Will probing the past, through her father’s secret journals, save her future?For recent college graduate, Alisa (Allie) Petrenko, the Cold War never ended, and events set in motion years ago have endangered this innocent young woman. When her father is murdered, he left her with a warning, an assassin on her trail, and his secret history contained in a set of journals. As Allie tries to elude the … the assassin and read the journals, she learns that the loving father who raised her was not the man he appeared to be, and the man she must now trust with her life is someone Allie must never trust with her heart.At strong safety, Grady Jamison could defend against opponents in the red zone, but he couldn’t stop the drunk driver who hit his car and killed his sister. Does Allie Petrenko’s call for help mean Grady has been given a second chance, a chance to do things right? Once again, he’s defending in the red zone. And he must not let the world-class assassin score, because the goal line marks the end of Allie Petrenko’s life.The Janus Journals, set in Virginia and near Lake Chelan in Washington State, is high-action romantic suspense at its best. The dual timeline will take you on an epic journey through the twilight years of the Cold War that reshaped one man’s destiny while creating deadly tentacles, reaching into the present, threatening an innocent young woman.
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A fast-paced post-Cold War suspense
My rating is 4.5 stars
Discovering her father had been assassinated, Allie also discovered she needed to flee for her life.
I enjoyed how the author used the journals to tell Allie’s dad’s story yet without making me read the journal entries. This allowed me to see what had happened rather than being told. His story was full of history, some of which I vaguely remember, and much of which I had never known. Enough was shared to keep it fascinating but not so much that it felt like a history lesson.
I liked the characters, the story, and the writing. Especially the conversations Allie and Grady had about who God is, and how he could have faith in a God who allows bad things to happen. And how Allie challenged him to put his faith into action in his own life.
While there were some things which seemed slightly “unfeasible” and injuries that disappeared right away, these were minor details that I noted (sorry, it’s just the way I’m wired!) and easily passed over.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention another thing I liked. When I saw the reference to Janus in the title, I immediately thought “two-faced”, which is what this Roman deity is known for. I liked Grady’s interpretation of his representation. And you’re right! I’m not going to tell you – you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean.
I am glad to have been introduced to the writing of H.L. Wegley and look forward to reading more of his books in the future.
Read my review of The Janus Journals by H.L. Wegley at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s inspirational without being preachy, is informative, unputdownable, has characters that I really like- minus the bad guys, So far I’ve loved every book by this author. Romance is old fashioned and there’s no cursing or explicit violence. It’s an exciting thriller that I’m so happy to have in my ebook library.
Another great thriller by Wegley. This book is well written, highly researched, and full of suspense…….Victor Chernoff was trained in Russia to become a undercover spy in the USA. He becomes Eduard Petrenko and begs for asylum in the United States. He finds that that the United States is not what he thought and actually likes living here. America has been nothing but good to him. He marries an American and they have a daughter and he finds salvation and completely turns away from being a spy. Now thirty-five years later he is shot and leaves his daughter with a key to a safety deposit box and a message to trust no one but his friend, not the police, FBI, no one, because her life could be in danger. She is totally devastated but does as he asked. She does not have time to mourn or bury him…..Thus begins a dangerous roller coaster ride cross country with the son of her Dad’s friend. My, my the danger and suspense! Assassins, rogue FBI, snipers, who do they trust or turn to? You will be reading on and on towards the climax. Another winner for Wegley.
The Janus Journals is a very well-written book with suspense, mystery, faith, and a romance. It’s about a KGB sleeper agent, who comes to love his new country, marries and has a family. His daughter is an adult now and in danger because of her father. Her father’s close friend’s son comes to her rescue. Their cross-country drive is full of danger and attraction. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. I received a copy from the author. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this exciting read.
If you haven’t heard of this author, his books are exciting to read! There are his Against All Enemies Series, Pure Genius Series, Witness Protection Series plus a stand alone titled Virtuality. My favorites are the ones that have suspense with military and patriotic themes seasoned with faith, hope, and a smidgeon of romance. In his recent novel, The Janus Journals, readers will follow along as a young woman’s life is constantly in danger with her only choice to trust a young man named Grady.
The tale is of past choices that bring to the forefront danger, mystery, intrigue and looking for the truth. What truth? In the story, Allie is learning truth from her father who is believed to have died by the hand of an assassin. Now she must follow her father’s instructions to the letter without deviation, including reading the journals he left behind for her should something prevent him from revealing his past.
As Grady and Allie travel to where his parents now reside, Allie reads what her father wrote. Now don’t think that means it isn’t an exciting novel, because it is. However, the journals don’t reveal everything. The author doesn’t tell all at once which makes the suspense palpable in the book! There were times while reading I couldn’t figure out the ‘mystery” thread that starts from the first words of the book, but I kept reading as the tension kept growing. The twists and turns of the overall plot and the tension in the relationships was really entertaining!
H.L. Wegley has written a multi-layered, dual timelime espionage story that will leave you wondering how the daughter of a cold war sleeper agent, will survive to the end. Allie’s father has been killed leaving Allie on the run with her father’s trusted friend, Grady Jamison. As Allie discovers her father was not at all what he seemed, she has to evaluate her future in light of the danger and hope that surrounds her. Her character waivers between fear and courage as she faces physical, emotional, and spiritual battles with her life hanging in the balance. Add a determined assassin, a sleeper agent on the run, and dash of sweet romance and you’ll be wondering how it can all be resolved by the end.
I was invited to try new authors and receive this ebook from H.L. Wegley. My review and opinion was not required.