Showing posts with label Sarah Sundin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Sundin. Show all posts

Friday, March 5, 2021

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin {book review}

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

This book would have been guzzled in a scant number of days if I hadn’t had broken water pipes to deal with in my house.

What a zinger! I adored this story overall. Once again, Mrs. Sarah Sundin melded history with fiction in a seamless way that brought the past to life for me. Her treatment of a female reporter when men ruled the newspaper business was superb. It touched on women’s rights issues yet respected the men in the book at the same time. That’s a delicate touch on a tough subject, if you ask me.

Evelyn Brand was a heroine I could root for. She was spunky and brave, but she had flaws and fears that sometimes got in her way. As a reporter, she knew her stuff and dared to be different. She was courage on display.

Monday, February 17, 2020

The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin {book review}

Last week, I finished reading Sarah Sundin's The Sea Before Us, which leapfrogged In Perfect Time as my favorite Sundin book. Here's my review, as posted on Goodreads.


Wow…

Just… wow.

The whole story was brilliant. From a love triangle done right to deep faith journeys to familial estrangements and deaths to the fight for healing and reunion… all in the package of a WWII-era story... This novel really had it all.

And that finale! Goodness, I could gush… if I were willing to spoil the story.

But I’m not.

Just trust me: You will not regret reading this book when you experience the final few chapters, and particularly the final few paragraphs.

*happy sigh*


Monday, December 14, 2015

Favorite Quotes 2015

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hard to believe it’s been a year since my last “favorite quotes” article, but the Christmas season is now upon us. As we all prepare for the holidays, let me share with you a few of my favorite book quotes from novels I read during 2015.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Be My Guest: Sarah Sundin

by Andrea Renee Cox

During last Christmas season, I read a book called Where Treetops Glisten (see my review of it here). I was thrilled about the book, since I had already read and loved books by Tricia Goyer and Cara Putman. But Sarah Sundin was a new author for me, and I had no idea what to expect. What I got in her piece of that book was quick wit, lovable characters, and a sweet story that hooked me for good. Over this year (2015), I have collected all of her books that are in print to this date (Half Price Books is amazing), and I look forward to reading them in succession soon. If you haven't read her WWII fiction, what are you waiting for?

I'm pleased to announce that Sarah Sundin is today's guest blogger. I hope you enjoy her article and make her feel welcome!



Work and Play
by Sarah Sundin

Pets amuse us, comfort us, exasperate us, and sometimes even inspire us.

Monday, August 10, 2015

With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

by Andrea Renee Cox

With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin is a great example of why I enjoy reading historical Christian fiction. There are many reasons why I like this genre, and this novel in particular, but the aspect I love the most is learning new things about different times in history. Before reading this book, I had no idea there were flight nurses in World War II.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Where Treetops Glisten

by Andrea Renee Cox

The last book I read in 2014 turned out to be one of my favorites for the year. Where Treetops Glisten is a collaboration novel that features the Turner family. The prologue introduces you to the family from the grandmother’s point of view, which I found to be sweet and a wonderful way to begin the book.

The storyline moves forward nearly a year to begin the first official story, White Christmas by Cara Putman. In it, Christmas of 1942 certainly will be different for Abigail Turner. Her two siblings, Pete and Merry, are off helping with the war effort, which leaves Abigail to wonder how she may help others this holiday season. Jackson Lucas faces dark times for the holiday. On the brink of losing his family’s farm, he’s desperate to find answers and a way to assist his mother and sisters back home, while working hard in Lafayette, Indiana. When Abigail and Jackson meet, the question will be: Will they be able to open up to each other enough to help solve one another's problems?

After that, we step into I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Sarah Sundin. This story sees Pete Turner return home on furlough, and he struggles to find feeling again after the difficult things he’s seen and done in the war. Can healing come to him in the form of a little girl, who searches for her daddy? Or will little Linnie’s mother, Grace Kessler, discourage any further contact with Pete when she realizes he’s her childhood bully? When their separate lives have no other option but to collide, both Grace and Pete must compromise and learn to adjust their perspectives if they’re ever to find the doses of healing they yearn for.

The third full tale in this compilation, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Tricia Goyer, travels overseas with Meredith “Merry” Turner. She works as a nurse on the front lines of the war, but the toughest battle she’ll face is the betrayal that broke her heart. It becomes impossible to shove aside thoughts of her lost love when she thinks she sees him in the midst of the Netherlands where she’s posted. Will her heart ever find solace so far from home?

Lastly, there is an epilogue, which is, again, in the point of view of the grandmother. These bookends (prologue and epilogue in the grandmother's POV) were such a darling touch to frame the features in that I was blown away by the beauty of the entire setup.

Cara Putman
Earlier in 2014, I discovered Cara Putman when I read Shadowed by Grace. As you may remember, I absolutely loved that book. Well, when I found out she’d teamed up with Tricia Goyer, I knew I couldn’t resist such a treat. Cara immediately brought to life the time period that served as a backdrop for World War II in Where Treetops Glisten. Her research must have been quite thorough, for I felt completely immersed into the lives of Abigail and Jackson, and sometimes tripped my way back to reality when real life called for my attention. If Shadowed by Grace made me an instant fan of hers, her novella, White Christmas, ensured I’ll be a lifetime cardholder (a nod to former times when members of clubs held cards stating their membership).

Sarah Sundin
I’ll Be Home for Christmas was my first sampling of Sarah Sundin, and I’ve got to tell you, it took my breath away. The character journeys all wove together perfectly, making me laugh and bringing tears to my eyes. There’s an innocent quality to her work that is difficult to bring across in novels and even harder to describe. This woman had a challenge ahead of her with Pete’s journey, but she pulled it off with grace, talent, and a big dose of faith, which I love seeing in books. She’s definitely on my list of authors to keep my eyes out for.

Tricia Goyer
Tricia Goyer has yet to disappoint me with her historical fiction novels, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is no exception. The thing I find most satisfying about her books is how she seamlessly knits God and faith into her characters’ lives. Even when they struggle to find the footing of their faith, her characters seem to emanate whatever scrap of it they’re clinging to. The journey to strengthen their faith often helps me to bolster my own faith, as well, which is something I greatly appreciate in Christian fiction novels. When fiction meets reality … that’s where I feel most at home.

If you haven’t yet read Where Treetops Glisten, now would be the time to spend that gift card money you got for Christmas. This book deserves five stars for certain, and that’s what it’s getting from me. This book easily hit my top five favorites list for last year, and I’m hoping it will hit your top ten for this year too.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.


What do you think of collaboration or compilation books (books with more than one story in them, often written by more than one author)? Are you a fan or not? What is it about them that you do or don’t like? If you haven’t given them a try before now, what’s holding you back?


Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

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Monday, December 22, 2014

Favorite Quotes of 2014

By Andrea Renee Cox

It’s been a wild and crazy year that swept by without giving me a chance to catch my breath. Even though 2014 is winding to a close, my proofreading job is picking up speed. I started last January, by proofreading Dianne Price’s Broken Wings.

The publishing company that released it—Ashberry Lane—had put a rush on the job to try and beat death. Dianne succumbed to cancer one week before the release of the first book in her Thistle Series. Because Dianne’s journey had touched my heart, I felt moved to help promote her books. So I bought a copy of the first one as soon as it released and let the publisher know I would help spread the word about it. When Christina Tarabochia emailed me back, she asked me to keep my eye out for typos along the way. I took her seriously … and earned a spot on her staff.

Throughout this year, I’ve worked with her and a few other clients, and word is still spreading about what I do. Currently, I’m working on back-to-back-to-back jobs, with two overlapping a smidge. I’m thrilled to be so busy and to have the privilege of juggling my schedule to have Christmas off. Not only that, but the last one I’ll receive this calendar year will be my twelfth official proofreading job, which means that I had one for every month of the year. They may have been spaced out at first and bunched together at the end, but I think it’s really neat that, in my first year of this work, God chose to bless me with exactly twelve jobs, which matches the number of months within the year. This new career is such a blessing to me, and I thank God every day that He gave me a job I love and can do from home.

Now that I’ve summed up my whirlwind 2014, let’s take a look back at some of my favorite quotes in books I read in my free time. All of these books I enjoyed very much. If you’re looking for last-minute gifts for those book-lover friends or relatives of yours, I’m certain this list should get you started.

“In a period of only a few minutes, my life had been turned upside down.”

“Jesse was making a studied effort to let patience have its perfect work in him.”

“My head is full of ideas and thoughts, and my mouth is never reluctant to share them.”

“But what was a girl to do when the memory of a kiss stalked her?”

“Who knew a dream potentially coming true could feel so … scary? And yet, how long had she prayed for an open door?”

“Restaurants may have been my first love, but that didn’t mean we were meant to be.”

“Getting lost hadn’t been part of the plan.”
Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

“Lord, how much more does my heart have to bleed?”

“… it seems that as we plan to teach others, God often makes us the pupil first, just so we get the lesson real deep within before we try to share it.”

“Sometimes you had to know when to leave so you could fight another day.”

“I’ve got a scream could peel the paint off the Titanic, you know.”

“She’d managed to wring an address out of the postmaster, now all she needed to do was convince a madman to hire a female secretary before he blew her to bits.”

Marc: “I started to [pray], but it’s not like I can expect God to perform a miracle.”
Abe: “Why not?”

“Faith isn’t just a matter of what you believe; it should be seen in the way you live and the way you treat others.”

“A man’s horse dropping dead in the middle of nowhere left a man with few options.”

Phillip: “There’s a baby in here, buddy—not a bomb.”
Erik: “I’d rather handle a load of dynamite.”
A November Bride by Beth K. Vogt

“God made you with unique skills and talents. Ask Him how to use those for Him and His glory.”
White Christmas by Cara C. Putman
Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin
 
“I guarantee no woman has ever fallen in love with me after one kiss. It takes at least twenty. I happen to be quite resistible.”
I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Sarah Sundin
Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin

“Could her choice to be joyful make that big a difference to all the men around her?”
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Tricia Goyer
Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara C. Putman, and Sarah Sundin



MERRY CHRISTMAS!


What were some of your favorite books of 2014? Care to share any quotes that stuck with you? What books are you looking forward to reading next year?


Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.

Would you like to be my guest? Here's how to submit an article.

Do you need a proofreader? Here are the services I offer.