The Porch Light copyright by Revka (2006-2010). All rights reserved.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Blog Tour: A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity for providing a free review copy of this book. No other compensation was received for this review. The opinions contained herein are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Debut novelist Sarah Sundin has nothing about which to be ashamed of in her first published book.

The Official Blurb: 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.

My Review: Hold on to your seat because this book is going to blow you away. A Distant Melody is a masterful blend of historical fact and romantic fiction attractively packaged in well-written prose.

This was one book that kept me engrossed from page one all the way to the end. I read a lot of books and often find myself skimming over bits or entire sections because they are boring. I don't remember that happening one time with this book. Mrs. Sundin's tale weaves a spell that is hard to escape.

The characters, main and supporting, have a depth that makes one become emotionally invested in the story. The story itself includes so many historical facts and rich details that there is no doubt that the time period was well-researched.

My only tiny nitpicking criticism would be that the very last section of the story was a bit of a stretch for me to believe, although I have heard of people acting like the characters in the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Distant Melody and look forward to the next two books in the series. This was a fantastic novel, first or otherwise, and I'm anticipating great things from Mrs. Sundin in the future.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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!

Want to know what other bloggers think? Visit the blog tour post for links to additional reviews.

Win your own bit of nostalgia. Enter the Netflix and Nostalgia contest no later than April 25, 2010.

2 comments:

Sarah Sundin said...

Revka - thank you so much for your lovely review! I'm so glad you enjoyed Walt & Allie's story.

Revka said...

You're quite welcome, Sarah. I'm glad I got the opportunity to review your book. You did a great job, and I predict much success for you. :)