With Every Letter

After reading A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin, I could not wait to read her newest book With Every Letter: Wings of the Nightingale series. Lt. Philomela “Mellie” Blake has spent the past 23 years of her life caring for others, yet she has never been able to create a friendship with another person. While on expeditions with her father, she was always taking on the role of Nurse for others, so she pursued that career and became a Nurse in the military. When the opportunity arose for flight nurses, Mellie jumped at the chance. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, on the other hand, seems to be surrounded by people, yet he puts up a facade of happiness as a way to hide his past from those around him. His life was lived with a smile on his face as a way of letting others know he was nothing like his father, a convicted murderer. As with Mellie, he has never had a true friend. When they become involved in an anonymous letter-writing military campaign, they become pen-pals and they both get the first real friend of their lives. As both are stationed in Algeria, they inevitably meet one another. While Mellie knows who Tom is, he has a little harder time learning that Mellie is really his pen-pal.




I loved this book and seeing the relationship between Tom and Mellie develop. I think books set in WWII always get my attention, so it’s no surprise I could not put this book down. I also liked hearing about WWII from the side of a Flight Nurse, which was an experimental program at the time. There was the perfect balance of facts, romance, and faith in this book to make it a must-read. The secondary characters were people I found myself wanting to be friends with, so I was rooting for Mellie to create a friendship with them. I cannot wait to read more books in the Wings of the Nightingale Series!



Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Unstoppable

I cannot wait to read the brand new book by Nick Vujicic Unstoppable, and I'm happy to share a little about Nick's life and testimony. Nick Vujicic was born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia, without arms nor legs. I could not imagine facing such medical disabilities, but Nick has been able to turn his disabilities into a witness opportunity. After graduating from College, Nick has influenced many lives by motivational speaking and sharing his testimony about how God changed his life. Unstoppable is the second book Nick has written, and this book looks at the most common questions and challenges people share with Nick. Read the first chapter of Unstoppable here!

Sneak

Sneak by Evan Angler is the second book in the Swipe Series, and it was just as interesting as the first.  After Logan refused to take the Mark, a tattoo on his wrist, on his 13^th birthday, he had to go on the run to avoid the government. Logan is determined to find his sister who also disappeared after she did not get the mark. As Logan and his friends attempt to get to the prison where his sister is being held, they meet up with many sympathizers along the way who help them travel while hiding them from the government.

 

In addition to the Markless working together, there is a girl named Erin, with the Mark, who is trying to help Logan and his friends. Erin has learned the truth behind what the government is trying to do and the peace keepers they are training. With Erin’s knowledge behind the government’s plan, the Markless unite in order to stop the government and save those most important to the cause.

 

I thought this book was really interesting, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I am a fan of the Hunger Games, Delerium, and The Pretties types of books, and I think The Swipe Series is in a similar genre.   

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Bride Wore Blue

 

The Bride Wore Blue, The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek, written by Mona Hodgson, follows the youngest Sinclair sister, Vivian, as she moves to Cripple Creek, Colorado to join her sisters and hopefully continue her work as a dress designer. Vivian enters Cripple Creek with an adventure, as she is the witness to a train robbery on her way into town. This puts her in contact with the local Sheriff’s Deputy, Carter Alywn. From the first moment they met, I wanted to see how the relationship between the two would develop. Unfortunately, Vivian made mistakes in her past, and they cause her to believe she cannot be loved or have a relationship with anyone. With that in mind, she takes the only work she can find, as a server a brothel where she witnesses events that will again keep her connected to Carter Alywn.

 

I really enjoyed this book, and I liked that it added to the other stories about the Sinclair Sisters, but it would also be possible for someone to read this book as a stand-alone.  The theme of forgiveness is very prevalent in this book, and it is a theme most people must deal with at some point in their lives. For that reason, I think this book and the characters in it are very relatable to others.

 

I received a copy of this book for review purposes only from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program. I was in no way required to write a positive review. All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion.   

The Reunion

The Reunion by Dan Walsh is a book that had me interested from the first page. Aaron Miller is a Vietnam Veteran who has not seen his family in over 40 years and is now working as a handyman in a trailer park in Florida. Dave Russo lives an hour North of Aaron Miller, and is he working on a story about Vietnam Veterans as a tribute to his father who never returned from Vietnam. Dave Russo interviews a wealthy oil tycoon, who explains what happened in Vietnam that will forever tie him to Aaron Miller.

 

As all the other books by Dan Walsh, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in less than 24 hours, and I loved the characters in the book. I was rooting for all of them, and I wanted them to solve the problems and issues they were experiencing in their lives: Aaron’s estrangement from his family, Dave’s feelings of regret about choosing his career over his family, and the need for Aaron’s children to forgive their father for his lack of contact in their past. Throughout the book, I think the theme of forgiveness was very prevalent. Also, there was a focus on relationships, be those friendships, family relationships, or Christian faith. 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

“Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

 

Love's Reckoning

Love’s Reckoning by Laura Frantz is one of those books you absolutely cannot wait to finish reading, in a good way! I found myself wanting to read at every spare moment, I stayed on the bicycle at the gym longer to read, I couldn’t wait until my lunch break to read more about Silas Ballantyne and Eden Lee, and I stayed up late into the night to learn who Eden would end up spending her life with.

          Silas comes to the Lee family to serve as a blacksmith apprentice to Liege Lee, Eden’s father. As is customary, the apprentice typically marries a single daughter of his apprentice, and Liege has it in his mind that Silas will marry Elspeth. Unbeknownst to Liege, Silas is just planning on serving the final year of his apprenticeship in order to travel West of York County, Pennsylvania. As he spends time with the family, Silas learns about Eden’s desire to read and learn more of the Bible. He begins to read to her from his Gaelic Bible and share inspirational verses with Eden who is constantly working to keep the home in order. Elspeth, on the other hand, seems to flirt with all men and has more of a mind for business than helping her mother take care of their family, which includes Elspeth’s son who is being raised as her brother.

I absolutely loved this story, and could not have anticipated the events that would happen to test the faith and feelings toward one another. I  cannot wait to read the next book in the series...hopefully the next year goes quickly!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."