A Memory Between Us

From Sarah Sundin's website..."Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge--until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth's heart a top priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she carries a shameful secret that keeps her from giving her heart to any man. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?"

I LOVE this book!! I LOVE this series! The only thing I don't love... I have to wait until August 2011 for the third book. Not a problem, though... I'll just re-read the first two! And you bet... I most definitely will!!

When I review a novel for my blog, I read it with a more critical eye than books I read for pleasure. That said... there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with this novel. The characters are real... flaws and all. This book (as well as the series) is set in WWII and, sadly, not all characters survive. There were times tears welled up as a character died. I have to say, though, it made the story real... it's war... people died. The story would have lost its "heart" had everyone survived. How the characters deal with their grief, their guilt and their willingness to carry on is what gives this novel its depth and grace.

I loved how Ms. Sundin writes. There are many combat scenes yet they are not so "technically" written that I skim the pages. Nor are they "fluff" or "filler" to remind us that this story is a war story. They are written as integral parts of the plot just as the love story between Jack and Ruth is. I could tell Ms. Sundin researched what she wrote about but didn't hit me over the head with it. She gave me what I needed to understand and appreciate what combat was like.

The same can be said for the faith aspect of the novel. While it is a necessary part of the novel and character development... the author writes it so that it is seamless. I've said it before but I won't read Christian fiction that uses faith as its only "draw". A Christian novel must have a great plot, welldrawn characters and a satisfying (not always happy but fitting to the story) ending or the faith part falls flat.

A Memory Between Us has it all. I simply LOVED it!! As much as I loved Jack and Ruth, I adored Walt and Allie!! Their story is told in A Distant Melody... the first book in the series. While A Memory Between Us can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading both. There is a richness from reading both stories that I just can't get enough of!

You know the old adage... you can't judge a book by its cover. Well, in this case...you sure can! The cover art is stunning! It captures, perfectly, the feel of this novel as well as what Jack and Ruth look like. I can say the same thing for A Distant Memory... perfect cover art!!


Please visit Sarah Sundin's website... www.sarahsundin.com. You will learn so much about the men and women who lived through WWII to become, as Tom Brokaw wrote... The Greatest Generation!

Thanks to Amy at http://www.litfusegroup.com/ for sending me a copy of A Memory Between Us in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review. Thanks also to Ms. Sundin for writing such a wonderful series.