Tag Archives: WWII

November/December Book Club Pick — Twelve Days And Twelfth Night

4 Nov

It has been a really busy year with not a lot of slowdown expected by the time it ends. My book club decided that we would meet early in December and skip a late in November discussion. We will all be in the Christmas mood, but glad for one thing to check off the to-do and to-read list. So, we will read Twelve Days And Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin in November, but celebrate in December. It seems a win-win for us — Sundin is a favorite of ours and to have a Christmas novella by her to read seems an extra treat. Have you read it yet? Let us know what you thought.

She needs a star for her wartime Christmas show. He needs a second chance. Together they stage a production neither expected.

World War II USO director Maggie Oliver faces an impossible task: orchestrate a Christmas show in San Diego for thousands of sailors, with dwindling resources and a quickly approaching deadline. To star in the show, she enlists Prescott Duke, a former Hollywood heartthrob whose career ended in flames after an accident left him scarred and adrift. He eagerly accepts Maggie’s invitation and seizes the chance to reclaim what war has stolen from him.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Maggie and Prescott craft a show at a Shakespearean theater that promises to lift spirits. But as rehearsals progress, Maggie discovers a secret that could transform her production into something unforgettable. With opening night approaching and unexpected feelings complicating everything, Maggie must decide how far she’ll go to rewrite not just her show but the outcome for everyone involved.

A romantic World War II Christmas novella of Hollywood stars and a holiday production. Perfect for fans of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the opposites-attract trope, redemption, and second chances.

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Twelve Days and Twelfth Night (September 2026), Mists over the Channel Islands (February 2026), Midnight on the Scottish Shore (2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series.

Sarah’s novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Until Leaves Fall in Paris received the 2022 Christy Award, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sound of Light was a finalist for both the Christy Award and the Carol Award, and When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were finalists for the Christy Award.

A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as co-director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.

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Top 10 Tuesday — Memories

6 Oct

Today on TTT, bloggers are charged with listing books that conjure up good memories. I’m going a step further and listing books with memory/memories in the title. Of all the books on the list that I have read (a few are still on my TBR shelves), I have very fond memories of wonderful writing. I hope you find one that will keep you remembering.

For more memory lane posts, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books with Memory/Memories in The Title

Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson

A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin

The Memory House by Rachel Hauck

Memory Lane by Becky Wade

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor

The Memory of You by Catherine West

Memory’s Door by James Rubart

With Every Memory by Janine Rosche

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If You Liked . . . Spies, Lies, And Alibis

30 Sep

My book club unanimously liked Spies, Lies, And Alibis by Natalie Walters. We met her in person at a book festival in our small town. After hearing from her in person we knew we needed to read this rom-com/suspense novel. It is as delightful as she is! If you haven’t read it yet, we recommend you do. And if you have and want more espionage in your reading time, please check out the four books I have recommended.

Book with Spies!

The Bachelor Spy by Pepper Basham — historical mystery with humor mixed in.

Midnight on The Scottish Shore — WWII spies

The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal — a modern day spy novel inspired by the Book of Job

To Outwit Them All by Peggy Wirgau — the real life story of George Washington’s spy ring

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Top 10 Tuesday — Fall TBR List

22 Sep

Happy Tuesday! Does it feel like Fall where you are? Are the mornings cooler, the trees sporting colors of red, yellow, and orange? Is there a scent of pumpkin spice in the air? LOL! Even if none of those things are appearing where you live, you can always count on a book to take you wherever you want to go.

This week bloggers are sharing their Fall TBR Lists. I have some fun books on mine, with some early Christmas vibes included. Tell me what you are reading.

For more terrific TBRs, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books on My Fall TBR List

Cascade by Linda K. Rodante

Fatal Finale by Nancy Mehl

The Heartfelt Formula by Leslie Kirby DeVooght

The Last Noel by Sarah Hamaker, Jayna Breigh, and Kimberly Woodhouse

Point of Revenge by DiAnn Mills

The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

South of Somewhere by T. I. Lowe

The Spring in Trulee Holler by Jana Hutcheson

Version 1.0.0

Twelve Days And Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin

Witness Protection by Robert Whitlow

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Top 10 Tuesday — Nationalities in The Title

1 Sep

Happy Tuesday! Today TTT bloggers are sharing books that have nationalities in the title. I had more books than I expected to choose from my shelves, but I did a bit of googling to round out my list. Asterisks denote books that I don’t own. Let me know if I should add them!

For more blogging fun, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books with Nationalities in The Title

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner

*An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann

The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

The Englisch Daughter by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall

The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron

*The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron

Midnight on The Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin

The Persian Gamble by Joel Rosenberg

Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham

The Swiss Nurse by Mario Escobar

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Top 10 Tuesday — Cities in Book Titles

25 Aug

Happy Tuesday! Today I am tweaking the TTT prompt just a bit. I am listing books I have read whose titles include real cities. I have visited some of those places (5 in fact!), but others I have only traveled to in my imagination via the books listed. I love how many different genres and time periods are represented — I hope you find one to schedule your next trip to!

For more bookish places to discover, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Books with Cities in The Titles

*denotes cities I have visited

A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar*

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar*

Embers in A London Sky by Sarah Sundin*

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton*

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal*

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Top 10 Tuesday — Most Anticipated Books of The Second Half of 2026

30 Jun

Happy Tuesday! Today TTT bloggers are sharing upcoming books that they cannot wait to read. It’s really hard to limit the list to just 10, but here goes.

For more books bloggers can’t wait for, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.

Books I Can’t Wait to Read (Releasing Second Half of 2026)

The Bachelor Spy by Pepper Basham (July)

Fatal Finale by Nancy Mehl (August)

Library of Forbidden Books by Mario Escobar (September)

The Resurrection of Evania James by Jaime Jo Wright (October)

The Second Chance Trailer Park by Katie Powner (July)

Taken without A Trace by Hope Welborn (August)

Things We Cannot Keep by Amanda Cox (August)

Twelve Days And Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin (September)

Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason (August)

When Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard (August)

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Book Review: Mists Over The Channel Islands

15 Jun

Sarah Sundin is one of my book club’s favorite authors. We were not disappointed with her latest WWII-era novel, Mists over The Channel Islands. If you are a fan of Sundin or like well-researched historical novels, you need to check this one out!

Behind enemy lines, adversary and ally become impossible to distinguish. 

The German invasion of the British Channel Islands shatters Dr. Ivy Picot’s peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father’s medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. As conditions worsen in Jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, Ivy’s quiet allegiance to the Allies compels her to risk everything by providing medical aid to escaped workers–even as danger closes in.

Dutch engineer and resistance member Gerrit van der Zee volunteers to build fortifications for the Germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the Allies. On his arrival in the Channel Islands, he crosses paths with Ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. As tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, Ivy and Gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. Will their covert efforts turn the tide–or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance?

Renowned WWII fiction author Sarah Sundin crafts a compelling historical romance featuring enemies-to-lovers, wartime resistance, and medical intrigue–a tale of loyalty, resilience, and courage when love and duty collide.

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Mists over the Channel Islands (February 2026), Midnight on the Scottish Shore (2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series.

Sarah’s novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Until Leaves Fall in Paris received the 2022 Christy Award, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sound of Light was a finalist for both the Christy Award and the Carol Award, and When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were finalists for the Christy Award.

A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as co-director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.

My Impressions:

Mists over The Channel Islands is another great WWII-era novel from Sarah Sundin. Sundin is a favorite of my book club, and this one did not disappoint us. There is so much to love about this book. First off, the setting. We knew little about the Channel Islands in general, specifically Jersey, but really didn’t know anything about the strategic position it holds in the English Channel and its role during WWII. It seemed inconceivable that this tiny island so close to England had been occupied by the Germans. The people had strong ties to Britain and many evacuated before the coming of the Germans. The experiences of those who remained are faithfully recreated in this novel. While there was no large resistance movement on the Channel Islands, the people chose small acts of defiance that yielded big results in the lives of its citizens, as well as those imprisoned by the Germans. Sundin’s characters, both main and secondary, are well-developed, and as a reader I soon became invested in their struggles. Individual heroism is juxtaposed against characters who collaborated with their occupiers. The book really portrays a balanced view of the island during that time. As always, Sundin presents thought-provoking themes and a strong faith thread that keeps the reader thinking, feeling, and turning the pages.

I highly recommend Mists over The Channel Islands for those who love novels set during WWII, for those who want a unique historical setting, and for those who love a good story told well. It achieved a unanimous thumbs-up from my book club!

Highly Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience: Adults.

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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If You Liked . . . Mists over The Channel Islands

29 May

I loved my book club’s selection this month. Sarah Sundin is one of our favorite authors, and her books never disappoint. Her latest WWII-era novel, The Mists over The Channel Islands, presents a little known or talked about story — the German occupation of the Channel Islands, specifically Jersey. The subject matter is fascinating and the characters are special. Make sure to read this one soon.

If you have already read (and loved) it, check out a few more book recommendations.

Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot

Years of Nazi occupation have stolen much from Brigitte Durand. Family. Freedom. Hope for a future, especially for a woman with a past like hers. But that changes the day American fighter pilot Tom Jaeger is shot down over occupied France. Picked up by the Resistance, Tom becomes the linchpin in their plan to infiltrate a Germans-only brothel and get critical intel out through Brigitte, a prostitute rumored to be sympathetic to the Allied cause.

D-day looms and everyone knows that invasion is imminent. But so is treachery, and the life of one American pilot unexpectedly jeopardizes everything. He becomes more important than the mission to a man who cannot bear to lose another agent and to a woman who is more than just a prostitute, who finally realizes that her actions could change the course of history.

The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. . . .

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar

Libraries are being ransacked. France is torn apart by war. A French librarian is determined to resist. Told through smuggled letters to an author, an ordinary librarian describes the brutal Nazi occupation of her small coastal village and the extraordinary measures she takes to fight back.

Saint-Malo, France: August 1939. Jocelyn and Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As World War II rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort and encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world.

France falls and the Nazis occupy Jocelyn’s town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city’s libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, and priceless knowledge is lost.

Risking arrest and even her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp.

Jocelyn’s mission unfolds in her letters: to protect the people of Saint-Malo and the books they hold so dear. Mario Escobar brings to life the occupied city in sweeping and romantic prose, re-creating the history of those who sacrificed all to care for the people they loved.

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First Line Friday — Mists over The Channel Islands

15 May

Happy Friday! My book club is discussing Mists over The Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin this month. It is a look at an unfamiliar (at least for us) chapter of WWII. It’s a fascinating story with characters you will love. Have you read it yet? We’d love to know what you thought.

If you haven’t, here’s the first line:

Words failed Dr. Ivy Picot, so she sketched her father with gray-flecked hair, packing to go to war.

Behind enemy lines, adversary and ally become impossible to distinguish. 

The German invasion of the British Channel Islands shatters Dr. Ivy Picot’s peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father’s medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. As conditions worsen in Jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, Ivy’s quiet allegiance to the Allies compels her to risk everything by providing medical aid to escaped workers–even as danger closes in.

Dutch engineer and resistance member Gerrit van der Zee volunteers to build fortifications for the Germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the Allies. On his arrival in the Channel Islands, he crosses paths with Ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. As tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, Ivy and Gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. Will their covert efforts turn the tide–or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance?

Renowned WWII fiction author Sarah Sundin crafts a compelling historical romance featuring enemies-to-lovers, wartime resistance, and medical intrigue–a tale of loyalty, resilience, and courage when love and duty collide.

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Mists over the Channel Islands (February 2026), Midnight on the Scottish Shore (2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series.

Sarah’s novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Until Leaves Fall in Paris received the 2022 Christy Award, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sound of Light was a finalist for both the Christy Award and the Carol Award, and When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were finalists for the Christy Award.

A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as co-director of the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.

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