mentioned in Nadia that are revealed more fully in Ekaterina, but there are still puzzles and mysteries regarding the Heirs of Anton series that are still unanswered even in this second installment.   

I enjoyed the novel for the espionage story that it was.  There are enough tidbits provided so that I'm interested enough to find out what happens in the remainder of the series, which includes Marina and Oksana, parts three and four of the Heirs of Anton.  

Review: Ekaterina by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs

Ekaterina, by Susan May Warren with Susan K. Downs, is the first installment of the Heirs of Anton series.  Ekaterina is followed by Nadia, Marina, and Oksana, in that order.  The series follows several generations of a family of Russian background and their faith in God.  It is also about the faithfulness of the Lord.  I found the Heirs of Anton to be a bit different; in most series, the story is usually presented in forward chronological order.  In the Heirs of Anton, the story is covered in reverse chronological order, beginning with Ekaterina, which is set in the present day, and ending with Oksana, which is set in 1917, at the time of the Russian Revolution.   This reverse order allows us to know what the present concluding circumstances are for this family by the end of the first volume, but we are left with several mysteries and unanswered questions that are gradually revealed with each subsequent volume. 

Ekaterina (Kat) Moore, the namesake of the book's title, has come to Russia to discover her family's roots. She also brings along a key which was sent to her by a monk, Brother Timofea, who sent it to her from a monastery near Pskov, Russia.  She is hoping that he will be able to direct her in a search for her relatives so that she can discover her family tree and her heritage.  She had been orphaned as a child, and had been raised by her grandfather, a retired CIA spy who has also been very secretive over information about their family's past.  Unfortunately, as she passes through the metal detector at the customs booth at the airport, the key sets off the alarm, and she gets detained for questioning.

Captain Vadeem Spasonov, a FSB agent (a member of the international security force of Russia, the organization that succeeded the KGB) is at the airport watching out for Ivan Grazovich, an Abkhazian smuggler and terrorist who steals priceless Russian artifacts to finance the purchase of armaments.  When he finds Grazovich, he notices that the terrorist has been conversing with Kat, and the FSB agent's suspicions of Kat being a mule are raised when she sets off the alarm.  He brings her to an interrogation room, but she escapes when one of Grazovich's moles in customs sets her free before Vadeem clears her. 

Vadeem tracks Kat down, intending to deport her, but before he can take her back to the airport, she is mugged and her key is stolen.  The longer Vadeem speaks to and interacts with Kat, the more he is convinced that she is just an innocent tourist, although his initial suspicions of her are not entirely quenched.  His concern for her safety has been set off by the suspicious events of her "accidental" meeting with Grazovich and the targeted theft of her key.  He is right to be concerned; Kat's life is endangered even though she has lost the key. The thieves want more than what they have already taken, but Vadeem cannot convince Kat to leave Russia.

Kat refuses to leave before she finds the answers to her questions about her heritage; she wants to find out who she is, where she comes from, and to whom she belongs to.  Vadeem, on the other hand, knows about the risks that come from wanting too much to belong; the mistakes of his youth had led to consequences that have left him too angry and ashamed to be on speaking terms with the Lord.  Will Kat be able to find out her family's history and figure out who she is?  Why was Kat's key stolen? What connection does the key have with Kat's family?   Who is Anton Klassen, and what exactly is his connection to Kat?  What material and spiritual legacies did he leave for his descendants and heirs, and how have these affected their lives?  Will Vadeem be able to protect Kat from those who are trying to harm her?  Will his heart survive Kat's departure if he can get her safely out of Russia?  Will Vadeem come to terms with the tragic circumstances of his youth and reconnect with the Lord?  As I mentioned before, even though this novel provides many answers that are revealed by the conclusion of Ekaterina, there are enough hints of mysteries still yet to be unraveled and uncovered in the following volumes of the series. 

I know very little about what law enforcement is like in Russia, but Ekaterina did not seem too different from other novels that I have read involving characters in law enforcement set in the United States (e.g. some Love Inspired Suspense titles).  The way that FSB was depicted seemed similar in tone to stories that I've previously read with characters in the FBI or the U.S. Marshals.  What made Ekaterina feel a bit different for me are the flashbacks that Vadeem had of his family experiencing persecution for being believers.  I feel blessed to live in a country, which, at this present time, allows its citizens the freedom to worship God. 

As for the spiritual conflicts in the book, Kat needs to realize that her life only needs to be defined by Christ alone in spite of all the pesky unknown details.  Vadeem needs to come to terms with the mistakes that he made in his past, come back to the Lord and identify himself with Him.  Personally, I feel very strongly about the point that the author is making about how it is enough to identify ourselves with the Lord.  In Him, we discover who we truly are.  In Him, we find forgiveness, acceptance, security, belonging, and purpose.  In Him, we are beloved children of God.

I enjoyed the romance in Ekaterina, although one week is a pretty narrow time frame for Vadeem to fall deeply in love.  However, it's possible that adrenalin inducing situations can hype up romantic attraction.  Vadeem is an interesting romantic figure.  For a former special ops soldier, he seemed to be quite a strong yet vulnerable man.  I liked Kat for her gutsy determination and faith in the Lord.  The novel also tosses in the reunion of two long lost lovers who had been tragically separated for many years,  but I won't reveal who they are.

I found Ekaterina to be interesting and am looking forward to finding out what happens in the rest of the Heirs of Anton series.