On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

On Distant Shores

She has done it again! I have read every one of Sarah’s novels and loved them all!

Let’s begin with the summary of this second of the “Wings of Nightingale” series:

Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A comfortable boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets decidedly more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson. Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they've made?

And now, my review:

Every single time I pick up one of Sarah’s novels I think two things: 1) I’m not a WWII buff, but Sarah always makes this fiction genre so interesting it doesn’t matter, and 2) I will find what I call life-changing nuggets.

Sarah writes with such wisdom, dropping poignant truths into reader’s lives. Without being preachy, Sarah takes readers through relatable theme and helps us apply understanding to our own struggles. That’s a trademark of her novels. 

Her prose keeps me reading, and her characters keep me coming back to the novel until I’ve devoured it. And then, when I’m finished reading, I miss these people. 

On the constructive side, there was a little much where Hutch’s whining was concerned. And we seemed to spend a lot of time on his symptoms. Then, the reversal seemed too easy. But, somehow, I still respected him and rooted for him as the hero. That's the sign of a good writer.

I liked how Georgie had to learn to stand up for herself and make her own decisions, though only one person was holding her to that challenge.

Several twists kept this story from being predictable. Another winner for Sarah! Can’t wait for her next novel to release.

Highly recommended!

(click for links to purchase)

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss

Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska

I sat in a lovely condo during a writing retreat in early 2012 with my dear friend, Ocieanna Fleiss, as she penned some of the letters of this novel. Her job was to write the historical story that Tricia and she would later weave into a modern-day woman’s love story. So, much more recently, I was thrilled to get to read the finished book and be part of the authors’ launch team. Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska releases today, January 1, 2013!

Let's begin with the summary:

Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But Ginny needs advice from the one person who will look out for her best interests—her former fiancé, Brett Miller. She travels to the remote town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, where the town’s colorful characters and stunning scenery provide respite from LA’s pressures.

In Glacier Bay, Ginny discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between Clay, an early missionary to Alaska Territory, and Ellie, the woman who traveled there to be his children’s governess. When Ginny is reunited with Brett in Glacier Bay, will she discover—as Ellie did—that healing and love are sometimes found in the most unexpected places?

And now, for some pix: 

Here are the authors:

Ocieanna Fleiss and Tricia Goyer

This story is set in a gorgeous locale! Below are two photographs the authors took during their research trip. Beautiful, huh? They had fun conversations with the locals and even sightings of bears, seals, whales, and eagles. 

One of the creative things their launch team members did was to pair up quotes from the book with photos of the setting to create some great pictures/cards. See below:

Mountain and water view in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Aerial view near Glacier Bay, Alaska

A quote from the historical letters of the story

A line from the hero's perspective in the modern-day tale

A quote about how Glacier Bay affects visitors

Ginny's question

And now, my review:

This was a well-woven story—actually, two stories in one novel. The letters fit seamlessly with the modern-day tale—drawing us along to learn more about the setting and the early settlers, as well as Ellie’s romance. The letters often echoed Ginny’s journey. And between the two stories, we had plenty of adventure. I was looking for more romance in the earlier portion of the story, but since we were building two of them, we had to wait a little while longer for the romances to develop. Once they did, though, we had two to enjoy. 

I liked the partnership of the authors on this book. The story wouldn't have had the depth it had without the letters. And by including the contemporary story, lovers of historicals and modern-day tales are satisfied. This is the third novel these writers have co-authored, and it's my favorite so far. 

I loved, loved, loved the setting. Reminded me so much of Washington State. Between the pictures the authors have shared (online and in the book itself) and the story, I felt like a visitor in Alaska.

The modern-day character, Ginny, dealt with abandonment issues and I felt these were handled very believably. I liked Ellie’s journey, her courage. I liked the story within a story. Some of Ellie’s tales were pretty funny. Ocieanna always includes such varied characters—like Linc, the inventor. I liked that the letter writers (the characters) all had their own voice. Really well done.

This novel delivers on giving readers a sense of setting and a feel for the history of a beautiful, unusual place. Readers of Summerside’s Love Finds You line will not be disappointed. Great book!

(print version)

The Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie

Another beautiful cover, don't you think?

Let's begin with the summary of this third book in the Forgotten Castles series by Jamie Carie:

From the Land of Fire and Ice back to England’s shores, Alexandria Featherstone finds herself the new Duchess of St. Easton. Her husband has promised a wedding trip to take them to the place where her imperiled parents were last seen—Italy and the marble caves of Carrara—but a powerful Italian duke plots against Alex and her treasure-hunting parents.

Hoping to save them, Alex and Gabriel travel to Italy by balloon. Fraught with danger on all sides and pressured by Gabriel’s affliction to the breaking point, they must learn to work and fight together. The mysterious key is within their grasp, but they have yet to recognize it. This journey will require steadfast faith in God and each other—a risk that will win them everything they want or lose them everything they have.

And now, my review: 

This is one of those series that should be read in order, book one through three. Thankfully, now with all of them released, you won’t have to wait to get the next one. ;)

I like the element of longing in a story. That’s why I loved book one in this series. And I like when the hero and heroine spend time together, which is why book two was my favorite! This book (book three) was about an adventure these two had together that tied the series together in a satisfying way.

The adventure takes these two on a few hot air balloon flying missions. Fascinating learning about this mode of transportation in its early stages so long ago. This element seemed a little like a fantasy, which worked since we were already experiencing the colors of sound with our hero, the duke.

Speaking of which, I liked how the author explored the colors of sounds through our hero’s experience, including supernatural elements. I liked watching how the hero and heroine related with each other through their challenge—how they learned to work together. The hero's new-found humility remained in this story, which appealed to this reader. As he continues to face hearing difficulties and ear pain/complications, he has a relatable hope: that God has already taught him everything through the affliction that he needed to learn so he can move on, leave the pain behind. And Alex has to face her abandonment issues and face the challenge of learning to trust God. Between wise exploration of relatable issues and the author's prose, I was reminded again why I appreciate Jamie's writing.

Some of the elements in this story didn't keep me as engaged as the earlier books. That's understandable, I think, because this story wasn't centered on romance like books one and two were (this reader's favorite genre). But because this story follows our beloved characters through to the conclusion of their mission, I still recommend it. And because this is such a great series, I know readers will enjoy it.


(print)       (e-book)