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My granddaughter gave me this series of books to read.
By the end of the series, I felt I was saying goodbye to a rare bunch of boys in the Novacks. Fun to read and fast paced enough to keep my interest. ( )

A Distant Melody, Sarah Sundin
A story of struggle between the flesh and the spirit: of love, obedience, honor, faith, forgiveness, heartache and ultimately the grace, love, and unfailing faithfulness of God to protect and guide through all things. Readers are invited into the lives of two people who struggle with coming to terms with their own identities in Christ and the purpose and plan Christ has for their lives. They both struggle with the standards and expectations set before them by the world and their families of duty, honor and obedience, and success.
Allie Miller, spoiled heiress of Miller Ball Bearings; and Walter Novak, pilot and youngest son of a Preacher strike an unlikely friendship in the middle of WWII. Allie a new Christian, thanks to a mutual friend of Walt, is struggling with honoring her family through marriage to a man she does not love; While Walt struggles to meet the standards of his over-achieving brothers and the expectations of his family. The story involves many other characters and sub-stories that are woven in the main one. Throughout the story the reader sees the hand of God at work and the struggle against the flesh and spirit in the lives of the main characters. Allie must ultimately decide if she will forsake all else for the cause of Christ: leaving behind a sizable inheritance and the approval of her parents or go after whole-heartedly the will of God. Walt must decide that even small lies are of no good in the end - - and discover that truth does set the captives free. Both must embrace grace, and love and experience the power of true forgiveness.
Well-written and powerful. Readers will find themselves drawn into another world, experiencing the pain and turmoil of the war and hoping for the overcoming power of love. I enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this author.
A special thanks to Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing for this complimentary copy for review.
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This was a sweet story set during WWII. Walt and Allie were so adorable, and I enjoyed following their growing friendship and later, romance. However, there miscommunication in the last quarter of the book had me grinding my teeth together in frustration, and the reason why I didn't rate this book 4 stars.

I loved the descriptions of Allie's beautiful clothes and I admired her strength as she stood up to her parents and the choices they wanted her to make. In the 1940s, that would have been a hard thing to do. Her fiance, Baxter, was totally obnoxious and I was furious at how Allie's parents treated her when she finally broke her off engagement to him.

The detail the author put into the planes Walt flew was impressive. She had certainly done her homework and the combat scenes were exciting, especially the dog fights between the American and German pilots. The camaraderie that developed between Walt and the rest of his crew was also a touching aspect of the book, despite the fact they didn't respect him at the start.

Overall, an entertaining debut. ( )

All her life, Allie Miller has been told by her mother that she is plain, and she will do anything to gain her mother's approval, even marrying a man she doesn't love. She begins to change though, and want more for herself, after meeting Lt. Walter Novak at her best friend's wedding, when their love of music draws them together. The two begin exchanging letters in the summer of 1942, and the correspondence will change both of their lives. As their friendship grows though, secrets, commitments and the expectations of others threaten to keep them apart.

I really enjoyed this novel; it's my first time reading this author, but it won't be my last. I could really relate to the character of Allie, having always felt like an "ugly duckling" myself. I also liked how the story focused on Allie's relationships with her friends and family, and not just on the romance. The author really did a great job of using historical events and pop culture references of the World War II area to really give the story an authentic atmosphere. ( )