Trespass

Traitor #3

by Sandra Grey

Lieutenant Viktor Rostov warned them not to cross him. If Hans Brenner had listened, Natalie Allred might not have disappeared and Hans might not be lying mortally wounded, his life forfeit to the Soviet MGB. All Hans wanted was to marry his sweetheart in America. But that was before an agreement between Hans and U.S. intelligence goes horribly wrong. Lieutenant Rostov has no choice; with his daughter, Lucya, sentenced to a Siberian death camp in a governmental power play, he must deliver Hans or risk losing Lucya forever. To preserve Lucya's life, Hans must help the Soviets build a bomb, and Natalie must swear allegiance to the motherland and to Rostov himself. Escape seems impossible within the iron grip of the secret police. And when the MGB begins to suspect betrayal, Hans and Natalie's survival will hinge on two people. One must trespass against the laws of a nation that gave him a second chance, and the other must make a heart-wrenching trespass against his country or against his heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Lds Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Lds, Mystery, Adventure

357 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay Jason Borne - this is the LDS post WWII version. This is the third and final book in the trilogy. I seriously couldn't put them down, just loved the suspense, action and gospel truths that were tied in. This final book takes place in the Stalin ruled Russia. The people of this country were brainwashed and forced into believing that there was no greater divine power, that everything was for the sake of the government and country. I am so grateful for the freedoms that we have in our day and age - so grateful for the gospel that I can live without worrying about whether my life is in danger. How blessed we are.

[Raelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Grey has proven to be an great author who exposes post WWII historical facts with romance and suspense mixed in. Usually when I read a series...I have a favorite over another but all three were equally enjoyable for me. The plot is filled with twists and challenges for the characters that draw you in from beginning to end. Lots of people don't like the LDS influence she brings into the books. I LOVED IT! I

[Michele Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice wrap up. This one was very suspenseful.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

She did her usual good job with the story and bringing in historical facts. The book and what all the characters had to go through makes me even more patriotic to the United States of America. We are so blessed to have the freedoms that we have.
The author, Sandra Grey concluded this series in a satisfactory manner. She is a good author and I am looking forward to her next book out.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!!

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to finally read the end of this trilogy. While I enjoyed the book very much I still think that Traitor is my favorite.

[Wendy Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

#5Stars - This rating and review is for the full World War II Trilogy: Traitor; Tribunal; Trespass

Excellent research providing a genuine look into post WWII in France, Germany and Russia make this a remarkable study of history. The End Notes for each book are a must and provide good understanding of the harrowing conditions of the people.

At the same time believable and well-defined characters make this collection a great fictional read. Too often writers “Americanize” the experiences of their characters with little understanding of times and circumstances quite different from our own. Not so with this collection. The writing is engaging. The Audio Books with superb narration are available as individual books.

My heart was at times stretched. It is painful to face our own inabilities to wipe away all tears as our hearts reach out to others who suffer. With the realities faced by men and women under overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, I was led to consider my own efforts to live according to the light and truth I have. I found myself once again grateful for the profound privilege it is to live free not only as an American but also with the precious knowledge that there is a Plan of Happiness. There is great purpose in life and the promises to receive all we are willing to receive are sure. The Savior paid the price of all inequities and will carry each and every one who seeks a heavenly home.

As with all good reads, I find myself desiring to be better and live true. I find greater capacity to genuinely care for and pray for my brothers and sisters throughout the world who are facing desperate times. I find myself seeking whatever small part I can do to make a difference for good.

Well Done Sandra Grey! This collection ranks up there with "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr: "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak; "Til the Boys Come Home," by Jerry Borrowman; and "The "Nightingale" by Kirstin Hannah"

[Tosha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was excited to read about a Russian story line that I didn't realize it had two previous books. Now I'll need to go back and read the first two. I really enjoyed the writing and story line of how all these different characters came together to help one another. It was a bit hard at first to get everyone separated because of the names, but after that it all flowed. The religious reference weren't forced and the story line fell in line with history events and Stalin's reign. Good, Clean, Suspenseful Read.

[Mindy Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in the series. Again, it's a 'turn your brain off and read' type book, which has been so fun. I like that the stories and characters are connected, but also they each have their own storyline and plot development. You could read them individually, or out of order, and the stories would still make sense. Good, fun, easy read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trilogy. It was an unusual mix of history, religion, romance, and suspense. Some of the story line is a little far fetched but the context of history and moral dilemma never disappointed. I love reading books that incorporate so much history. Fundamentally it was all a lovely possibility because, ultimately, with God nothing is impossible.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series. Very well written.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. This was so good!

[Jodee Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful series.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series from start to finish. I stayed up till 1am because I couldn't put this book down and had to find out what the ending would entail. You leave off on book 2 with Hans being taken as a Soviet union lad rat to create the atomic bomb that is supposed to put the USSR in power. What the soviets don't know is that Hans is working for the Americans and Major Matthews by going with them. Matthews agrees to keep Natalie safe and grant passage for Hans to American after he is rescued. Natalie is not kept safe and the same night Hans goes to the USSR, Natalie is kidnapped by Lieutenant Viktor Rostov because he love her resemblance to his deceased wife. He tells her Hans is dead. What Viktor didn't expect is the USSR to think her a liability and want to execute her on the spot. He saves her by secretly having her sign a Russian document admitting that she is his wife. She is thrown into life as a Russian with a powerful benefactor...Viktor. He gets her an communal apartment, a job at the prestigious hospital, and a paid friend in Regina, a former student from the university, who is pregnant and married to a soldier. They become quick friends.
Lucya, Viktor's daughter is not released from the work camps in Siberia after he holds up his deal to bring back Hans. Viktor stays loyal to the USSR until he realizes that haven't stayed true to their work. He helps Rolf to get Hans, Natalie, and Lucya out of harm naming him a traitor.
Regina is a pon in the USSR schemes as they use her to make sure Natalie is becoming a true "citizen" of Russia and conforming to its rules.They imprison her husband and take her baby away to force her help. She slips and tells about Natalie's engagement to Hans. This tale spins into the truth that her and Viktor weren't married before her return to the USSR. She is taken as sentenced to exile, however the Lord allows her a way of escape and she is reunited with Hans and Viktor. They find Ina, Regina's baby and plan to help them escape to American, but Regina gives her baby to Natalie and Hans and tells them to give her the gift of eternity that she can't give her and stays to her death sentence in USSR with her husband. Through many miracle and close calls with being caught, the get to Rolf in the escape boat in Japan. Alex, an undercover sky gets Lucya out of the camp and they meet at the boat, but not before the evil that is following them break the ice and Viktor and lucya fall through. Viktor prays for a miracle and his daughter is brought to the surface with him and although he dies she lives. He follows through to save his daughters life. Natalie and Hans are married. Rolf, Marie, and Alma are safe. Alex admits his past knowledge of Lucya and his desire to marry her in his Texas. Viktor is the hero is a way because of his change of heart, but forgiveness is going to take time for Hans who knows of all his deeds. He decides not to tell Natalie about the marriage to Viktor.

[A. R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the third in a series that probably should have stopped at two. I liked the characters, although they all seemed a little homogeneous. You were either a good guy, or you were an evil Stalinist who had not an ounce of compassion for anyone. I think I only liked the characters because of the previous books.

The book is plot driven and therefore a very quick read, but left little depth in the characters to consider. For me it seemed to have too much continual life and death moments and not enough time spent on the moments of internal struggle. I prefer knowing what a character is thinking and feeling in detail rather than a glossed over paragraph that moves into action. And sometimes that action seemed to easily achieved and I half expected to find out the character was dreaming.

The faith element was handled pretty well. There was only one moment when I rolled my eyes and thought the dialog on religion unrealistic for the setting.

If you like WWII stories with lots of action, and evil Nazi's and Soviet's you may like the entire series. For me, this was just OK.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised! After a co-worker told me she had not enjoyed the other books in this series I was not looking forward to this one. I really don't care for LDS Historical Fiction and I have been putting off this category for last in my Whitney reading.

BUT I really, really enjoyed it! I was fascinated by the depictions of every day life in communist USSR and genuinely concerned about the characters of Natalie and Regina. I wasn't as interested in the male characters, whom I am assuming were more focused on in the other two books (which I have not read), It was refreshing to read about some strong, resilient female characters.

The author also works in information in a very natural way- I never felt like the author only Included
something to a how off her research. It all tied into the story.

This book also lacked the conversion narrative that seems so heavy-handed in a lot of LDS fiction, but had the characters expressing belief in a realistic way, contextually.

I read the notes at the end and will pick up some if the author's suggested reading about life in the USSR post WWII.

Well written, exciting read! Recommended!

[Verona · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are listening to the CD's of this book and are on the 3rd disk. We read on long trips, so we are slow at finishing it because we haven't been out of Snowflake for a couple of weeks. We are enjoying it very much. What twisting, moving story Sandra Grey has woven! We enjoyed all the different parts of the story as they unfolded. The characters were real to us. What a glimpse into the hardships of life in Russia and for all people involved in the war. It caused me to reflect on the blessings of living in America. We take our freedoms for granted, and our plenty, our ability to choose what we want in our lives. Religious freedom is more precious to me now after realizing their lack of it in Russia. Everyday freedoms take on a sweetness after reading of the oppression there. Family life and having our children close to us, to love and to raise, to influence for good, to cherish, is a blessing. This book was an awakening for me, as well as a tender story of love and overcoming. I really loved it.

[Alysonsharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't normally enjoy LDS fiction as it usually seems low quality. Sometimes I think mormon authors think if they through in some common terms like FHE any mormon will read it. It just isn't so. We want quality, otherwise we will avoid it. That being said I did like this series, the first being Traitor followed by Tribunal then Trespass. At times it seemed a little far fetched and I did cringe a little at some of the LDS dialog (not every LDS person talks like that), but it was a good story and surprisingly the history part of this historical fiction was quite accurate. I learned a little too. I preferred the first book over the other two. I think I just liked the characters more from the first and they don't appear as much in the second and third. Over all it is a quick read, with a little wholesome romance and some war time turmoil and a little espionage.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

FYI. When you have LASIK you can't read at all for a couple days and then only in small doses after that! I started this book right before my surgery and was so frustrated that I couldn't finish. Once I got mostly healed I was flying through it. I enjoyed this one more than the second one, but the first is still the best. I liked all the new characters, but didn't feel as connected to Rolf, Marie and Hans as much as in previous books. It also seemed that things resolved way too easily, but I don't really think the book would sell well if the "good guys" didn't make it out of their predicaments. It was also interesting learning about what life was like in post-war Russia. What a horrible place. Overall, a fast enjoyable read.

[Margaret Larsen Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Grey has proven to be an excellent author who exposes historical facts with romance and suspense mixed in. Grey’s shows horror of Stalin’s diabolical rule and her poignant prose touches the heart. The plot is filled with twists and challenges for the characters that involve the forced repatriation of the USSR, secret bomb factories staffed by kidnapped scientists and heart wrenching orphanage situations caused by the evil men in power. The settings include England, France, Moscow, Siberia, and Japan. Grey’s ability to craft a a story compels the reader to keep turning pages from the beginning to the very end. Trespass is the third book I’ve read by this author and she is on my favorite list. I will definitely be looking for future novels by this talented writer.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much better than the second one and slightly better than the first one. I thought the author did a great job switching from characters' perspectives and story lines. Her character development on Rostov was top notch. By the end of the story, I found myself surprised that he was my favorite character. I was very disappointed with his ending. I thought that the story would have been much more interesting if Rostov would have had a different ending. Reading about post WWII Russia was thoroughly enjoyable.

I only gave this story three stars because it has the writing and plot weaknesses that you would expect from an LDS novel. However, it's an easy and fun read. I enjoyed it.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the third book of the trilogy, probably isn' my favorite, but there
feels closure in the sections. Grey has done a decent job of making these come together.

When an agreement between German officer Hans Brenner and U.S. intelligence goes horribly wrong, Russian Lieutenant Viktor Rostov must deliver Hans or risk losing his daughter forever. Hans must help the Soviets build a bomb, and Russian-born American nurse Natalie Allred must swear allegiance to the motherland and to Rostov himself. Escape seems impossible within the iron grip of the secret police.

The ending is tender, and you see love on so many diffeent levels in these books.

[Sarah Ehmke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this trilogy. The characters all fell in (deep, profound) love in a matter of days/weeks, and the characters all had a sameness to them, without depth or difference. The men were unbelievably rugged and handsome, and the women, breathtakingly beautiful. That's about as deep as the descriptions went. Also, from an LDS standpoint, I really don't like her putting words into President Ezra Taft Benson's mouth. I was super uncomfortable with that, since he was a real person that many people knew and looked up to.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book of the trilogy but still very good. The conclusion and wrap up seemed a bit more melodramatic than the rest of the series and it took until 3/4 of the way through this final installment for me to have any kind of pity, sympathy or kindness toward Viktor, and Natalie got on my nerves to a point. But it's nice to have the saga concluded. And like the other two books, I think I learned a lot about myself while reading them; some new things about my own strengths and weaknesses, and my ponderings on what I would be like or how I would act if I were in similar circumstances.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an agreement between German officer Hans Brenner and U.S. intelligence goes horribly wrong, Russian Lieutenant Viktor Rostov must deliver Hans or risk losing his daughter forever. Hans must help the Soviets build a bomb, and Russian-born American nurse Natalie Allred must swear allegiance to the motherland and to Rostov himself. Escape seems impossible within the iron grip of the secret police.

Yes, I copied this from the Provo City Library website. I read this first, but apparently it is book #3 in a series.

[LuAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I loved the first book in this series, it was no surprise that I was excited to read Trespass, which was a nominee in the Historical Fiction category for the Whitney Awards. I was not disappointed! Trespass brings the trilogy to a wonderful conclusion, and when the last couple of chapters of a book make me cry, that means the author has done an excellent job of bringing her characters to life. Since this a series, I would highly suggest you read all three in the order they were written, but you won't be disappointed if you like well-written historical fiction.

[Julia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like WWII fiction, you'll love this concluding book in the series including Traitor and Tribunal. It has an LDS element to it which would be great for any member of the LDS church. Yet, would be inspiring for anyone because it shows that God will help even in the most dyer circumstances. This book concluded the series very well. I was glad to see how the story wrapped itself up. The characters were beautiful. The story a monumental masterpiece. It strengthened my testimony as a member of the LDS church. Loved it.

[Holli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think maybe I would give this one 3.5 stars. I was good and engaging, but I didn't love it as much as the first two in the series. There were a few parts that seemed to be too good to be true, but that's what makes an interesting story. Maybe I didn't like this one as much because life in the Soviet Union was so depressing, especially with all the black mail used by the bad guys in the story. I really liked a couple of the new characters: Regina and Alex Reynolds. I would recommend his book, especially if you have already read the other books in the series.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Traitor (book #1) and Tribunal (book #2), I was very eager for the conclusion of this series. Again, the historic research evident in the description of post-war Europe (and the USSR) are very impressive, and sometimes a bit uncomfortable. I found this necessary for the realism of the characters and story development. I found myself so engrossed that I could not put it down!
Trespass is #3 in the series and you will NOT want to miss Traitor (#1) and Tribunal (#2). Excellent, amazing book series! Hoping the author will come out with something new soon!:)

[Mindy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last in this amazing series! I really loved these books! The covers were kind of weird, but the books were SOOO good! Again, I loved the church aspect written in, but I also really enjoyed the stuff I learned about communist Russia, and a few of the things that went on after the war had ended. I don't know much about Stalin, so it was interesting to learn a little more about that. I would give this series of books a 10! She really explores her characters very well, and has a great ability to write them into the story and round them out nicely.