Tuesday 24 March 2015

Book Review: With Every Letter

With Every Letter (Wings of the Nightingale Book #1)

Author: Sarah Sundin

Publisher: Revell

Genre: Historical Romance

Synopsis: They know everything about each other--except their real names.

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she's never met--even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence--he's been trying to escape his infamous name for years.

As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other's true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?

Thoughts: The romance and history in this book were very satisfying but the characters drove me bonkers.

Both the male and female lead repeatedly remark that their desired spouse HAS to be Christian and it is heavily implied that non-Christians cannot be good people. This type of thinking is very insulting and I have to admit that it really took away from my enjoyment of the book. I didn't mind that they talked about their beliefs but the overt non-believers are bad was really off-putting.

One of the things I liked about the book was that like Somewhere in France it looked at the role of women during the war. Unlike Somewhere in France this book is set during the Second World War but even here women were seen as less and they had to fight for the right to do even try things they knew they were qualified for.

Another aspect that I enjoyed and that kept me reading was the focus on the fighting in Africa. Although I have read a great deal about ww2 most of my reading has been focused on Europe and so this meant I got a new perspective on the war. I hadn't realized that it was quite so muddy (which tells you about my preconceived ideas.

One thing I did find interesting as well was how Mellie and Tom helped each other out with their problems. Tom needed to learn how to become a better leader, something I've struggled with at times. He wanted, because of his background, to be everyone's friend but friends don't always make good leaders. Mellie on the other hand needed to learn to be a good friend. I thought this dynamic was quite effective and I think that much of Tom's advice to Mellie was good. I also liked Mellie's advice to Tom. Although, because of the religious aspect of it it wasn't advice I would offer as is, but looking at other strong/good leaders is good advice.

Although I liked the book, it is a book I would be quite careful in whom I recommended it to because of the overt religious message in it.


Copyright ©2015 Zee from A Tea Stained Page. This post was originally posted by Zee from A Tea Stained Page. It should not be reproduced without express written permission

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