Customer Reviews

11 reviews

• Fiona Ballard

  I particularly liked the title. A fast paced read. Alex, the main protagonist, had to build relationships quickly and hit the floor running in a foreign country. The detailed portrayal of the characters pulled the reader through the pages at pace, forcing them with an intense curiosity to finish the book.
  The reader feels as though they are travelling through the Ukraine landscape on a guided tour gaining a real flavour of the surrounding architecture with such a clear narrative voice. Alex learnt quickly the importance of learning a language before accepting a job offer.
  I was surprised to learn about the swiftness of the women who seemed to throw themselves at western men. One thing Alex was sure about from the offset was Irina, the Milan fashion designer. Although falling under her spell meant a different outcome in terms of starting a family. I felt that many women could empathise with Irina’s mother when her daughter jokingly mentioned that she might like to have a couple of babies without a husband! A bright individual in reality, Irina was looking for a man who ticked all the boxes. Someone who was handsome, intelligent, etc but would be supportive of her own business ambitions. Was her father just being over-protective, as the reader soon discovers quite rightly so. More importantly, was Alex ready to settle down, and join the marriage and parenthood club?
  The novel explored the intricacies of working in the Baltics within the boundaries of the vast political and cultural differences, e.g. corruption. Would Alex trust Irina’s parents Viktor and Yelena? Or Dimitry and the hapless Boris Ormulov who were running their own undercover scheme to extract precisely what they wanted from their victims.
  The incident with the stab through the hand might have resulted in a little more than a flesh wound for Alex?
  When reading a novel I like to be gently educated as the plot unfolds. This one certainly obliged. Whether through examination of the local customs, the local food, or the sights and scenery in the town squares. When the factory is deliberately sabotaged, Alex is faced with yet another dilemma, but abandoning the factory and all its employees was not being supportive in his view. What would it cost for the new father-in -law to come to the rescue when the chips were down? I highly recommend this book.

• Rida Ashraf

  "The protagonist, Alex Graham, a British businessman who was sent by his company from London to Kyiv, Ukraine to formulate a strategy and make a feasibility report for the next venture, there. While on the visit to Kyiv he countered with people belonged to different background and learned more than enough to how to make his business more sustainable and progressive. Later, he falls in love with a Ukrainian girl, Irina Koraline, an intelligent entrepreneur and fashion designer who belonged to a well-off background but made a benchmark of her expertise in fashion world on her own. Fate brought them together but having a cruel future as well.
  
  There are some other characters having a detail stage appearance because they equally participate in the development of the story, and once the story will start, reader will not be able to put it done.
  
  The book is divided in three parts and starts with 'explosion' chapter which made readers more curious to know what and how this explosion happened.
  
  It's a work of fiction but the author has impeccably written about Ukrainian people and culture that it gives a feel of real experience. Stating about culture, political influences, war situation between Russia and Ukraine, and gangs and games. I truly appreciate how much research the author has done to pen done this amazing story, which also educates about the history of Ukraine and Russia, as well as an acute observational one for the business readers."

• Niamh_reads_

  A fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read! Filled with intrigue and wonder, the characters are well fleshed out and written in such a way as to draw the readers in! I read this very quickly and would recommend it!

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