Synopsis

Get ready for a wild ride with Miracle From Ukraine!

Irina Balabanova is a beautiful Ukrainian girl, twenty-seven years of age and heartbroken, abandoned by an American post-graduate teacher who had worked in her country as an intern. Fending off the unwanted advances of locals and co-workers, she reluctantly agrees to a chance meeting with John Masters, a middle-aged American businessman, stranded in pre-war eastern Ukraine following an ill-advised romantic venture.

Despite their wide differences of culture, language, and generation, the two are brought together in a whirlwind of love and adventure.

But their dreams of a life together are threatened by the acts of a fanatically jealous Ukrainian State Security officer, who will stop at nothing to stop Irina from leaving their native country to marry an American. When all hope seems totally lost to the point of both facing criminal persecution, John’s perseverance and some ever present divine intervention keep the unlikely and miraculous romance alive.

Based on actual events, Miracle From Ukraine is a story of international intrigue, faith, and romance.

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Praise

“Miracle From Ukraine is a gripping tale of love and adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat! The story follows the lives of Irina Balabanova, a beautiful Ukrainian girl, and John Masters, a middle-aged American software salesman, as they navigate the challenges of falling in love across borders. From bureaucratic legalities to the jealousy of a former KGB officer, the obstacles they face seem insurmountable. But with perseverance and a little bit of divine intervention, their love story unfolds in the most incredible way. This book not only explores the cottage industry of international online matchmaking but also delves into the risks and rewards of searching for love overseas. Based on actual events, Miracle From Ukraine is a touching tribute to the power of love, the strength of the human spirit, and the joys of life’s unexpected surprises.

If you’re looking for a thrilling, romantic read, this is the book for you!”

Excerpt

John took a shuttle flight that ran daily from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to Lambert International. Upon exiting the small aircraft, he entered the terminal and made his way toward his gate in preparation for his departure to Chicago. A former boss in Atlanta once told him he should never make important decisions when you’re emotional, advice he always valued but couldn’t apply this day. Once settled and waiting to board, he dialed up his parents’ phone, and his mother answered on three rings.

“Mom, I’m in St. Louis, getting ready to fly out to Kiev.”

“My, this is sudden. So, when is her interview?”

“I don’t know,…yet,” John replied and gave his mother the long litany of events, or lack thereof, that had occurred over the past three weeks.

“You know this doesn’t sound too good… And there’s no sense in us trying to talk you out of going back over there,” his mother stated, knowing her oldest son all too well.

John paused before answering. “Johnny knows to come to your place after school, Mom. I’ll call when I get there. Love you all.”

“Love you too, John. We’ll be praying for you.”

***

After yet another long and sleepless night, Irina entered the kitchen in dire need of some coffee. She picked up her phone to check for missed calls and messages, noticing the battery being nearly dead. This is strange, I know I plugged this in to charge it overnight. It had to have been unplugged… Dimitri!

There was now little mystery as to where Kuznetsov had received such detailed information over time about her calls and she assumed Dimitri had also snooped around the apartment for any other incriminating information he could find. The damage had now been done and the only remaining question was how she would get rid of him.

Setting the issue with her tenant’s betrayal aside, Irina decided to send John an email message, one that she hoped wouldn’t break his heart as much as it was breaking hers.

Dear John, I am sorry you have not heard from me. Because of issues within my family and a police investigation on me, I cannot emigrate to America in the foreseeable future. I hope you will forgive me. You will always have a place in my heart.

Love, your Irina

PS: Feel free to transfer the money still in my account and cancel it. I will try and pay you back the rest someday.

She sat and proofread the message, preparing to hit SEND when she heard a knock on the door. Who could this be at this time of morning? Momma and Papa or Alika would have called before coming over here… And they never knocked before entering anyway.

Irina opened the front door and standing before her in the hallway was a young woman, perhaps her own age and one distant in memory, wearing an official-looking female uniform and the SSU badge displayed prominently on the collar. Irina saw a red flag of concern flash before her, which immediately instilled an extreme sense of dread. “Yes?”

The young woman struggled to recognize the lovely Irina Viktorivna Balabanova, as the woman facing her looked terrible, one who appeared to have not slept, washed, or applied an ounce of make-up in days. She thus held up a copy of her photograph for credence, while also handing over a prepared handwritten memo and signaling with an index finger to her lips to be silent. Irina read the scribbled note, looking up at her with a confused blank expression, and then the SSU agent leaned forward to whisper in Irina’s ear.

“I am Calina Zhukova, from the State Security of Ukraine, Kharkov Oblast office. Your apartment may have listening devices. I suggest we talk outside, perhaps around in back of the building.”

About the Author

James Herbert Harrison, a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has lived and worked throughout the continental United States as a businessman and industrial equipment and software sales representative. He currently resides in Olathe, Kansas with his wife Maryna and their thirteen-year-old son. James has an older son who remains in Cape Girardeau as well as two older step kids. The family are active and proud members of Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, Kansas.

James’ pedigree as a writer began ten years earlier with the publishing of his first novel, Quest For Power, a political thriller soon to be re-released as The Programmer. Miracle From Ukraine, a totally different departure in genre, was inspired by the real-life saga of James and Maryna having experienced many of the actual events in the story. James is currently working on Escape From Ukraine, a dramatic and contemporary sequel.

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