A review by danyrn
On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

5.0

Lieutenant Georgianna Taylor has everything she could've dreamed of. She has a boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. Her life is turned upside down when she meets an enlisted man who shows her that she's more than the baby that doesn't make decisions for herself. She now must make decisions for herself even the hard ones. Even if it means she must do the opposite of what everyone wants for her.

Sergeant John Hutchinson resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and how his career, pharmacology, is portrayed in the military. The war also keeps him from his fiancé and all he wants is to go home and marry her. Until he meets Georgie. Georgie does everything his fiancé doesn't, she encourages him and trusts him. He tries to fight the attraction, but the more he spends with her and away from his fiancé the more attraction he feels for her.

The more time they spend together the more their forbidden attraction grows. And while they share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Everything seems to be changing around them and life is pulling them apart. But with God and love maybe, just maybe, love with survive loss and a war.

Can Georgie learn to make her own decisions or will she continue to let people make decisions for her? Can Hutch find contentment in any area The Lord places him or will he let stubbornness and bitterness control and consume him? Can love weather the storm of life and war or will their love fall apart under the pressure? Will following the Lord's plan bring them together or farther apart?
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Sarah Sundin is by far my favorite author of WWII novels. Her ability to create visuals with a few words and get me engrossed in a story from the start is breathtaking. Every time I pick up one her novels I know I'm in for a roller coaster ride and a vibrant glimpse into history. This novel captured me just like the others that I've read by her and I absolutely can't wait for more.

The storyline in this book is incredible. It's intriguing, engaging, and absolutely beautiful. Not only did I feel like I was the character and was celebrating their victories and mourning their failures, but the descriptive writing left me with such detail I feel like I could see the dirt, sweat, and frustration on the faces of each character. It was a completely new experience and I loved it. I can't wait to experience that again.

The romance in this novel is just what I've come to expect from this author. I was given the perfect romance. It had the perfect amount of romance and emotional bonding, that I've come to expect and love from Sarah Sundin. The struggles they both went through made them stronger and made their love even more sweet and I loved it so much.

The part I liked most about the story was the message or lesson on there. It was all about trusting in God to lead you where He wants you whether you're like Georgie and you are afraid to make a mistake or whether you're like Hutch and charge ahead without asking what God wants. It was a message I need to hear over and over again because I tend to be like Hutch so to read this book really helped with that.

The World War II time frame is one of my favorite time to read about and so I grab as many of them as I can, but the person who does them the best, by far, is Sarah Sundin. Her research is impeccable and her knowledge of time period and the care and morale of the soldiers is astounding and I eat up her books like a chocolate cupcake, very quickly. I absolutely can't wait for the third book in this series and to see who falls in love next, though I have an idea.

Overall, I loved this book. I literally don't have any complaints about it and thought it was absolutely perfect as is. This book is perfect for people like me who love WWII romances and love Sarah Sundin. However, it's probably best to keep this book out of the hands of your children, teens and younger, and only in yours. I give this book a five out of five.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.*