Customer Reviews

Sands of Time (Mission: Russia #2) (Steeple Hill Women's Fiction #41)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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To a few Americans Russia is still unknown territory. Some people still see Russia as our foes from the Cold War, that communist nation. Or others view them as the country that always used to beat the US at every sport in the Olympics (except that wonderful hockey game in 1980..which i wasn't born yet but the movie was great!). I find Russia fascinating country simply because I've never really learned that much of the country itself.

Sarai is a missionary doctor. Roman is an FSB agent. 13 years ago they used to be in love. Now Roman is trying to get Sarai out of the country for her safety. Sarai doesn't want to leave because there is a illness that she cannot figure what the source is from. The two have to learn to put up with each other in order to get themselves into safety and away from the dangers that the government has put out against them.

This book was just jammed pack with suspense. One thing keeps happening after another. You never get bored. I really liked both characters. Actually I liked Sarai a lot better than Gracie from "In Sheep's Clothing." Sarai was a lot stronger and able to handles things on her own. When Roman fell into the lake, I actually felt cold. And the fact that he kept his jeans on afterwards....blehhhh. I think there's a description of Roman written somewhere in the book, but I kept picturing him as James Bond a la Pierce Bronsnan. The scene at the chemical plant would have been perfect in a Bond movie. To me the most dramatic part was when Sarai screams that she hates Roman, and there's nothing Roman could do about it. It seemed so tragic. I really enjoyed this book. We are currently studying about the Cold War and Russia in one of my classes. So this book helped to see what Russian culture is like and how an American would fit into the country. I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes romantic suspense or would enjoy learning about Russian culture.

Susan has a way with crafting a story and putting you in the middle of the action. This story is action packed from the very beginning. You met Roman in Susan's book "In Sheep's Clothing." He is the main character in this with a medical missionary by the name of Sarai who some years back 13 to be exact had a relationship with Roman. Roman has a dilema - Do I arrest Sarai to keep her out of the hands of the enemy or send her back to the states? He knows she will hate him either way he goes. Like I said this is an action packed snow filled novel. Buy and enjoy!

This is the second in Warren's Mission: Russia series. The first was "In Sheep's Clothing". My immediate impression of "Sands of Time" is it is a stand alone book. I never felt lost while reading it even though I have yet to read book one. At the same time book two gave me an even greater desire to go back and read book one.

This is the story of Sarai and Roman as they try following God's will for their lives in their separate worlds. Although their lives had crossed in the past, they both walked away heartbroken. Sarai's greatest desire is to bring medical care to the outskirts of Russia while Roman, a Cobra Captain, works to hold his country together as a coup threatens the country's unity. As their world's collide again, they must deal with the feelings they had long ago believed buried.

The book brings into question whether or not a person is truly following the plans God has for them or if they have somehow headed down their own path. It also gives pause to a common trap in Christian circles. Do we as Christians have the right to judge and determine what God's plans are for another person. Warren does a wonderful job exploring this and revealing how easy it is to get caught in the trap of pushing our passions and convictions onto others. Warren also explores our ability to follow God's timing. She also takes on the hard reality of our flesh desire to take control and claim a ministry from God and take it as our own.
This is a fast paced, action packed read you can't put down. As I journeyed through the book I could not wait until I turned the page and didn't dare go to sleep afraid to miss something. I highly recommend "Sands of Time" and I HIGHLY recommend Susan May Warren as an author you can depend on for quality engaging reading with a message that will link you back to the Bible.

Courtesy of Lone Star Latte-n-Libre

Sands of Time is a fast moving, action packed, soul searching adventure. Roman, the FSB COBRA captain, must reach Sarai and get her out of the country before the new corrupt govenor can kill her for her medical knowledge. Unfortunately Sarai does not want to leave, let alone with the man who broke her heart. Will Sarai listen to what God is trying to tell her? Will she accept it? Time will tell.
Another wonderful cannot put down read from Susan Warren.

I stayed up until 2:30AM to read this book, went to church, came back home and re-read it-that's how much I liked it!! I have yet to find a hero I've liked as much as Roman and this was such an intense, and brilliant story! I'll be keeping my copy and buying more in this series.

Roman is a Russian FSB agent who fell madly in love with Sarai 13 years ago. Sarai is now a doctor and serving God in Siberia. When she is targeted for trouble, her brother, David, who also happens to be Roman's best friend, calls Roman for help. But Sarai STILL doesn't need Roman to be her hero.

Susan May Warren is able to create such vivid imagery with words. Sands of Time is filled with suspense and action and drama! I couldn't put this book down. The tension between the two stubborn main characters is priceless romance! This book is filled with wonderful situations and dialog and vivid images!

The author achieves her goal of thoroughly entertaining her reader. This book is not as funny as her other efforts, but Susan does a brilliant job writing in this genre. Bravo, Susan!

I found Sands of Time by Susan May Warren to be far superior to the book that came before it, In Sheep's Clothing. Warren has created very compelling Russian characters, in an environment that is very different to the one most of her readers know.

Again, this is very much a love story, set in a very exciting time. The clock is racing, and many lives are at stake, as the two protagonists deal with their own love for one another, the issues that are keeping them apart, and the international crisis on their hands.

Warren is a fantastic writer and has woven a great tale of romance and suspense.

It's hard to beat Susan May Warren for heartwrenching romance and adventure. Sands of Time is no exception. The main character's situations and conflicting goals grab you from the first and never let go, as does their undeniable love for each other and God. I thoroughly enjoyed the play and counterplay between Sarai and Roman. Each of their wrestling matches with God is completely convincing, a feat that's not easy to pull off consistently. Warren makes her characters suffer deliciously through realizations and transformations that challenge readers right where they live.

Susan May Warren's sequel to In Sheep's Clothing, the first in her Mission: Russia series, centres around Russian FSB officer, Roman Novick and American missionary doctor, Sarai Curtiss, both entangled in a murderous political coup and the theft of unused Russian uranium.

Both Roman and Sarai are nursing broken hearts from their failed relationship thirteen years ago. Sarai has since become a medical saviour to the families in Irkutsk, Siberia, opening a clinic to help the sick and share her faith. Her dedication to her cause places her in extreme danger when she fails to save a little boy dying of an unknown sickness and then as all foreigners are ordered to leave. At the request of Sarai's brother, Roman defies his superiors and travels to Irkutsk, knowing Sarai will reject his efforts to protect her but unable to let her become trapped.

Sands of Time is another fast paced novel, although a little less intense than its prequel in the initial chapters. Roman and Sarai are appealing characters despite Sarai's reckless disregard for her own safety. Their interaction is just right, drawing on the strain of their parting, years earlier, and the attraction that remains. Susan May Warren's time as a missionary in Russia is evidenced by her knowledge of the political issues and Russian society which she has put to good use, transporting the reader to the cold and barren wilderness of Far East Russia and personalising the Russian characters. Readers will enjoy Vicktor Shubnikov's (In Sheep's Clothing) cameo appearance and I certainly hope there are more books to come in this entertaining romantic suspense series!

Take one man who is accused of only wanting to be a hero; add one woman who can only accept things on her own terms; then, stir in smugglers, corrupt officials, the Russian mafia, and enriched uranium. Mix together in bitter, cold Siberia with a three-day time limit. You have the makings of a great suspense-filled adventure where only God can change minds, control events, and end the danger. Susan May Warren has written a "WOW" of a story you will not want to put down.