On Distant Shores

On Distant Shores

by Sarah Sundin

ISBN: 978-0800720827

$ 11.48 (paperback)

$ 9.99 (kindle)

About the book:

Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets 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?

 

With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin weaves an exciting tale of emotion, action, and romance that will leave you wanting more.

 

My thoughts:

On Distant Shores carries on with another of the members of the World War II Flight Nurse Group. This time it's the story of Georgie and Hutch both of whom are already engaged to other people and trying to stay true to their loved ones. Both of their fiance's are not supportive - Georgie is being guilted into returning home where she can be pampered and babied and told that she cannot make decisions and as a result her self esteem has taken a beating making her believe that she can't do what other stronger women have done for their country. She is an officer in the army - and not supposed to fraternize with the enlisted - namely Hutch.

 

You can see where this story is going. Hutch, being in pharmacy, is not considered officer material unless he goes about it the hard way. Doctor's were allowed to use their degrees to get ahead in the military but even though the pharmacy profession requires a degree Hutch is put down and considered less than a Doctor. He struggles with staying positive and not getting discouraged and that affects his relationship with Georgie especially as they are not allowed to be friends (at least not in a visual way). I found it really interesting to learn how the army treated men (and women) in a demeaning way. Hutch's struggle to be respected and valued is harder as other enlisted men and/or officers receive 3 months of training to do the basics of his job. Even though he has many years and actual experience and can create medications by compounding and providing medications that are hard to obtain he is treated poorly.

One of the things I really enjoy about this series of books is the sheer amount of history and research that is involved in providing accurate scenes and information in each story. I do find the writing itself a little hard to follow but do enjoy the story in the long run. Each of the stories shows a different character in the nurses corp as they grow and learn to lean on God. It shows their relationships and strengths and weaknesses. The scripture in the books are perfect for the story and the situations that each character (male & female) go through as well.

If you have a friend who enjoys history or military type stories they may enjoy this series. The scriptural content is wonderful and would be a great way to witness to a friend as well. If you still aren't sure if the books would be a good match check them out from the library and see what you think. =D

About the author:
Sarah Sundin is the author of "With Every Letter" and the Wings of Glory series. 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.

Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.

Disclaimer: I was offered a copy of On Distant Shores in exchange for a book review on GivingNSharing. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. Thanks for reading GivingNSharing!

Win a Kindle or Nook from @SarahSundin and RSVP for “With Every Letter” Facebook Party 9/27!

Be sure to check out my review of With Every Letter  - it's a great book that would make a great addition to your church or city library - or give it as a gift for your secret sister, secret santa or for a birthday/christmas gift!

Celebrate with Sarah by entering to win a eReader (winner's choice of Kindle Fire or Nook Color)! See what folks are saying about With Every Letter!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire or Nook Color (winner’s choice)
• Handmade With Every Letter First Aid Kit
• With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 26th. Winner will be announced at the “With Every Letter” Author Chat Facebook Party on 9/27. Connect with Sarah, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of With Every Letter and join Sarah on the evening of the September 27th for a chance to connect with Sarah and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Enter to win a Kindle Fire or Nook Color from Sarah Sundin in her "With Every Letter" Giveaway. Then CELEBRATE... fb.me/GZuU9Y26
— Tina Peterson (@familyliteracy) September 12, 2012

Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 27th!

With Every Letter ~ Book Tour

With Every Letter
by Sarah Sundin
ISBN: 978-0800720810
$10.19 (paperback)
$9.68 (kindle)
About the book:

They know everything about each other-except their real names.

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she's never met-even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence-he's been trying to escape his infamous name for years.

As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other's true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?

My Thoughts:

I was very interested in review "With Every Letter" for several reasons:

1) The period - World War II, History, and Pen Pals.

2) Strong Female Heroine is the main character of the story

3) In high school I had a pen pal and I still think on my experience with enthusiasm and to this day I wonder how she is, has she had kids, gotten married, gone to college, etc. Kumiko was from Japan and I love to hear stories and get to know people from other countries - it's wonderful to hear about their customs, families, lifestyles, etc.

The idea behind With Every Letter is similar - both the Hero and the Heroine of the book have the same idea. Mellie is lonely and finds it very hard to make friends. When her supervisor comes to her and basically pushes her to sign up after saying she is the only one not participating Mellie relunctantly agrees to write to a soldier. Believing that he won't be interested in her and that he won't write her back she is surprised when the letters start to come.

Tom is a murderer's son with the stigma of who his father is and what he did. He has learned to participate from a distance, to be encouraging and yet separate from others. He is the commanding officer of a group of soldiers and finds it hard to keep a disciplined unit.

What I really liked about With Every Letter is not just the "pen pal" theme but watching each character grow emotionally and spiritually through their letters and the experience of being in the army as the war goes on. The book starts slowly as the background and situation is set up but the scriptural passages are well chosen and Tom's & Mellie's faith shows beautifully in this story and by the end of the book you are fully invested in the tale.

With Every Letter is the First Book in the Wings of the Nightengale series. Be sure to learn more about this series and the other books Sarah Sundin has written on her website @ http://www.sarahsundin.com/. You can also find detailed maps of the countries mentioned in the book so you can keep up and learn about the area's involved in the war and where Tom & Mellie were stationed.

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Your Invited:

"With Every Letter" Author Chat Party {5pm PDT / 8pm EDT}

Enter to win a Kindle Fire or Nook Color from Sarah Sundin in her "With Every Letter" Giveaway. Then CELEBRATE... fb.me/GZuU9Y26

— Tina Peterson (@familyliteracy) September 12, 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 5:00pm in PDT

About the Author:

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.

I was provided with a copy of With Every Letter to read and review on GivingNSharing by Sarah Sundin and Litfuse. I was not required to write a positive review nor did any money exchange hands.