Rae's Writing Cafe

I love how the aroma of fresh book releases leads me to another great read! At the beginning of the year I made a point to keep a list of the top 10 books of the  year. So far that list has grown, but this month a new leader has topped off that list.   I picked up Rachel Hauck's Once Upon A Prince because of author's fantastic reviews--word of mouth so-to-speak. I'm not a big reader on modern romances but my mind is always open to something new. And from what I heard, this book was "something new".  I loved it. Plain and simple, I could NOT put this book down. I wasn't satisfied until I knew what path the hero and heroine chose to take. Rachel Hauck had all the elements, ingredients, and personalities to create a beautifully written and woven story of secret identities, damsel in distress, and two worlds colliding together in a match that was sure to crash and burn. If one were to ask me which book to pick up right now I'd have to say, Once Upon...

The mind of a reader can never be stretched too far. With each book picked from the shelf a whole new world is unlocked as the front cover is lifted, opened by hands eager to explore its contents.   There are many exotic places to embrace, elements of time to capture, and new people for me to meet-all sitting on my book case and waiting for me to arrive. I'm always sorry I cannot spend more time in novels, but I know they will be there when the time comes.   ...and the time has come for me to introduce you to another novel by another wonderful author:            Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer's sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her but instead must identify her body. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan. Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When ...

I'm continuing my January book reviews with Sarah Sundin's third novel release, Blue Skies Tomorrow, her final installment of the Wings of Glory series.     Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but at least his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life. As he courts Helen Carlisle, a young war widow and mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work, the sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. After Ray leaves to fly a combat mission at the peak of the air war over Europe, Helen takes a job in a dangerous munitions yard and confronts an even graver menace in her own home. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? And can their young love survive until blue skies return? Filled with tender romance, witty dialogue, and suspense this book has it all! It's a great read for the weekend and its characters will warm your heart despite the plummeting temp...

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up." Sarah Sundin's debut novel, A Distant Melody, is a must read!! I cannot stress it enough. Both men and women will be drawn into this beautifully written story page after page. Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart? ...

“Book Review Friday”   It’s November. It’s cold. It’s time to curl up on the sofa with another good book. Today’s book recommendation is another beautifully written story set during World War II time period. When I began this book I could not put it down. I fell in love with the characters and the sweet story that protruded from its pages. Author, Cara Putman tells the beautiful tale of two individuals on two life journeys whose paths cross in her first book in the Cornhusker Dreams series, Canteen Dreams…     In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Audrey Stone wants to help in the war effort. But what's a young schoolteacher from Nebraska to do? When her community starts a canteen at the train station, Audrey finds her place. She spends nearly every spare moment there, offering food and kindness to the soldiers passing through. Despite her busyness, Audrey does allow some time to get to know a handsome rancher. Willard Johnson worries about his brothe...

"Book Review Friday"   1 Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."       Sarah Sundin's debut novel, A Distant Melody, is a must read!! I cannot stress it enough. Both men and women will be drawn into this beautifully written story page after page. Here is the blurb from the back cover: Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval--even marry a man she doesn't love. Lt. Walter Novak--fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women--takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt's muddy bomber base in England and Allie's mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can th...

“ Book Review Friday” Psalm 123:1 “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.”   The weekend has come upon us once more and I have another great book for you to curl up on the sofa with… A good read for both men and women alike, “Dawn of a Thousand Nights” by Tricia Goyer, is the most historically correct World War II novel I’ve ever read! I chose this book for today’s review because of its compelling story of tragedy, love, honor and faith. It is the 2 nd book in Tricia Goyer’s World War II Liberator’s Series. The story follows two pilots from the December 7 th attack on Pearl Harbor, through the brutal Bataan Death March, and concludes with the end of the war in 1945. If you like World War II fighter planes, gripping tales of Prisoners of War, edge-of-your-seat combat, and a classic love story, this book is for you!   Check out Tricia Goyer’s new book, “The Memory Ja...

**Book Review Friday**   It’s the unofficial start to the weekend! Are you looking for a good book to read? Each Friday I will post a new review on novels I have recently read. Please be sure to check them out!     Today’s Book Review: “This Fine Life” by Eva Marie Everson Although not set during World War II, Eva Marie Everson does take you back in time to the 1960’s and into the lives of two people who are aristocratically polar opposites. Mariette Putnam’s life after boarding school is being fashioned by the aspirations of her parents. Uncertain where she wants her own life to lead, she tries to find her own way. But before she can make up her mind, the handsome Thayne Scott sweeps her off her feet. Knowing her parents would disapprove of her evolving relationship with Thayne, Mariette deceives her mother and father and elopes. Broken relationships, blinded eyes, and harsh realities of life threaten the newlywed’s bond. I’m sure you will...