But overall it was just beautiful, so entrancing, and I dove into book 3 immediately after finishing.

Some moments were definitely harder to bear though, and although this novel was not just 'sad', it was undoubtedly the sadder of the three, and had a few scenes where I nearly cried. I loved, loved seeing the characters from book 1 again and having them just keep going with the story. Christian principles were artfully woven throughout and it created a credible, inspiring story. It wasn't just a love story of two people engaged to another (respectively), it was a also a journey of self-discovery. The heroine's inner conflicts were incredibly well drawn out, and the way she tried so hard to overcome her fears and be a better person added a whole new dimension to the story. I found On Distant Shores to be particularly inspiring in that area. One of the things I love the most about Sundin's characters is how they have to go through personal struggles to help them grow and correct a certain character flaw about themselves. I looooved Georgie from book 1 and was SO excited to read her story!! It was definitely sadder and more heart-wrenching than I'd bargained for, but overall it was so good, I couldn't put it down. It was so easy to loose myself again completely in Sarah Sundin's World War II atmosphere, and seeing all the characters again was so much fun! I loved how it didn't pick up where the previous ended, but started further back so we could really get in context and know what had happened to the secondary characters of With Every Letter before the end.

On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin