Sons of Thunder: Brothers In Arms Collection #1

By Susan May Warren

Description:

Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these “sons of thunder” offers a future she longs for, the other—the past she lost.

From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they’ll discover betrayal, sacrifice, and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, she’ll learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder.

Why the author wrote this book:

It’s every author’s dream to have one of their favorite editors call them up and say…”will you write me a story?” Uh, yes! And especially wonderful is when God has dropped a story in that author’s heart to simmer months earlier.

See, I was on a plane to Florida. And, as I sat down, my seatmate was on his cell phone, speaking another language. I admit I was curious (some may call it nosy). So, I asked him what language he was speaking. Greek – and he was talking to his father who was an immigrant from Greece. And it got better - his grandfather was also an immigrant, and had fought in World War Two, while his wife raised their children in Greece. But that wasn’t all – there was an uncle involved, and family scandal and….hmm…interesting. This poor man graciously answered a thousand questions during our two hour flight, and seeded in my heart a story about two Greek brothers who loved the same woman.

By the time I arrived to my friend Rachel’s house, I had the entire plot worked out. Now, I just had to wait until…my editor asked me to write it.

Thus, Sons of Thunder was born. I have long desired to write books set in the World War Two era. Such a heroic, courageous time, filled with heroes and epic romance and tales of hope and redemption. (Not to mention the amazing music and dress styles – oh, I was born in the wrong era!) More than that, as I’ve had the privilege of traveling the world and meeting amazing people from other countries, I’ve realized that many, many Christians fought in the war, on all sides – British, Russian, Dutch, French, American…even Germans. Brothers united by a common lineage in Christ forced to pick up arms to fight in a war they may or may not believe in, but because they were patriots to their country. My vision was to write stories from around the globe of heroes from all nationalities. I call it the Brothers in Arms collection.

The first book is an epic three part story about two brothers who love the same woman. As they flee their Greek home after tragedy, they both make her a promise. But only one can keep it. Set in three pivotal time periods of the 20th century – the Jazz/Gangster era, Pearl Harbor and our entrance into the war, and the liberation of Europe in 1945, the story is rich with the historical backdrop as well as the characters of Marcos, Dino and Sofia, three people who trying to understand and trust in God’s deliverance. It one of my favorites – I hope you’ll enjoy it to!