In Perfect Time - by Sarah Sundin

If you want to read great fiction set during WWII, then you must pick up a book by Sarah Sundin. I just finished In Perfect Time, her third book in the "Wings of the Nightingale" series and I think it was the best of the three. The first book in the series is With Every Letter (read my review here) and the second book in the series is On Distant Shores read my review here. All three books can be read as 'stand-alones' but I would highly recommend reading them in order or you will encounter some spoilers.

In Perfect Time is the story of Army Air Force flight nurse Lt. Kay Jobson and C-47 pilot Lt. Roger Cooper. I didn't really like Kay's character in the first two books but as the layers were stripped away from her in this book she became one of my favorite characters of the entire series. I will admit, I've loved Lt. Roger Cooper from the earlier books because he seemed so shy. This book peels the layers back on his character too and what the reader finds is a wonderful loving caring man who needs to learn to forgive himself for his past. 

This book is a story of hope, faith, love, trust and forgiveness. Ms. Sundin allowed the characters to get themselves into situations that made me want to shake them, hug them, kick them in their britches and hug them some more. All the characters of this series became real to me. I could hardly wait for In Perfect Time to come out and now I am sad that it's over. I truly loved this series. I wish Ms. Sundin would write one more in the series about a year or two after the war so we could see how their lives progressed. I must admit, I did love the way she tied up all the stories at the end of this book.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 GIGANTIC Stars!!!!! I absolutely LOVED it!

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity and Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for my review copy of In Perfect Time. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

I have discovered a new voice in Kristy Cambron. Her debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin, is a wonderful contemporary story blended into a historical novel. Both stories are captivating and Ms. Cambron did an awesome job of blending the two stories together.

The book begins with the contemporary story which follows the journey of Manhattan art dealer Sera James and William Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, in their pursuit of securing a portrait of Adele Von Bron, a violinist known as Austria's Sweetheart during the 1940's. The portrait was painted during WWII behind the walls of Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the prisoners were liberated, a lot of the art that had been hidden from the Germans was recovered and the portrait of Adele was one of those pieces. Williams grandfather had duplicated the piece and when William heard that Sera was looking for the original piece of art he sent his copy to her gallery in New York. They decide to work together to find the original portrait. Sera's reason is personal and William needs to find it to save his family's business.

The historical portion of the novel is about Adele Von Bron and Vladimir Nicolai. They both have a heart for helping the Jewish people escape from the soldiers of the Third Reich. Unfortunately, during one such attempt, things happen that lead to them being discovered and arrested. What was really sad is that Adele's father was a high ranking officer in the Third Reich and he let them take her away to what was termed a re-education camp. Instead she ended up in Auschwitz-Birkenau and because of her talent with the violin, she was allowed to play in the camp orchestra. An older woman in the camp, Omara, took Adele under her wing and became like a mother to her. She is also the artist of Adele's portrait.

As I'm sure most people are aware, the prisoner camps ran by the Nazis during WWII were nothing more than death camps. If they thought a prisoner was weak, they killed them. It is where Jewish people and other people who the Nazis thought of as enemies of the Nazi state were exterminated or used as slave labor. It was an atrocity to all mankind. In her book, Ms. Cambron takes the reader behind the walls of Auschwitz-Berkenau as if she had actually been there during that time. The reality of her story was phenomenal.

The Butterfly and the Violin is a story of hope, love and in time forgiveness. The characters walk across the pages with such authenticity that I found myself 'googling' them to see if they really existed. Ms. Cambron has a lyrical voice that powerfully drives her story home. I look forward to the next book in her "A Hidden Masterpiece" series, A Sparrow in Terezin, which will release in April, 2015.

So, will Adele survive Auschwitz-Birkenau? What happened to Vladimir? Was the painting of Adele found and why did it mean so much to Sera and William. All these questions are answered within this masterfully created story. I would HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy of The Butterfly and the Violin, especially if you love to read good historical Christian novels. 

On a 5-Star Scale = 5 GIGANTIC stars!!!!! I can't say enough about this book. The best I have read this year!

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity and Thomas Nelson for my copy of The Butterfly and the Violin. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke

I am a fan of historical novels written against the backdrop of WWII. Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke brings the world, as it was during that time, alive for the reader. She makes the reader feel as if they were there witnessing all the atrocities that were going on.

Ms. Gohlke has created believable characters and dropped them into a period of time where horrific things happened at the hand of Hitler's Third Reich in Germany. She did submit some historical characters into her story lending a feeling of authenticity to her novel.

Hitler wanted a pur Aryan race for his Germany and if a person or child didn't show the possiblity of being part of his perfect race he had them eliminated.

Amelie is a young girl who is deaf. Her father is a German officer who can't handle the fact Amelie is less than perfect and want to get rid of her. Amelie's mother, Kristine, wants to save her daughter even if it means she will never see her again. She asks her best friend, Rachel, to take charge of Amelie and asks that she take her out of Germany.

I loved the character of Jason, an American reporter, because he didn't give up on Rachel. I enjoyed how their relationship grew during this time.

There is so much packed into the 429 pages of this book. The reader is given a glimpse of how awful life was for the the people in Germany who didn't measure up to Hitler's plan for the perfect race.

I would highly recommend this historical novel to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction. the characters appear to be real and will invite the reader to step into their world. Be prepared for a page turner that will keep you intrigued to the very last page.

On a 5-Star Scale = 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers for my copy of Saving Amelie. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin

 I have always been a fan of debut novels. One thing I love about them is the opportunity to discover a new voice, someone I will want to follow in their future novels. So when given the opportunity to read and review For Such a Time by Kate Breslin, I jumped at the chancce. I can honestly say her book touched my heart at the deepest level and I can hardly wait to read more by this very talented debut novelist.

For Such a Time is set during World War II and takes place over a little less than a months time in the year 1944. It is the story of SS Kommandant Aric von Schmidt and Hadassah Benjamin, who early in the novel, goes by the alias of Stella Muller in order to protect herself because of her Jewish heritage. Aric rescues Stella from being shot while she was a prisoner at Dachau. He takes her to his aunt's house where she is kept locked in a room. In time, Aric comes and takes her to the camp he is the commandant for, Theresienstadt, another prisoner camp that is known as a paradise ghetto, but it is just as bad as the rest of the camps that kept the Jewish people prisoners simply because they were Jewish. Aric tells her she is to be his secretary and will live in his home outside the walls of the 'ghetto'. 

Stella's parents died when she was very young and she was then raised by her uncle Mordecai. She soon finds out that her Uncle Morty is a prisoner in the Theresienstadt prison camp. She is able to see him on rare occasions and in the end they work together to escape the camp.

Aric is an Austrian who has had a difficult life. Stella is a Jew who is living a difficult life. Together they find that barriers between the Nazis and Jews can be torn down and they can coexist, after all, they are both human. 

Ms. Breslin based her story on the Book of Esther in the Bible. It's almost as if she used the Book of Esther as her outline for her masterful first novel.  She did a phenomenal job!

I could go on and on about all that happens but I don't believe in handing out spoilers, but I will say one thing, Please take a look at the cove on the novel. You will find that the red hair, pearls and the tattered Bible all play a significant part in the telling of this wonderful story.

I would highly recommend For Such a Time to any adults who love a good, well researched historical novel. Due to the topic of the killing of the Jewish people, I wouldn't suggest this to younger children.

I would like to say one more thing, this is without a doubt, the best book I have read since reading Francine Rivers' book, Redeeming Love. It is a book filled with forgiveness, trust, perseverance and love. I loved all the characters but I was particularly drawn to Aric. Ms. Breslin's words brought him to life for me. Remarkable!

I would like to thank the publisher, Bethany House, for my review copy of For Such a Time. I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest opinion which I have done.

On a 5-Star scale = 5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

Smiles & Blessings,

Small Town Girl by Ann H. Gabhart - my review

Sometimes you come across a book that reads as pure poetry. Such was my experience in reading Ann H. Gabhart's newest novel, Small Town Girl. While this book can be read as a stand-a-lone it is my understanding that the first book set in Rosey Corner is Angel Sister and is the first novel Ms. Gabhart set in the small town of Rosey Corner. Needless to say, I missed that one, but will definitely plan on securing a copy to read before long.

Small Town Girl is Kate Merritt and Jay Tanner's story.  It is set in 1941 during WWII.  The story begins when Kate's sister Evie marries the town's pastor, Mike Champion. It is a sad day for Kate as she has loved Mike since the age of 15. Little does she know that her loss at the altar was also her gain.  Mike's best friend is his longtime friend Jay Tanner who is smitten from the moment he sets his eyes on Kate.

As Kate and Jay's relationship begins to show signs of blossoming, Kate's new brother-in-law begins to try to discourage everyone in letting Kate get near Jay.  The reason? Jay has a history of being a womanizer and never stays too long in any one place.  Mike doesn't want Kate to get hurt. But Jay feels different this time.  Will his feeling win or will he once again become a rolling stone moving on to the next town?

Small Town Girl is a strong story of love, family, friends and forgiveness.  The fact that Mike is a pastor and likes to 'preach' at Jay is done in such a way that even the non-Christian would be blessed. Ms. Gabhart's characters have been richly painted on the page and brought to life so incredibly well.

As I mentioned earlier, Ms. Gabhart's words read like pure poetry.  My first encounter of this wonderful tone was found on page 34.  Here is a short excerpt where Kate and Jay are talking with each other.

          His laugh was infectious and Kate couldn't keep from smiling back at him.  "Everybody needs a dream.     But dreams don't always come true."
          "I can't argue with that." His smile faded as he studied her. "Then again, sometimes if a man finds the rhythm that speaks to his heart and if he can dance the right steps, if he can find a way to pull hope out of thin air and not let doubt steal his dream or cause him to whittle it down too small, maybe he can grab hold of that dream and hang on for dear life. That kind of dream can make the sunrise brighter every morning."

I enjoyed reading Small Town Girl and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a good clean read.  Ms. Gabhart has won me over as a devoted fan of her work and as mentioned before, I will be getting a copy of Angel Sister as soon as I can.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 wonderful stars!

I would like to thank Revell, a division of Baker Publishing for my review copy of Small Town Girl. I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review, which I have done.

"Avaialble July 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

Smiles & Blessings,

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance review of Pieces of the Heart by Bonnie Calhoun

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Pieces of the Heart

Abingdon Press (June 1, 2013)


by

Bonnie S. Calhoun


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year,” President of (CAN) Christian Authors Network, and Appointment Coordinator for both the Colorado Christian Writers Conference (CCWC) and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference(GPCWC).


For the last six years she has taught workshops in Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and creating Social Media promotions at both CCWC, and GPCWC, and in 2011 at the Montrose, Pa Christian Writers Conference. She also taught a Facebook workshop at the 2012 ACFW conference.


Bonnie and her husband live in a log cabin in upstate area of New York with a dog and cat who think she’s wait-staff.


Her sites are:

https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhounsnarkandsuspense
 https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun

 ABOUT THE BOOK

Cordelia Grace watched Bernard Howard, the love of her young life, go off to fight for our country in WWII. And she has spent the last three years creating the Pine Cone quilt that will grace their marriage bed when he comes home. Each row of triangles signifies a layer in her life, sets of memories, hopes, dreams, and prayers for her future, enough spoken words to cover them forever. Her image of their “happy-ever-after” grows proportionally as the quilt expands.


But is the man that returns from the war, the same man that she remembered? Are the dark shades of color that she had to use for the outside edges of the beloved quilt prophetic of her life to come? Can love and faith overcome all?


If you would like to read teh first chapter of Pieces of the Heart, go HERE.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a book to be savored. Unfortunately, I received it less than a week ago so I had to read it faster than I would have wanted to, but the wonderful thing about a good book is you can read it over and over again. That is exactly what I plan to do with Pieces of the Heart.

Ms. Calhoun has created a picture during WWII with her endearing character Cordelia Grace. We are allowed to experience her heartaches and pain of the prejudices of this world, especially during this particular period of time.The reader gets a peek at the discrimination within the black community as well as the military segregation. Ms. Calhoun places the reader into the lives of her characters and you experience the appalling things they had to go through.

Cordelia's relationship with her grandmother was precious to me. My grandma also made me a quilt before she passed away.

I would highly recommend Pieces of the Heart to anyone wanting a good Christian read.  I would like to thank the author, Bonnie Calhoun, and the Christian Blog Alliance for my copy of the book.  I received it for free in order to read it and give my honest opinion, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Whispers of a New Dawn by Murray Pura - my review

I am always so excited when I read an author's work for the first time and fall in love with their stories and characters.  I had that experience when I opened up the pages of Whispers of a New Dawn by Murray Pura. I was first drawn by the beautiful cover and the fact that I like to read novels set during the World War II period. Let me tell you, it was one of the best books I have read this year.

The story begins in 1941 when Jude and Lyyndaya Whetstone and their daughter Becky arrive back in their Amish community in Lancaster County. All three are pilots and if, upon returning to their Amish roots, they choose to stay they will have to give up their passion of flying. Becky has flown since she was fifteen and can't bear the thought of giving it up until she meets Moses Yoder, a handsome young Amish man who steals her heart.  While she is taking lessons on how to live as Amish, Moses has an accident and dies in her arms. Meanwhile, her parents have been requested to move to Hawaii to train pilots in stunt flying.  All three make the journey.

Becky's heart has been shattered and she finds herself with a wall erected around it not wanting to let anyone in as she has taken a solemn vow to never love again. She wants to remain true to Moses. With some convincing from her Aunt Ruth, who left the Amish community to be with her sister Lyyndaya, and letters from Moses's grandfather, Bishop Zook, Becky soon realizes that Moses is in heaven and she still has a life to live on earth. She meets a young pilot,Christian Raven, who has issues of his own and between the two of them the walls are slowly torn down.

Mr. Pura paints such a wonderful picture with his words that I felt I was there in the Caribbean when the story began, I made the trip to Lancaster County and then on to Hawaii.  I was there smelling the sea air on the beach in Hawaii as the sea breezes kissed my face.  I was in the cockpit as Becky and the other pilots flew their airplanes. I was on the USS Arizona when it was sunk at Pearl Harbor. I smelled the smoke. Saw the flames. Heard the screams.  I was there through the wonderful prose from Mr. Pura's hand. I felt that I experienced every detail.  It was truly phenomenal!

Whispers of a New Dawn is filled with the history of the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II.  Not many authors can pull me into their story and make me become one with the story.  Mr. Pura is quite gifted and I look forward to reading more from this wonderful author.  His settings and characters were well crafted and pulled me right in from the very beginning. His Christian thread throughout the book was refreshing.

I would highly recommend Whispers of a New Dawn to anyone who enjoys reading good clean historical fiction.

On a 5-Star scale - 5 BIG Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Aaron Dillon and Harvest House Publishers for my review copy of Whispers of a New Dawn.  I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin - a review

For those of you who follow my blog, you know I am a big, big fan of Sarah Sundin's work.  When I read her debut novel, A Distant Melody, the first book in her Wings of Glory series, she drew me in with her settings (one was my hometown in Riverside, California) and her characters.  This series was so very, very good that I really didn't know if her new series could compare.  Let me tell you, after reading With Every Letter I can honestly say, she has the start to another hit series!

With Every Letter, the first book in the Wings of the Nightingale series, is the story of Lt. Philomela (Mellie) Blake, a flight nurse and Lt. Thomas MacGilliver Jr. an engineer who begin a relationship through anonymous letters during World War II.  Mellie was raised in the jungles of the Philipines where her father worked as a botanist.  She grew up without real friends and depended on a scrapbook her mother created for her with 'paper' friends.  Through the years she added pictures of real people who she felt needed a friend.  She also included pictures of real people who she felt needed a friend.  Such as a young boy who's father was put to death because he had committed murder.

As Mellie begins her life as a flight nurse she is made aware that she doesn't really know how to make friends.  In order to boost morale Mellie's commanding officer starts a letter writing campaign with her husband's Engineer Aviation Battalion stationed in England.  Mellie really doesn't want to participate but her commanding officer suggests strongly that she does.  This starts the anonymous letter writing relationship between Mellie and Tom.  Tom gives the name of Annie to Mellie and she in turn calls him Ernest.

Tom is the son of a convicted murderer who was put to death.  In order to prove he is nothing like his father, MacGilliver the Killiver, he smiles all the time.  Through his letters he is able to open up his heart and show who he is and Mellie is able to do the same.  While Tom easily makes friends he has a hard time leading his platoon.  Mellie has a hard time making friends and because of her shyness the other nurses think she's a snob.  Through their letters Tom and Mellie learn from each other and before long they find themselves falling in love.

Tom adopts a stray dog that he quickly falls in love with and names Sesame.  During a stop  to pick up wounded, Mellie encounters Tom and through comments he makes and his dog Sesame she realized Tom is her "Ernest".  She also finds that Tom is the same person she has a picture of in her scrapbook.  She thinks Tom is so handsome and convinces herself they can never meet because she thinks she is very plain and he wouldn't be attracted to her.

The characters of Mellie and Tom were so very real to me that I find myself still thinking about them.  To me, when an author can make me love a character enough that I can't forget them, they have a true gift.  Ms. Sundin definitely has a gift in creating real, believable characters.  I found a lot of myself in Mellie.  She reminded me of my youth when I was so very, very shy and because I was an Air Force brat we traveled a lot and I was always trying to make friends only to have to say goodbye when one of our fathers got transferred.  With Each Letter is a portrait of relationships.  The relationship of Tom with his men and his dog.  The relationship of Mellie with the other flight nurses.  The relationship between Mellie and Tom and their relationship with God.

Each time I read a Sarah Sundin creation I am blown away.  From the first page I am drawn in and feel as if I am right their with the characters.  In the Wings of Glory series I experienced being in the cockpit of a B-17 Flying Fortress.  Now with the Wings of the Nightingale series I know what the men went through when they had to repair landing strips during WWII in Africa and Italy.  I rode along with the patients and Mellie in the belly of the C-47.  I was there.  I felt what the characters felt and experienced what they saw.  I wasn't told the story, it was painted on the canvas of each page and it drew me in from the very first page to the very last.  I can hardly wait until the next book in this series.

I would highly recommend With Every Letter to anyone who enjoys good fiction and stories set during WWII.

On a 5-Star scale = 5 STARS!!!!!  An EXCELLENT read.

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

I would like to thank Donna Hausler and Revell publishing for my review copy.  I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review, which I have done.

Sarah Sundin is the author of A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow. In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist's mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

Smiles & Blessings,