Nightingale by Susan May Warren
November 1st 2010 by Summerside Press

Paperback, 320 Pages

Review Copy

Book Synopsis

Esther Lange doesn’t love her fiancé—she’s trapped in an engagement after a mistaken night of passion. Still, she grieves him when he’s lost in battle, the letters sent to her by the medic at his side giving her a strange comfort, so much that she strikes up a correspondence with Peter Hess, an Iowa farmboy. Or is he? Peter Hess is not who he seems. Indeed, he’s hiding a secret, something that could cost them both their lives, especially when the past comes back to life. A bittersweet love song of the home front war between duty and the heart...a battle where only one will survive. (Publisher Description)

Review

In the beginning of Nightingale Esther finds herself on a ledge with Charlie...a war patient contemplating suicide. As Esther begins to coax Charlie away from a deathly fall, she cant help but think maybe jumping off and flying away would end the pain in her own heart. Reality hits hard and the love of her daughter Sadie keeps Esther's feet on the ground and brings her back home to the attic they are living in.

Esther wasn't always a single mom living in an attic with people who hated her.....once she was a carefree girl, living life, training to be a nurse and making pretty good choices. Catching the eye of a handsome solider changes everything. The two spend a small amount of time together and one night after a passionate dance, out of desperation from the war and the urgency to make a make an intimate connection, Esther and Linus take that dance to the back seat of his Ford. Even though the two never had intentions to be together in the future that night results in Esther's subsequent pregnancy and Linus already being in love with another woman bitterly sends Esther to live with his parents. Alone, scared and without any support from family she does just that...runs to Linus's parents.When Esther receives the "Goodbye" letter sent by a medic named Peter upon Linus's death, clearly she cant help but feel relieved. Already she thinks she's being punished by God for her mistake and thinks perhaps this could be her freedom out of the situation, only Linus's parents are unaware of his death and Esther fears the power his father posses and will take Sadie away from her. So Esther keeps quiet and waits for official word from the Military and strikes up a correspondence with the man who sent her the original letter. Slowly over the course of writing back and forth,  Esther and Peter develop a friendship that turns into love, but the past comes to haunt both of them as Esther finds out who Peter really is and Peter finds out whats lurking around the corner for Esther.

Susan has a unique gift that creates beautiful heroines and relatable characters. From page one this stunning and romantic war story entangled me. Esther was a deeply developed character easy to identify with in the pain of her mistake and believing herself to be unredeemable. I wanted to high five her when she stood up for herself (my favorite with the water) and I wanted to cry with her when she felt there was no hope left. A touching story about courage, love and forgiveness.

Rating

A fabulous read recommended to those who love historical fiction. While nothing graphic is told in this story topics include: One night stand, mild sensuality, pregnancy, war, attempted suicide, violence and murder.

4/5- Christian Historical Fiction

Thanks to Litfuse and Summerside Press for Review Copy

About the Author

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/. To purchase Nightingale check out: http://www.christianbook.com/nightingale-susan-warren



Nightingale is about letters, the power of written correspondence to convey thoughts and emotions to those far away. And sometimes near. Letters are forever, they are something we savor and pull out to read again and again. They are often cherished and kept in a special place. To celebrate the release of Nightingale, Susan would like you to write a letter. One grand prize winner will receive a Flip HD Camcorder. 5 runner's up winners will win a signed copy of Nightingale. There are two ways to enter the contest by writing letters.

1. Write a letter to a soldier. At the end of the contest we’ll print out and mail your letter for you.

2. Write a letter to a friend, loved one, family member, enemy. Tell them something you wished you’d told them before. Tell them you love them, or maybe how they touched your life. Perhaps an apology is in order or a thank you. Or perhaps you'd like to relate a funny tale or just share life. Whatever it is, submit it here along with your email address and we’ll send it for you. To Enter simply click on the button above.

Check out the remaining Blog tour schedule: www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/nightingale-by-susan-may-warren.html

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