Litfuse blog tour stop for A Memory Betweeen Us by Sarah Sundin with bonus review!

About the book:

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?

My review:

A Memory Between Us is WWII era fiction at it's best. The romance, the setting, the dialog, and the little details the author included throughout the story had me firmly planted in the 1940s. I loved the realism of the combat, the scenes of pilots flying missions where some made it and some didn't, and the whole scenario regarding the nurses and their unpleasant pasts. The romantic tension between characters was breathtaking, too. This author really knows how to turn up the heat while at the same time providing substance to her story. My eyes teared up more than once as I grieved and celebrated with the characters through some of their trials.

My favorite fiction always has edgy content, and this story had some amazingly realistic scenes that really drew me in. The heroine's flashbacks were flawlessly executed and well-written. Because they were so full of emotion, I understood the helpless feeling Ruth experienced when she was attacked, and how it negatively influenced her ability to trust everyone, including God. Shame is a powerful weapon that the enemy uses to keep us from knowing true peace and joy. I loved how the author brought both the hero and the heroine through their own individual trials to show that only God can give each of us what we need in our lives in order to grow.

When Ruth revisited painful memories, the transition was seamless every time. Both women had believable histories of abandonment, especially Ruth. Her perspective on what happened and that she somehow deserved it rang true for me. I was a bit disappointed with Jack's reaction, but because he was still a bit self-righteous and prideful, it made sense. God hadn't finished working on softening Jack's heart.

I loved that the author showed how many times Jack's motivation toward Ruth was wrong. His outreach to her was often more about building himself up, meeting his goal, winning the struggle for her heart, etc. Ruth was right when she said God had to be first and that Jack's interference was keeping her from growing in the Lord. So true.

Both the hero and the heroine were complex characters. They had numerous internal and external conflicts that needed to be worked through before they would be whole enough to love each other the way they both needed to be loved. The author left no stone unturned, and I loved that. She was not afraid to make her characters suffer. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

A Memory Between Us was the perfect title, too, because it summed up the main barrier between them. Ruth had to work through some of those issues on her own in order to heal. So did Jack. I loved how she triumphed over her greatest fears, and Jack overcame his, too. This was an incredible story, and though a bit long, I enjoyed it very much.


Meet Sarah!
Sarah Sundin is an on-call hospital pharmacist and holds a BS in chemistry from UCLA and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. Her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during WWII. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. This is her first novel. 
 For more info please visit her website at www.sarahsundin.com!

Blew me away