From back cover copy: "Book 1 in the Wings of Glory series, A Distant Melody is an exciting and tender story of love, courage, and sacrifice during World War II.  Will a chance meeting in time of war change her life forever?"

Meet Allie (Allegra) Miller, ever seeking to please her mother and do anything to gain her approval, even marry a man she didn't love.  Enter Walt Novak, a pilot ready to leave for active duty in England.  A friendship develops, and is maintained through letters.  What binds them together?  What threatens to tear them apart? 

This debut novel by Sarah Sundin is a masterpiece!  Sarah has done her research thoroughly, with many details from the '40's wartime era bringing the story to life.  It was as though I was dropped right into the midst of the characters' lives.  Sarah's great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during WWII.  Her great interest in aviation, and especially the B-17 bombers is evident throughout the story.

Also evident is Sarah's understanding of Scriptural principles, which she has interwoven throughout in a natural way. 

I loved the way in which Sarah develops the conflict, showing us what is taking place overseas as well as on the home front.  We feel with both the main characters, and many times, I found myself gasping "Oh, no!"  Sarah keeps the conflict progressing right to the end, at which point tears were pouring down my cheeks.

Sarah does an excellent job of bouncing the main characters off their friends.  This serves to add color as well as continuity.

Issues in this story run deep.  Sarah has included a discussion guide, which would be useful for book clubs.  This book is thought-provoking and is bound to lead to a fruitful discussion.

Well done, Sarah!  I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

A copy of this book has been provided for review courtesy of Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  It is available at your favorite bookseller, as well as on-line at http://www.amazon.com/.