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With Every Letter
(Wings of the Nightingale #1)
by
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
...more
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Paperback, 418 pages
Published
September 2012
by Revell
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Elizabeth
There are just 3 books, but the author has other series that are set in the same era!
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of With Every Letter (Wings of the Nightingale, #1)

Jan 21, 2015
Anne
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone, except Becca who is fed up with reading about the World Wars ;)
Recommended to Anne by:
Maria and Linda
I'm not sure how I'm supposed to go about reviewing a book like this one...
What can I say besides the fact that I absolutely LOVED it?
This book was amazing. The historical setting was interesting. The romance was heart-melting. The Christian elements uplifting. The epistolary exchanges were just...wonderful. Everything blended together so well in this book, and it was so compelling that I had the hardest time putting it down. With Every Letter is one of those amazing books that you can't wait t ...more
What can I say besides the fact that I absolutely LOVED it?
This book was amazing. The historical setting was interesting. The romance was heart-melting. The Christian elements uplifting. The epistolary exchanges were just...wonderful. Everything blended together so well in this book, and it was so compelling that I had the hardest time putting it down. With Every Letter is one of those amazing books that you can't wait t ...more

May 19, 2015
Aerykah
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
tbr-challenge-2015,
read-the-series,
e-book,
2015,
reviewed,
books-i-own,
kindle-to-loan,
new-authors-2015
I can't decide if I really liked this book or not. I didn't love it, but it was good. The writing style really drew me in and kept my attention. And World War II is one of my favorite times to read about-- it's so fascinating! Yet the story lacked... something. I loved the characters! While they could be annoying and frustrating (quite a bit, actually), I think I can kinda understand why people in their situations would be the way they were-- people's life history shapes them in ways we can't al
...more

Oh my word.....WHY HAVE I NEVER READ THIS SERIES BEFORE?!?!? I knew Sarah Sundin was an AMAZING author after reading the Sea Before Us, but after reading this book I have fallen more in love with her writing!! What I think I love the most about her writing is that her romances, or at least the two I've read about, are realistic and could actually happen. This could actually happen. Falling in love with someone for who they are and not for what they look like.
I honestly wish I could rate this mo ...more
I honestly wish I could rate this mo ...more

*clutches book and collapses dramatically* THIS IS AHHHHMAZING!!!

Reread 05/20/18:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TOM. POOR DARLING. <3
Twice as heartbroken by Rose's whole story, though. We're "kindred spirits," except neither of us could tolerate something as ridiculous as kindred spirits. ;P
Mellie and I also have things in common, though? But like Mellie is me at "that time," as she so delicately puts it. Not me the other three weeks of the month. xP
Original Read 01/03/17:
Originally posted on the January 2017 Mini Review post
I ...more
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TOM. POOR DARLING. <3
Twice as heartbroken by Rose's whole story, though. We're "kindred spirits," except neither of us could tolerate something as ridiculous as kindred spirits. ;P
Mellie and I also have things in common, though? But like Mellie is me at "that time," as she so delicately puts it. Not me the other three weeks of the month. xP
Original Read 01/03/17:
Originally posted on the January 2017 Mini Review post
I ...more

Sarah Sundin is one of the best contemporary writers of WW11, and you can tell she has researched her story thoroughly. She knows her stuff :) I usually read WW11 books set in France or Germany, so it was a little different to me to read about war work in Algeria.
The story itself is sweet. I liked Mellie a lot more than Tom. I felt her struggle to feel accepted by other nurses. She tries to fit in, but nothing she does helps. There is a strain of true friendship in this story. I LOVED her fligh ...more
The story itself is sweet. I liked Mellie a lot more than Tom. I felt her struggle to feel accepted by other nurses. She tries to fit in, but nothing she does helps. There is a strain of true friendship in this story. I LOVED her fligh ...more

Feb 01, 2015
Maria
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christian-fiction,
historical-fiction
Lt. Philomela Blake is a nurse who has a beautiful dream: to help wounded soldiers by working for the Air Evacuation Transport during the second World War. She has never dreamed of writing anonymous letters to a stranger soldier to alleviate his suffering. But when she starts writing Tom, an officer who has been hiding a secret for many years (a dreadful event that happened in the past and has prevented him from having real friends), her life begins to slowly change. She does not feel alone anym
...more

Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for romance
Best for Ages: 15 and up
This year has not been a good one for me in my fiction selections. I have found some gems, but mostly I keep hitting mediocre or downright bad books. It has been almost enough to drive me to break my vow of not buying books this year. I decided to go back to some of the authors that I have loved. Sundin was one of them.
Wow! I cannot tell you quite how much I loved this book. I stayed up until midnight to finish it and sat awake fo ...more
Best for Ages: 15 and up
This year has not been a good one for me in my fiction selections. I have found some gems, but mostly I keep hitting mediocre or downright bad books. It has been almost enough to drive me to break my vow of not buying books this year. I decided to go back to some of the authors that I have loved. Sundin was one of them.
Wow! I cannot tell you quite how much I loved this book. I stayed up until midnight to finish it and sat awake fo ...more

by Andrea Renee Cox
With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin is a great example of why I enjoy reading historical Christian fiction. There are many reasons why I like this genre, and this novel in particular, but the aspect I love the most is learning new things about different times in history. Before reading this book, I had no idea there were flight nurses in World War II.
In With Every Letter, Mellie Blake aspires to become a flight nurse, but even if the government finally approves this new position ...more
With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin is a great example of why I enjoy reading historical Christian fiction. There are many reasons why I like this genre, and this novel in particular, but the aspect I love the most is learning new things about different times in history. Before reading this book, I had no idea there were flight nurses in World War II.
In With Every Letter, Mellie Blake aspires to become a flight nurse, but even if the government finally approves this new position ...more

Why did it take me so long to get to this? This is such a wonderful novel! :)

During the first part of the book, I wasn't sure I'd like it. The two main characters are so painfully awkward around other people and are so terribly flawed. Yet, they grew on me, slowly, surely, even as they grew themselves until I absolutely loved them.
Though, I'll admit, while the main characters were in danger, I was most scared that the dog would die. Sesame was just so cute! And loyal! And I just want to hug him.
As for negative content, there was a few wartime type jokes and off-color h ...more
Though, I'll admit, while the main characters were in danger, I was most scared that the dog would die. Sesame was just so cute! And loyal! And I just want to hug him.
As for negative content, there was a few wartime type jokes and off-color h ...more

Again, I mainly read this book because the Kindle version was free on Amazon and a friend on Pinterest put it as one of her favorite books. I thought it might be pretty good. I haven't read hardly any romance books or that much historical fiction. Anyways. With Every Letter turned out to be a beautiful, lovely, heartfelt romance story. I really liked this book. It was so enjoyable.
Set during World War II, this Christian romance novel has a lot of history put into it. Philomela Blake is excited t ...more
Set during World War II, this Christian romance novel has a lot of history put into it. Philomela Blake is excited t ...more

So, after reading this awhile back and talking about it a great deal, I'm finally getting around to actually reviewing it. Normally I don't like WW2 fiction, but this one transcended genre and gave me all sorts of interesting historical facts. I loved reading about how Mellie's group learned to be a real team, and how she learned to be a support and help to her new friends. I also loved the letter-writing part; I've got a weakness for stories like that, especially with the added twist of them ge
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This book was delightful. I apsalutly loved how Mellie and Tom actually struggled because of their backgrounds. So many authors seem inclined to make people uninfected by their broken past, but Sundin really had thought through all the problems these characters would have. There were so many things in this book that were super relatable. Even the side characters were very well fleshed out characters. You really did feel like they had a whole life apart from the main characters. As always, I enjo
...more

Feb 21, 2012
Shantelle
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
reviewed,
christian-fiction,
1920s-to-ww2,
romance,
historical,
adult,
wish-list,
five-star,
read-in-2012
Another captivating World War II novel by Sarah Sundin. I LOVED her Wings of Glory series, and was so excited to read the first book to her Wings of the Nightingale series, With Every Letter. It was so worth the wait!
I was once again pulled into the treacherous era of one of the world wars; this time, with Lt. Mellie Blake, whom I found charming despite her shy nature and awkwardness in social situations. I also loved Lt. Tom MacGilliver and ached for him as he struggled with things that remi ...more
I was once again pulled into the treacherous era of one of the world wars; this time, with Lt. Mellie Blake, whom I found charming despite her shy nature and awkwardness in social situations. I also loved Lt. Tom MacGilliver and ached for him as he struggled with things that remi ...more

Some of my most favorite and memorable movies are the old classic black and white movies starring Jimmy Stewart, and one of them is The Shop Around The Corner. It set the precedent for the newer movie, You've Got Mail and also the premise and background for Sarah Sundin's latest novel, With Every Letter. This is the first in the Wings of the Nightingale Series and being a huge fan of WWII fiction novels, I knew I wanted to read this one.
The book introduces us to two very different but similar ch ...more
The book introduces us to two very different but similar ch ...more

Mar 30, 2015
Sarita
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical Romance lovers
This was my first book by Sarah Sundin and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband and I recently traveled to Europe and learned more on World War 2, so I enjoyed the setting of this book.
The letters between Mellie (Annie) and Tom (Ernest) was cute and innocent and based on true friendship and a basis of being your true self when know one as their minds already made up about who you are.
Mellie and Tom both have big struggles with their self worth and it was good to see how they grew and helped each ...more
The letters between Mellie (Annie) and Tom (Ernest) was cute and innocent and based on true friendship and a basis of being your true self when know one as their minds already made up about who you are.
Mellie and Tom both have big struggles with their self worth and it was good to see how they grew and helped each ...more

Wow that was Fantastic!!! Another top favorite author!

Although I haven't read an inspirational romance for years (not since the Grace Livingston Hill stage I went through in my youth), I'm giving this novel five stars because, given the parameters of the genre, I don't see how it could be improved. I love the World War Two era, and this novel felt true to the period. The work done by flight nurses was unknown to me, and quite fascinating. The heroine was an American-Filipina, who felt out of place among the other nurses, which gave her character mo
...more

For anyone who enjoys the movies Shop Around the Corner or the remake called You’ve Got Mail this book is just for you. The book With Every Letter is the first in the Wings of the Nightingale series. The author is Sarah Sundin who writes books based back in WWII era.
The plot for With Every Letter tells the tale of a Lieutenant named Philomela (Mille) Blake. Millie is an outside from most of the other flight nurses in her quadrant. She has lived with her father most of her life due to the fact t ...more
The plot for With Every Letter tells the tale of a Lieutenant named Philomela (Mille) Blake. Millie is an outside from most of the other flight nurses in her quadrant. She has lived with her father most of her life due to the fact t ...more

Check out the review on my blog: https://sydneyelaineblog.wordpress.co...
Oh my goodness.. Where do I even begin?
I just cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book.
I absolutely adored Mellie. I'm a very shy person myself, so I could completely relate to her. That's something I really love when I read books. I understood her fears, her solitude, and her distress for having to come out of her shell. Throughout the entire book I was thinking how similar we were in character and in thou ...more
Oh my goodness.. Where do I even begin?
I just cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book.
I absolutely adored Mellie. I'm a very shy person myself, so I could completely relate to her. That's something I really love when I read books. I understood her fears, her solitude, and her distress for having to come out of her shell. Throughout the entire book I was thinking how similar we were in character and in thou ...more

With Every Letter is an amazing novel! It’s rich in detail about WWII, but doesn’t overwhelm you in it.
Mellie Blake is a woman who is shy, scared of putting herself at risk and so is very lonely. She has a hard time making friends, mostly because of her preconceived ideas of how people see her – which were ingrained in her from her childhood, when children would make fun of her.
Lt. Newman, Mellie’s chief nurse, loves the movie Shop Around the Corner and gets an idea of how to do something like ...more
Mellie Blake is a woman who is shy, scared of putting herself at risk and so is very lonely. She has a hard time making friends, mostly because of her preconceived ideas of how people see her – which were ingrained in her from her childhood, when children would make fun of her.
Lt. Newman, Mellie’s chief nurse, loves the movie Shop Around the Corner and gets an idea of how to do something like ...more

Review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1GX22EA...
Review on my blog (to be posted 9/27): http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...
4.5 stars.
I haven't read any of Sarah Sundin's previous novels, but I've heard great things about them, and I was looking forward to reading her new release, With Every Letter.
The concept to the story was intriguing to me (two people writing anonymous letters to each other) and, I have to say, I loved the "letters" in With Every Letter.
The characters were wonde ...more
Review on my blog (to be posted 9/27): http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...
4.5 stars.
I haven't read any of Sarah Sundin's previous novels, but I've heard great things about them, and I was looking forward to reading her new release, With Every Letter.
The concept to the story was intriguing to me (two people writing anonymous letters to each other) and, I have to say, I loved the "letters" in With Every Letter.
The characters were wonde ...more

A great read!
The setting was incredibly interesting. I haven't come across many books that focussed on Northern Africa during WW2 or the important logistical/engineering aspects of war. The pioneering work of air evacuation with nurses on board was something I'd never even realised had occurred! I very much enjoyed learning about these unfamiliar subjects and want to do some more research myself.
Both main characters were strongly affected and shaped by their disfunctional pasts and a lot of thei ...more
The setting was incredibly interesting. I haven't come across many books that focussed on Northern Africa during WW2 or the important logistical/engineering aspects of war. The pioneering work of air evacuation with nurses on board was something I'd never even realised had occurred! I very much enjoyed learning about these unfamiliar subjects and want to do some more research myself.
Both main characters were strongly affected and shaped by their disfunctional pasts and a lot of thei ...more

When I read Sarah's first book, A Distant Melody, I considered it one of the best books I had ever read. But she just keeps getting better! Readers who pick up With Every Letter with high expectations will not be disappointed. The characters are unique and well-developed. Both the hero and heroine start out with huge obstacles that threaten to interfere not just with romance, but with their ability to relate to the rest of the world, for the rest of their lives. The stakes are high personally, b
...more

Wow! I enjoy historical fiction, and WWII is one of my favourite time periods about which to read. This was definitely one of the best WWII novels I've read!
I think courtship/friendship by letter will always be a topic close to my heart, because my husband and I spent much of our initial friendship, and then courtship, long-distance. Most of that consisted of writing to each other (granted, those were mainly emails as opposed to snail mail letters, but still!)
I think that style of friendship/cou ...more
I think courtship/friendship by letter will always be a topic close to my heart, because my husband and I spent much of our initial friendship, and then courtship, long-distance. Most of that consisted of writing to each other (granted, those were mainly emails as opposed to snail mail letters, but still!)
I think that style of friendship/cou ...more

In general I found the characters in this book to be laughable, I seriously did laugh out loud a couple times. Mellie and Tom are written as extremely immature, almost simple, people. I kept thinking they didn't need each other they needed some serious counseling to deal with their issues. The writing is very elementary, I kept checking to see if I was reading a young adult book. To say the storyline was contrived would be putting it mildly. I usually can see past that if the characters save it,
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 1 | Sep 21, 2015 10:36AM | |
Christian Fiction...: ❀Elizabeth and Rita❀ With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin | 44 | 32 | Oct 23, 2012 07:45PM | |
Christian Histori...: Coming soon from the pen - Sarah Sundin | 9 | 34 | Sep 09, 2012 12:39PM |
Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks (coming February 2021),The Land Beneath Us (2020), The Sky Above Us (2019) and The Sea Before Us (2018), as well as the Waves of Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale series, and Wings of Glory series. Her novel The Land Beneath Us was a 2020 Christy Award finalist, Th
...more
Other books in the series
Wings of the Nightingale
(3 books)
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