Sunday, September 16, 2012

"With Every Letter" by Sarah Sundin ~ WWII Love Story




SUMMARY : Book 1 in the Wings of the Nightingale series




Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she’s never met–even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence–he’s been trying to escape his infamous name for years.
As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other’s true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?
Combining a flair for romance with excellent research and attention to detail, Sarah Sundin vividly brings to life the perilous challenges of WWII aviation, nursing–and true love.

 
Particulars of the Book:
Published by: Revell/Baker Publishing Group
Pages: 419
Genre: Christian Fiction/Inspirational
Author: Sarah Sundin
Find out more about the book and Ms Sundin: http://www.sarahsundin.com


A BIT ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Sarah Sundin received the 2011 Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and her second novel A Memory Between Us is a finalist for an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Her stories are inspired by her great-uncle who flew with the U.S. Eighth Air Force in England during World War II. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.



THE DAME'S REVIEW :

"With Every Letter" is strictly Christian Fiction. This is not a book I can recommend to those who are looking simply to read something well written with a WWII love story including women nurses and handsome naval officers. While it does have all the makings of those things, and while Sarah Sundin does tell that story beautifully, this book has its foundation firmly in the spiritual. And that's wonderful from my perspective, but it may not be for everyone. So, I'm stating it from the beginning.

Sundin is a fine writer who easily climbs into your heart with sympathetic characters like Mellie and Tom who are broken by life's hardships and up-hill battles. They are vulnerable and lonely, which makes them perfect companions for a long distance letter-writing campaign. Friendless and inept at being comfortable in their own skins, these two walk through the wartime paces of nursing on an aircraft evacuation unit, and a battleship/landing strip command with low self-esteem and the bolsterings of their letters to each other, insistent commanders who push them to reach beyond their comfort levels, and other "friends" they're forced to make. Circumstances have pushed them together over mail, and their paper encounters become the fuel that eventually ignites a true relationship between them.

The book is about their commonalities: low self-esteem, difficulties making friends, dysfunctional up-bringings, shyness and inability to be able to "be themselves," and their shared faith in a God who hears their prayers and loves them despite it all. It's through their letters that they find this common bond of prayer, and then a friendship that allows them the anonymity to grow in grace and prepare for real love with another who can accept them as they truly are.

It was a refreshing read filled with surprises and unexpected turns of events. A book that was uplifting and generous in its characterizations even of secondary characters. A story that was heart-warming and real. A book that shares the unfailing connections that God can bring about even in our isolation, and even in the impossible ways we could never imagine...His love can reach us no matter where we are.

I thoroughly enjoyed "With Every Letter," and hope you will have a chance to read it, as well. This is the first in Ms Sundin's "Wings of the Nightingale" series which I hope to keep reading in the future. A gentle and time honoring read, I recommend this one to those who love historical fiction and wonder how love can find us out in every corner at any time.

4 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame

You can purchase your copy here: Amazon or Barnes and Noble


I was given a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest and thoughtful opinions of it, and no monetary compensation.





You may want to follow other reviews of "With Every Letter" by Sarah Sundin through Litfuse by clicking on this link: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/with-every-letter-by-sarah-sundin-kindlenook-giveaway-facebook-party-and-blog-tour

You will find more information there about a Kindle and Nook Giveaway and a Facebook Party!





Saturday, July 7, 2012

"The Rebel's Pledge" by Rita Gerlach~A Colonial Historical Fiction


THE REBEL'S PLEDGE ~ AN INSPIRATIONAL COLONIAL ROMANCE

He was a rebel to King James, hunted down, captured, and enslaved in Colonial Maryland. Haunted by war and wrestling with a troubled past, Matthew Hale pledges to protect the daughter of his former owner and bring her from England to her father's plantation along the Chesapeake, an undertaking that challenges the depth of his courage, and the strength of his faith.
Hello All!
I am honored to be a guest here today and send a heartfelt thanks to my hostess, Deborah. I’m happy to announce the release of my inspirational historical romance The Rebel's Pledge in a new and refreshing revised version.  It was first published back in 2001. I’ve been busy writing other novels, so it lay dormant for seven years after it went out of print. Amazon is providing a wonderful avenue for authors to bring out their backlist titles to readers. I will have another book (a two-in-one collection) coming out in the future from my backlist, along with the books in The Daughters of the Potomac Series published by Abingdon Press.
Rita Gerlach, Author

A Synopsis:
He was a rebel to King James, hunted down, captured, and enslaved in Colonial Maryland. Haunted by war and wrestling with a troubled past, Matthew Hale pledges to protect the daughter of his former owner and bring her from England to her father's plantation along the Chesapeake, an undertaking that challenges the depth of his courage, and the strength of his faith.

Lara Carey will only wed for love, having kept the story of her parents' unwavering devotion for each other in her heart. When she learns her guardian has promised her in marriage to a rich English lord in order to save the ancestral home, her hopes unravel, until she meets the heroic stranger that rescued her from the hands of a highwayman.

The Rebel's Pledge is available on Kindle for 2.99 and in trade paperback for $12.99


  If The Rebel's Pledge were made into a movie, here are the actors Rita would choose.

 

The heroic Matthew Hale ~ Richard Armitage and the lovely heroine, Lara Carey Hale ~ Natalie Portman
The infamous Lord Barrington Grey ~ Rufus Sewell

 Lara's exiled father, Edmund Carey ~ Michael Gamdom

Rita Gerlach’s Website: http://ritagerlach.blogspot.com

Join Rita Gerlach on this wonderful journey by purchasing her  American adventure with heart.  I know it's a book you won't soon forget.  She always finds a way into your mind, and she always inspires!

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Friday, July 6, 2012

Spiritually Uplifting Books!

I've wanted to write a blog for some time now reviewing books that are of a nature that bring a spiritually uplifting message to readers.  Such authors as Rita Gerlach and others have inspired me to take a new look at authors who center God's word firmly in their writings.  She is not only a great author of historical fiction, but is a wonderful woman of God who imparts a word of peace and understanding in her books.

So, this blog will be dedicated to those writers who have books that will bring joy and peace to a reader's heart. 

You'll find a library of different genre from historical fiction, general fiction, contemporary, YA fiction, paranormal, romance and even some mystery/thrillers and non-fiction.

I hope you'll enjoy your time with me in the future.        Deborah/TheBookishDame