Review: Two Novellas by Susan May Warren

Waiting for Dawn by Susan May Warren is the bittersweet story of how Lacey Galloway, PhD and math geek, went undercover in the war-torn Middle East of 1991 to rescue Jim Micah, who she thinks might be in love with her…  Accompanying her is John Montgomery, Lacey’s ex-boyfriend and Micah’s best friend since high school.  Only John doesn’t seem to be acting like an ex-boyfriend, more like a current boyfriend…

Those who have read Flee the Night will know how the story ends (well, this is a prequel!).  For those who haven’t yet had that pleasure, I won’t spoil it for you.  Suffice to say that I heard rumours of a novella-length prequel several years ago and never found it, despite scouring the internet.  Well, here it is, and although it was a short read, it is probably worth the wait.

Those who have read the rest of the Team Hope series will enjoy this for the background it provides to Micah’s character.  Those who haven’t read the other books have a treat ahead, as these were the books that got me hooked on Christian Romantic Suspense.  Read them in order: Waiting for Dawn,  Flee the Night, Escape to Morning and Expect the Sunrise.


In Hook, Line, & Sinkerby Susan May Warren, Abby Cushman has been in love with Ross Springer for as long as she can remember, hanging out with his older brother, Scotty, in order to spend time with Ross. And Ross once told her he loved her too, but that was before Scotty died, before Ross worked out that Abby and Scotty had been a couple on the Bethel College campus. Now Ross runs the New Life Christian group at Bethel while completing his senior year, even though he is three years older than the other seniors. Meanwhile, Abby is completing her PhD in Greek, running the Sojourners Bible study and resenting Ross for being a girl-magnet who all but ignores her. Friendly rivalry between the New Life and Sojourners groups leads to a challenge to enter the Deep Haven fishing competition in the lakes around Deep Haven, Missouri, a competition which Abby is determined to win.

Hook, Line, & Sinkeris a more straightforward romance than Waiting for Dawn, but is probably more enjoyable for that reason. It is based on a simple misunderstanding, yet still touches on issues of how we see ourselves and how others see us. Timewise, this novella falls sometime after Tying the Knot (Deep Haven Series #2), as Ross was one of the college-age counsellors at Noah’s camp in that book. Hook, Line and Sinker has all the charm of the other Deep Haven books, in a smaller package. And how can you not like a romance series where the first book is called Happily Ever After?

The fourth book in the Deep Haven series, My Foolish Heart, is available now, with The Shadow of Your Smile due in January 2012.