Sanctuary

N.E. Julian
iUniverse (2009)
ISBN 9781440133091
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (10/09)

Lea Kostovic has been abandoned by her family during the war in the early 1990s and is rescued by a staunch military man, Major Ed Russell. Realizing that there is no way Lea can care for herself, the Major offers her a job and to live with him. Lea is very skeptical about why the Major wants or is concerned about her, but accepts the offer but only till the spring.

Lea finds that she has a lot to learn about the American military, their slang and treacherous ways. She has become the Major’s whore in the eyes of all the soldiers, except for young Forbes who is the aide to the Major. Although she doesn’t understand all the jokes that are made about her, she does know when someone is treating her badly. That particular person is Captain Harper who feels he should be the Major’s executive officer and not a trifling woman.

Little does Major Russell know, but he will fall in love with Lea and it will cause some problems with his Commanding Officer. Colonel Sloane is a very good friend of the Major but he feels that the Major’s feelings are getting in the way of him being a good soldier.  He directly confronts Lea and her attentions and states he believes she is just in the relationship to get the Major to take her to the United States.

Eventually, the Major and Lea marry much to everyone’s chagrin. Life in the United States is even more difficult than in the Balkans. Lea is thrown into military life for which she is not prepared and doesn’t understand. Part of being married to an officer is to host social functions and be courteous to other military spouses. Lea has no desire to do this. She just wants to be left alone to paint and read.

From the very first page, this book has captured the reader. The author has done an excellent job of presenting the knowledge of the military, protocol and events that occur during the war time. Readers will feel sorry for Lea, but at the same time might get angry because she is so distrustful of a kind man who really loves her.  The events, conversations and military lifestyle is one that is easy to understand.  “Sanctuary” by N.E. Julian is a book that readers will not be able to put down, even though it is quite thick.

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