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East of the Sun #3
Today's Embrace
She gambled with her husband’s trust. At stake is–everything.
Evy Varley's marriage to Rogan Chantry is all she had hoped it would be–until she finds out that she is pregnant with a honeymoon baby. Fearing that Rogan won’t allow her to travel while she is expecting, Evy plots to keep her pregnancy secret in order to accompany him to South Africa. Her thoughts are not only for her husband, but Evy is determined to travel to Bulawayo, the new mission station of Dr. Jakob van Buren–the one man who can help Evy to finally clear her mother’s name.
After she and Rogan set out to sea, however, Evy discovers that she has gone too far in her deceit, and the damage to her marriage may be irreversible. Matters only worsen in Africa, where malaria, murder, and an African uprising all take their toll–and where Rogan and Evy must fight not only for their love, but also for their very lives.
Evy Varley's marriage to Rogan Chantry is all she had hoped it would be–until she finds out that she is pregnant with a honeymoon baby. Fearing that Rogan won’t allow her to travel while she is expecting, Evy plots to keep her pregnancy secret in order to accompany him to South Africa. Her thoughts are not only for her husband, but Evy is determined to travel to Bulawayo, the new mission station of Dr. Jakob van Buren–the one man who can help Evy to finally clear her mother’s name.
After she and Rogan set out to sea, however, Evy discovers that she has gone too far in her deceit, and the damage to her marriage may be irreversible. Matters only worsen in Africa, where malaria, murder, and an African uprising all take their toll–and where Rogan and Evy must fight not only for their love, but also for their very lives.
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2005
7 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lee Chaikin
47 books229 followersLinda Chaikin is a Christian fiction author with a focus on historical fiction. She sometimes publishes using the name L.L. Chaikin.
Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.
She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.
Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.
She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2022
Amazing, from book one through to this third book. The review of what has happened so far is done much better in this book than the second one--not so tedious. The characters are so true to life with the simple, normal foibles that only an armchair liver can say, "What's wrong with them, they should know better," to. They lived, made mistakes, and learned from those mistakes to improve their relationship with each other and God. Excellent story set in an historical setting with characters you can love and characters you can loathe, with a satisfying conclusion. This series is a keeper for sure!
August 4, 2018
I love Chaikin's style but I found this last installment of the series to be disappointing. Evy's character took leaps and bounds backward instead of forward and while I recognize her choices as being human (and the author's attempt to humanize) it stretched beyond the realm of believability for me especially in the end as reconciliation would not have been so easy nor so complete given the depth of the deception and consequences throughout. This story had great potential, but in the end fell just short of being something I could really enjoy.
February 4, 2019
I finished the previous book in this series and really didn’t feel the need to know any further story. I forced myself to get to page 46 of this third book and you know what? I don’t have to read the rest, so I’m not going to. I like Rogan as a character, but I really have a hard time with Evy. And who’s forcing me to finish this series? No one but myself. I think I’ll let myself off the hook this time.
March 22, 2019
This was the final book in the East of the Sun series. I thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Evy and Rogan travel to South Africa so she can meet her relatives and so Rogan can find the gold mine his uncle left for him. After his uncle Julien causes anger among the local tribes, they set out to kill Julien and any other British citizens in Bulawayo. Evy and her friends escape unharmed but the tragedy causes them all to go back home to England.
June 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. Especially the end. There was so much suspense and trouble up to the very end I didn’t know how it would be able to end with so few pages left.
I really liked book 1 and 3 of this series. I felt like number 2 was half a book too long. But there were some good parts to it.
This series has a few boring spots but overall I really enjoyed it.
I really liked book 1 and 3 of this series. I felt like number 2 was half a book too long. But there were some good parts to it.
This series has a few boring spots but overall I really enjoyed it.
June 22, 2025
I totally loved this trilogy! It kept my attention in each book. I liked the mystery; and, the history/facts of old Africa. Uncle Julian was just what they thought he was. Rogan was neat, and tied up with a bow. BUT, he was a realistic man! Nice love story! And, so much happening with the story of Evy! Truly enjoyed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2024
A good conclusion to the series.
June 13, 2024
As an ending saga to the trilogy, this was... okay. It was good to see Evy and Rogan married but then they jump into this instant stress of her lying to him about the baby and that was just frustrating. I think maybe it works with her arc but it also feels like it's making the series about her stubbornness when I feel like he the whole first book was about his arrogance, and did we ever see him go through an arc to overcome that? I don't know.
Also, tons of politics and geography that I didn't care about. There were some interesting bits (very sad about the death of Andrew, the madness of Julian, etc.) and some nice wrap-ups to some of the mysteries and characters, but the final ending felt like an extremely rushed wrap-up, as if the editor said "You only have 3 pages, now FINISH IT!" and she had to.
Final bone to pick: the titles of these series are vague and clearly in the wrong order. Why would you go Tomorrow, Yesterday, Today? Shouldn't it be Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow? Very confusing.
Also, tons of politics and geography that I didn't care about. There were some interesting bits (very sad about the death of Andrew, the madness of Julian, etc.) and some nice wrap-ups to some of the mysteries and characters, but the final ending felt like an extremely rushed wrap-up, as if the editor said "You only have 3 pages, now FINISH IT!" and she had to.
Final bone to pick: the titles of these series are vague and clearly in the wrong order. Why would you go Tomorrow, Yesterday, Today? Shouldn't it be Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow? Very confusing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2016
i found the historical detail interesting, but overall the book too overtly religious, i.e., a bit too preachy. i have a problem with religious fiction if it leads the reader to believe that they are somehow morally superior just for reading it; that view just increases the polarization in society.
the protagonists are clearly depicted as more righteous and thus more deserving, but they aren't completely without sin. the theme is as old as time; the hope of the under-trodden that good will ultimately conquer evil.
nevertheless, there is a double standard--as there is in the real world, unfortunately--in that the female's selfish interests are deemed sinful, while the man's are not; theirs are 'only natural', cloaked as ambition or whatever. men are allowed their pecadillos, but women must be virtuous at all times or suffer devastating loss. other characters are too 'black and white'--good or evil, with no in-between--which isn't realistic and reveals the flaw in logic that is sadly typical for many 'christians' today, that is, if one simply claims to be christian--by braying publicly about how devoted one is to god but but then sins without compunction in private--one is still automatically superior to those who [more admirably] keep their religious views to themselves and respect others who do not share the same views. theologian and writer scott peck said in one of his books that many of the worst sinners can be found hiding in the church, in amongst the so-called 'righteous', and i have to agree.
we're all flawed, but those who claim moral superiority yet brazenly conduct evil are the most hypocritical--and the most dangerous, such as the so-called 'moral majority', many of whom are so filled with hate there is no room for love. which is sadly ironic, since that was christ's entire reason for incarnating, to spread the gospel of love and forgiveness--to *all*, not just a select few. he came to abolish the old commandments with one--that we love each other as we love ourselves. this is good news, so why do we still cling to the old testament religion of judgment and retribution? not one of us has the right to judge, yet we all do it.
we all know that hypocrites, extremism and ignorance can be found in any society and any religion. because terrorists scream 'death to the infidels', the majority-christian west in fear lumps all muslims with extremists, because our media controls what we see and hear about a culture foreign to most of us. fortunately there are some willing to stand up and say that terrorists do not represent true islam. i'd like to say the same is true here, that the average american just wants to live in peace and that the 'moral majority' does not represent true christianity. but i worry that these radicals--which is what they are--have a stranglehold on politics here, just as adamant as terrorists about forcing their views on the majority.
sigh. in the words of jesus the christ, 'they know not what they do'. but we should.
if we truly wish to inherit the kingdom of god, we need to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and live the message of love, not just talk about it.
this has become more an editorial than book review, but this genre warrants special attention because it is overtly religious and conservative in view.
we should remember that reading is a luxury for many in the world. we may live in comfort and have easy access to books, but half the world is starving, homeless, or worse. it's easy to say we are christian--or muslim or jew--but forget, or ignore, that that requires action, positive action, not just words. we're fooling no one but ourselves if we profess to be righteous but do nothing to alleviate the suffering around us.
the protagonists are clearly depicted as more righteous and thus more deserving, but they aren't completely without sin. the theme is as old as time; the hope of the under-trodden that good will ultimately conquer evil.
nevertheless, there is a double standard--as there is in the real world, unfortunately--in that the female's selfish interests are deemed sinful, while the man's are not; theirs are 'only natural', cloaked as ambition or whatever. men are allowed their pecadillos, but women must be virtuous at all times or suffer devastating loss. other characters are too 'black and white'--good or evil, with no in-between--which isn't realistic and reveals the flaw in logic that is sadly typical for many 'christians' today, that is, if one simply claims to be christian--by braying publicly about how devoted one is to god but but then sins without compunction in private--one is still automatically superior to those who [more admirably] keep their religious views to themselves and respect others who do not share the same views. theologian and writer scott peck said in one of his books that many of the worst sinners can be found hiding in the church, in amongst the so-called 'righteous', and i have to agree.
we're all flawed, but those who claim moral superiority yet brazenly conduct evil are the most hypocritical--and the most dangerous, such as the so-called 'moral majority', many of whom are so filled with hate there is no room for love. which is sadly ironic, since that was christ's entire reason for incarnating, to spread the gospel of love and forgiveness--to *all*, not just a select few. he came to abolish the old commandments with one--that we love each other as we love ourselves. this is good news, so why do we still cling to the old testament religion of judgment and retribution? not one of us has the right to judge, yet we all do it.
we all know that hypocrites, extremism and ignorance can be found in any society and any religion. because terrorists scream 'death to the infidels', the majority-christian west in fear lumps all muslims with extremists, because our media controls what we see and hear about a culture foreign to most of us. fortunately there are some willing to stand up and say that terrorists do not represent true islam. i'd like to say the same is true here, that the average american just wants to live in peace and that the 'moral majority' does not represent true christianity. but i worry that these radicals--which is what they are--have a stranglehold on politics here, just as adamant as terrorists about forcing their views on the majority.
sigh. in the words of jesus the christ, 'they know not what they do'. but we should.
if we truly wish to inherit the kingdom of god, we need to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and live the message of love, not just talk about it.
this has become more an editorial than book review, but this genre warrants special attention because it is overtly religious and conservative in view.
we should remember that reading is a luxury for many in the world. we may live in comfort and have easy access to books, but half the world is starving, homeless, or worse. it's easy to say we are christian--or muslim or jew--but forget, or ignore, that that requires action, positive action, not just words. we're fooling no one but ourselves if we profess to be righteous but do nothing to alleviate the suffering around us.
May 19, 2007
Evy Varley's marriage to Rogan Chantry is all she had hoped it would be–until she finds out that she is pregnant with a honeymoon baby. Fearing that Rogan won’t allow her to travel while she is expecting, Evy plots to keep her pregnancy secret in order to accompany him to South Africa. Her thoughts are not only for her husband, but Evy is determined to travel to Bulawayo, the new mission station of Dr. Jakob van Buren–the one man who can help Evy to finally clear her mother’s name.
After she and Rogan set out to sea, however, Evy discovers that she has gone too far in her deceit, and the damage to her marriage may be irreversible. Matters only worsen in Africa, where malaria, murder, and an African uprising all take their toll–and where Rogan and Evy must fight not only for their love, but also for their very lives.
After she and Rogan set out to sea, however, Evy discovers that she has gone too far in her deceit, and the damage to her marriage may be irreversible. Matters only worsen in Africa, where malaria, murder, and an African uprising all take their toll–and where Rogan and Evy must fight not only for their love, but also for their very lives.
March 17, 2012
I enjoyed this third book in the series. The action parts are really great. I appreciate that they're fast-moving and suspenseful but the gore is only implied. I was a little bit disappointed because I thought Evy acted out of character a few times in this book. But, I kept reading to the end because I was driven to find out what happened with the map and I really enjoyed how this book forced me to learn a few things about history that I didn't know before.
September 23, 2013
This is my favorite of the series. I have I admit though that I read this one quickly with the main aim of reaching the last chapter, my favorite bit of the whole series. This is a feel-good, well-written book (and series) that I plan to keep in my collection for as long as I am able. I highly recommend it.
August 15, 2015
This book was 3rd in a series that I read several years ago. I wish I had been able to read it as soon as I finished the second volume as I had to refresh my memory about some of the characters and the conclusion would have been more dramatic. I really enjoyed the series. Could get a little complicated at times with the African history, but still very enjoyable.
July 6, 2009
Book three was definitely a step up from book two as far as holding my interest. I was surprised at how a few things turned out, but overall I enjoyed it (and the series as a whole).
July 23, 2015
Good series. Enjoyed the book and reading about the area.
Read
December 17, 2015Really enjoyed this series.
May 25, 2017
Gelezen in het Nederlands
Versluierde toekomst.
Versluierde toekomst.
October 30, 2016
I really liked the series. I would caution younger or less mature readers though.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews