"With Every Letter" by Sarah Sundin~WWII Romance

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 and I need to say that from the outset of my review.  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!