A Christmas Eve blind date becomes a battle to save covert agents and stop a cybercriminal.
Reference librarian Karin Arthur decides Murali Nanda is handsome, intelligent, and passionate about Christian causes she also loves. But she's only known him through his online research projects. Turmoil descends when Karin and Murali plunge into a plot to torture and murder espionage operatives and disseminate a computer infection that could bring vital intelligence agencies to their knees.
A courtship beyond whirlwind and a desperate race to stop a cyberkiller leaves Karin reeling and feeling she has no choice but to accept the protection of this virtual stranger -- whom she knew only in the safe, virtual world of her research work. Can Murali protect her and solve the mystery? Can she help him do what no one else has accomplished -- root out the spreading threat that could lead to cyber destruction?
I am from upstate NY and my husband is from AZ. We met in college and taught school in AZ, MO and PA. We have three children in their 20s, and currently we live in our tractor trailer and travel around all the 48 states. We homeschooled and taught in church ministries. We have written our books, produced commercial and teaching videos, and maintain a website and blog, now while traveling.
I like the characters, I like the premise of the story, but I thought the relationship between Karin and Murali was rushed. I didn't feel like they were in love with each other. I'm hoping the author will write more stories with these two characters and develop that love connection. There are so many possibilities for them now that they will be working together and their love for the persecuted church could definitely make for some interesting stories.
I'm a fan of Mary Findley's writing as I've read and reviewed many of her books. This is a great short and sweet story that has a touch of romance, a touch of action, a little bit of suspense, and a surprise or two that I wasn't expecting. Add an awesome dog and the warmth of one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time and you have a perfect Christian read. Well done.
Well, that was...fast. The whole book, pretty much, along with...certain developments. I'm not sure if it was the speed or just my not fully connecting with the writing style, but I never felt like I totally connected with the characters, although I liked them for the most part. And I couldn't quite understand how Karin didn't realize there was something up with the whole "Laptop Project"--maybe I just didn't put the pieces together on the setup, but when your special research laptop comes with its own security guard...that seems awfully excessive, even for some prestigious think-tank. (: Overall, I did enjoy the story; I just think I could have used a bit of slowing down and letting things unfold more.
Content--mentions of violence, including gunplay; mentions of torture and interrogation; mentions of deaths; kissing (not descriptive); some slight allusions to the wedding night