Distant Melody, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory) [Paperback]

Sarah Sundin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wings of Glory | Publication Date: March 1, 2010

Will a chance meeting in a time of war change her life forever?

Allie will do anything to gain her mother's approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. But when she meets Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--they begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Plain, reserved, Los Angeles ball-bearing heiress Allie Miller abandons propriety to flirt with Lt. Walter Novak of the Army Air Force during the idyllic week following her best friend’s small-town wedding. When Walt is posted overseas, they correspond, drawn together by a shared faith and their mutual, if unspoken, attraction. Walt, however, has a propensity to lie, and Allie is torn between her own call to actively serve God and her filial responsibility to obey her parents’ wishes in the matter of her marriage to her father’s ambitious but undemonstrative second-in-charge, who is neither a Christian nor (rumor has it) heterosexual. While their pride puts Sundin’s protagonists at cross-purposes, Walt serves in the European aerial theater. Sundin’s debut Christian historical romance featuring the youngest of the Novak brothers introduces an emotionally gripping, detail-rich but fast-paced trilogy set against the backdrop of WWII at home and abroad. Romance readers and military history buffs will find much of interest here. --Lynne Welch

From the Inside Flap

EXCERPT FROM CATALOG
"That pilot has a little crush on you."
"Nonsense." Her hand went in circles, but her mind fixed on an impossible truth. A crush would explain his attentiveness and also his awkwardness during the ceremony--he'd be embarrassed to have a crush on a woman who was spoken for.
"I think it's sweet he has a crush on you."
"Don't be silly. No one's ever had a crush on me."
"No one? What about Baxter?"
"Baxter?" Allie divided the last bit of cake. "That's different. We've been together so long." Yet four and a half years with Baxter Hicks had never generated a fraction of the emotions she'd experienced in one week with Walter Novak.
Walter Novak, who crossed the room, his gaze and smile locked on Allie. Walter Novak, who took her hand, led her away from Louise and the cake and Allie's own good reason, and drew her into his strong arms.
Walter Novak, who looked at her as if she were lovely and special.
All her life Allie had longed for the look in his hazel eyes, but she never guessed how splendid it was to truly feel lovely and special. His attraction sank deep in her soul, exhilarating and dangerous and enriching.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 422 pages
• Publisher: Revell; Reprinted edition (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800734211
• ISBN-13: 978-0800734213
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Sundin followed an unusual career path for a novelist, receiving a bachelor's in chemistry from UCLA and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. She now lives in northern California with her husband, three children, an antisocial cat, and a yellow lab determined to eat her manuscripts. When not driving kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches women's Bible studies and fourth- and fifth-grade Sunday school. She has been writing since 2000 and belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers and Christian Authors Network. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series - A Distant Melody (Revell 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011). In 2011 she received the Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A Memory Between Us was featured on Booklist's Top Ten Inspirational Fiction List for 2010. Please visit Sarah's website at http://www.sarahsundin.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for guys too..., March 25, 2010

By 

C. A. Babbert (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distant Melody, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory) (Paperback)

I have to admit that I typically wouldn't buy a book labeled "historical romance". I must also admit I judged this book by its cover and I was not disappointed. You can read the synopsis from all the other reviews but I will tell you I was especially drawn to the detail involved in the accounts of B-17 combat during WWII. I have toured a B-17 and I could recall every aspect as the author described it in perfect detail. With my busy schedule as a pastor, husband and father of three, it would typically take me a couple of weeks to read a book of this size, but I was so drawn into the story that I completed it in just two days. I finally set it down at 2:00 a.m. this morning! I am looking forward to the continuation of the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move over Oke, January 14, 2011

By 

Jacquelyn Higgins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distant Melody, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory) (Paperback)

Distant Melody, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory)
Move over Janette Oke. Look out Nora Roberts. There is a new writer on the scene, and I think she's going to be very successful. Sarah Sundin's A Distant Melody, the first in a trilogy about WWII pilots, combines history and romance into a story that not only entertains, but leaves the reader with a desire to be a better person. The story alternates between Allie's struggle to find meaning in her pampered existence and Walt's challenges to overcome his insecurities in order to lead his team. Faith in God provides the foundation for both characters to conquer their fears and reach for the sky.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, December 1, 2010

By 

M. E. Newell (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distant Melody, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory) (Paperback)

Allie Miller has never been able to please her parents. In order do so, she will married a man that she does not love. But when is has a chance meeting with Walt Novak. Walt is everything that Allie wants in a man and the two begin to write. In their letters Allie and Walt find love and faith. But there are secrets that may keep them apart for ever.
"A Distant Melody" is the debut novel by Sarah Sundin and it was pretty good. As a fan of war-time romances I really wanted to read it. I enjoyed it but there times that I thought that Ms. Sundin was kinda of dragging the story out. I have the second book in the series and I will read that but I am not sure if the are "keepers"