Tuesday, April 13, 2010

We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

After a previously unheard of several book break from my favorite genre, we are back to the goods. The place where the Magic happens. B-17 Bombers and Red Cross Volunteers. Mail call and Misunderstandings. Sigh. It's World War II without having to live it.

This time I veered to a new author, Sarah Sundin and her novel A Distant Melody. Oh, Glory, it started good and got better. Here's a bit:

Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. 
Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. 
As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart? 
A Distant Melody is the first book in the WINGS OF GLORY series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II.

So, even when you know how the book is supposed to end, Walt and Allie do all sorts of stupid things to ruin the happy ending and, of course, it looks hopeless. This book was meaty, and without a simple plot line.  (That was supposed to be complimentary, but it reads negative. re-read it complimentary.) Heck there were probably four books in one. Not a gazillion converging characters like Tricia Goyer writes (beautifully), but two characters with a gazillion converging issues. It is also beautiful. 

I simply cannot wait for book two of the Wings of Glory Series (which I am relatively certain is a "stand alone series" meaning not dependant), Memory Between Us.   Whoot! Bring on September!

Sarah Sundin is an on-call hospital pharmacist and holds a BS in chemistry from UCLA and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. Her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during WWII. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. This is her first novel.
For more info please visit her website at www.sarahsundin.com!

 This is a blog toured book, meaning the book was provided for me in exchange for my review. This fact does not taint my opinion, as you may have surmised from a couple posts ago. However, if you would like some more opinions regarding A Distant Melody, I recommend you visit some other tour stops

But not, of course, before you enter the CONTEST! Just click on the, what's it called?, box contest icon thing with a bomber on it. Easy-peasy.
**Edited**The following button doesn't work and I don't want to figure out why. The button in my sidebar DOES work. Use that one, easy-peasy, rather than this one, not-so-easy-peasy.

Enter the Netflix and Nostalgia contest from author Sarah Sundin!
THE PRIZE:
The Winner of our ‘NETFLIX® & Nostalgia’ giveaway will receive a vintage prize package, including:
*A 6 month NETFLIX® subscription
*$25 Starbucks® gift card
*A box of See’s Famous Old Time Chocolates®
*A jar of homemade strawberry jam
*A Big Band music CD
*A Mini B-17 Model airplane
*Vintage stationery and pen
*British specialty tea
*WWII style playing cards

4 comments:

Sarah Sundin said...

Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad you liked Walt & Allie's story. By the way, I love your sense of humor :)

Lynette said...

The contest link isn't working for me :(

Chaos-Jamie said...

Lynette, I'm so sorry. The button on the post doesn't work (not sure why), but the same button in my sidebar DOES. Try that one.

meg duerksen said...

hi jamie.
you made the blog today...in photo!
1994 all the way!