Synopsis 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...
Review: Plain Pursuit
When I read the synopsis for “Plain Pursuit” by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson, 2009), something seemed to hook me. Not sure if it was the fact that the protagonist is a journalist, but that is a definite possibility. Either way, I dove into the novel a little wary of Amish fiction to begin with. I’ve read very few Amish novels since Beverly Lewis’ “The Shunning,” so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I found myself drawn in from page one and unable to put the book down. Instantly, the reader is drawn to every single character and though there is a strong thread of romance, there are so many...
Review: Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana
Synopsis: Liberty, Indiana, is home to a stop on the Underground Railroad operated by Anna Brent and her father, covert abolitionists who harbor runaway slaves traveling toward freedom. When Anna’s work on the Underground Railroad is threatened, can she turn to newspaper editor, Daniel Stanton, a man she barely knows, to ensure the safety of the slaves so dear to her? Will she and Daniel be willing to risk everything for their beliefs including their personal liberty? My Review: Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, by Melanie Dobson, has kept me captive for the past few days. This was a novel that defied all expectations. It broke the mold of...
Review: The Piano Teacher
This was one of those cases (we’ve all read at least one) where the premise was perfectly set up and the potential for knocking the wind out of the reader was there…but the author simply failed to deliver. Janice Y.K. Lee’s The Piano Teacher, a historical romance set in Hong Kong during and after World War II, is about two love affairs in different times. In 1942, Will Truesdale and Trudy Liang are swept up in the glamour of pre-war Hong Kong, but quickly find their world ripped from their under their feet. Ten years later, Claire comes to Hong Kong with her husband and finds a job as a...
Review: Thicker than Blood
Synopsis: Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s...