A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin

About the Book
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 Thoughts
Oh my goodness I absolutely adored this book! From the very first pages I was in love and I didn't want to stop reading. WWII is my all-time favorite time period to read about and I have been wanting to read Sarah Sundin's books for awhile now. When my friend offered to let me borrow her copy I jumped at the chance but had to put it off for a bit to get some of my own books done. This book was well worth the wait and a glorious treat for me after I finished my March challenge.
Walter and Allie are adorably sweet with each other and you can tell from the very start that they are a perfect match. Both of them are shy, quiet, used to being compared to others and falling short of their families expectations. From their first meeting they are more at ease in each others company then they've been with anyone else and the attraction is there from the get go. The ten days they have together leave you sighing in the sweetness of it all but then Allie goes home and Walt goes off to war and the troubles begin. I was laughing, crying, yelling at the characters, and smiling in complete happy bliss. The underlying message of how important truth is and the damage even “little white lies” can cause, was really well done and really made me think. In short I loved everything about this book and it officially earned a spot on my favorites list. I absolutely can't wait to read books two and three!
Extra: I made up a playlist for this book on Grooveshark using all the songs that are mentioned in the book and I listened to it while I was reading. If you'd like to do the same here's the link: http://grooveshark.com/playlist/A+Distant+Melody/85148633

Thanks to Rosie for letting me borrow this amazing book!

About the Author

Sarah Sundin followed an unusual career path for a novelist, receiving a bachelor's in chemistry from UCLA http://www.sarahsundin.com

and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. She now lives in northern California with her husband, three children, an antisocial cat, and a yellow lab determined to eat her manuscripts. When not driving kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches women's Bible studies and fourth- and fifth-grade Sunday school. She has been writing since 2000 and belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers and Christian Authors Network. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series - A Distant Melody (Revell 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011). In 2011 she received the Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A Memory Between Us was featured on Booklist's Top Ten Inspirational Fiction List for 2010. Please visit Sarah's website at