Review of Cross The Line

[Fazzier]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cross The Line" by Sandra Jones.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Cross The Line is a historical fiction written by Sandra Jones. Incorporating romance, this story takes us back to Albania in the 1980s when it was still under the leadership of Enver Hoxha and his immediate successors. After many years of restricting visits from outsiders, Reanne Symes, an Illyrian history professor at a university in Australia, is going to be among the first tourists to be allowed in the secretive Republic of Albania. To Reanne, this trip will present her with a rare opportunity of having the first-hand experience of life in Albania, and in turn, enrich her presentations to the students she teaches back in Australia. Landing and setting her eyes in Albania, Reanne instantly realizes that many things are contrary to the popular images being propagated about the country, and she is apprehensive of what she's yet to discover. Not long in Albania, Reanne also starts realizing the chemistry between her and Hyjsnie, an outgoing man who is also one of their tour guides. But in a country that closely monitored and regulated all the activities its citizens participated in, Reanne and Hyjsnie had to be careful not to alert the authorities, if their burgeoning romance was to be a success. This book takes us through how Reanne juggles the burgeoning romance and her adventure in the strict, secretive communist country, and each step is laden with uncertainties and is far from predictable.

I liked how the author commenced this with a powerful prologue, and this went a long way in facilitating my overall understanding of this book. The prologue gives some quick facts about Albania, and even for readers who have never heard about the country, after reading the prologue, they get to have a general idea of what to expect in the main chapters of the book. The author took time in building the story, enabling readers to understand the characters and the setting (Albania). I also liked how the author exquisitely alternated between Reanne’s life and that of the Albanian authorities. The suspense created in between kept me going. The author had also ensured historical accuracy, and readers will learn a lot about Albania and get to re-experience how it was like to live in Albania during those times. My favorite aspect of this book was its later chapters and the ending. The wrap-up was satisfactory, exquisitely done, and it answered all the questions I possibly could have had.

However, on the flip side, I realized that this story was slow-paced in the introductory chapters. I only started seeing some action after the first quarter of the book, where suspenseful turns and twists also started appearing. Although this detracted from my enjoyment a little, I later rationalized that the slow pace at the opening chapters may have been necessary to give readers enough background to understand this story, considering this is historical fiction. So, it is not objective enough to influence my final rating.

Overall, this book exquisitely highlights different aspects of the history of Albania, and it will make a good read for fans of history and romance. However, I noticed some errors that would require a round of editing to eliminate, and due to their number, I am deducting a star to give Cross The Line by Sandra Jones 3 out of 4 stars. Otherwise, if it had not been for the editing issues, I would have definitely given it a perfect rating.

To fans of history and romance, I highly recommend this. Additionally, readers who like adventure stories will also appreciate this novel. On the other hand, except for readers not into the genre, I can't find any other person who may consider skipping it.

******
Cross The Line
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Tarie07]

I'm not really a fan of books with history but fhis seems like an interesting read. I might give it a try. Thanks for the great review review.

[Astral Magi]

I quite enjoy historical fiction, but I must say that the mention of it being slow paced makes me slightly weary. Thank you for the review.

[onyii_review]

Historical fictions are not my thing so I'd pass. I hope lovers of this genre will find it interesting. Amazing review

[Precious DA]

Not really a fan of history books, but romance, I love. I would like to see how the characters manage to keep themselves and their love away from the wrong people. Wonderful review!

[Mimidee Vanilly]

With your wonderful review, I can imagine how was Albania in 1980 when the communist regime still ruled. I can understand that Reanne and her tour's guide Hyjsnie would have troubles if their romance relationship had been found by the government.
Interesting and appealing story...