Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Book Review and Giveaway Info: Blue Skies Tomorrow


About the book:
Blue Skies Tomorrow is the third installment of the Wings of Glory series, each of which shares the story of one of the Novak brothers.  The other books in the series are A Distant Melody and A Memory Between Us.

In Blue Skies Tomorrow, Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but at least his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life. As he courts Helen Carlisle, a young war widow and mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work, the sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. After Ray leaves to fly a combat mission at the peak of the air war over Europe, Helen takes a job in a dangerous munitions yard and confronts an even graver menace in her own home. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? And can their young love survive until blue skies return? 

My thoughts: 
Let me share a piece of information I have never shared with any of you before.  I was involved in an abusive relationship long before I met my husband.  I will not get into details here, but I felt a strong connection to Helen Carlisle and, because of my history, feel I better understood the feelings she was experiencing through the book.  However, one does not need to have been in an abusive relationship to enjoy this book or to connect to the characters.  Blue Skies Tomorrow has many aspects to it that readers can be drawn to.  It deals with abusive relationships, World War II, finding one's true calling in life, and building self-confidence.  I enjoyed watching the characters discover who they are and growing up as they also grew together.  The perspective of the story changes chapter to chapter as well, so the reader can hear more than one side of the story and better understand the emotions that each person was experiencing. 

Also, the book is Christian fiction and it was a bit preachier than most of the other books I have reviewed, but it was still very enjoyable.  None of the characters are without flaw and by making one of the main characters the son of a preacher, with a desire to become a preacher himself, none of the "preaching" feels like it was shoved in there just to preach.  (Does that make sense?)

I am also always concerned when I read a book in a series when I have not read the others.  Blue Skies Tomorrow does tie in with A Memory Between Us and A Distant Melody, the other books in the Wings of Glory series, but it can definitely be enjoyed as a stand alone book as well.  Having said that, Blue Skies Tomorrow lets you get to know the other Novak brothers enough that you will likely want to read the other books as well, so that you can get to know them a bit more.

About the author:

Sarah Sundin received the 2011 Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and her second novel A Memory Between Us is a finalist for an Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. Her stories are inspired by her great-uncle who flew with the U.S. Eighth Air Force in England during World War II. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.
For more information about Sarah and the Wings of Glory series, please visit her website at www.sarahsundin.com.

About the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Blue Skies Tomorrow, the final installment of the Wings of Glory series, Sarah is giving one lucky winner A Vintage Kindle Prize Package! 

Read what the reviewers are saying here.


One winner will receive:


* Kindle with Wi-Fi

* Handmade vintage apron for you and a friend (see a photo here)

* Blue Skies Tomorrow (for Kindle)

To enter just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, giveaway ends on 9/10. Winner will be announced on 9/12 at Sarah Sundin's blog. Details and official rules can be found when entering the contest.

Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter

Disclaimer:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

1 comment:

  1. Danielle - thank you so much for the lovely review! I'm glad you enjoyed Ray & Helen's story, especially since it had such a personal connection for you. I was in a verbally abusive relationship in college, and I have no doubt it would have turned physical if I'd married him. And I loved your "preachy" comments. Yep, it's hard to write about a preacher without preaching :)

    ReplyDelete