Five Fall Favorites {Clean, Christian Romance + Benches}

Good morning, all! Welcome to day two of the FFF book party and blog hop! :D We're already over halfway toward the 75 giveaway entrants needed for a second place prize to be added. So don't forget to enter!

(Psst! This is my 250th post! ^_^) 

Today we are the bench room! Have a seat on one of these cute little park benches and meander on down the list to find yourself the perfect reading material for a lovely fall day! 

TUESDAY: CLEAN, CHRISTIAN ROMANCE

A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin // Wings of Glory, book #1

Will a chance meeting in a time of war change her life forever?

Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval - even marry a man she doesn't love. While Allie has nearly resigned herself to that fate, 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 and 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 1 in the Wings of Glory series, A Distant Melody is an exciting and tender story of love, courage, and sacrifice during World War II.

A Distant Melody was one of the first books I read in the world of WWII fictions. And, oh my goodness, it's so amazing. Beautifully written, it's a book of real characters, sweet love, and raw, painful war-hurt. It's also had a great deal of impact in guiding me though writing my own WWII novel. ;) Very dear and precious to me, this one will always rank at the top of my favorite books, and I plan to re-read it again and again. <3 

A Cousin's Promise by Wanda E. Brunstetter // Indiana Cousins, book #1 

Love is a promise - for better or worse.  

When a group of eight cousins and friends leaves their Indiana Amish community for a weekend getaway, a horrific accident brings them home forever changed. 

Permanently disabled by the accident, Wayne Lambright struggles to take care of himself. He can’t imagine being able to be the kind of husband his fiancée, Loraine Miller, needs. Determined to sacrifice his happiness to give her a better life, he breaks their engagement. 

When Loraine’s old boyfriend Jake Beechy returns from exploring the English world, Wayne does everything in his power to help Jake regain Loraine’s love. Loraine refuses to believe Wayne doesn’t love her anymore. For better or worse, Loraine wants to be Wayne’s wife, but if he won’t agree, should she promise her love to Jake? How will God work to bring Loraine the true desires of her heart? 

As many of you already knew, I enjoy reading in the Amish genre. Actually, I used to read much, much more of it than I have lately. But this book has always, and will always, be one of my favorites. It 'sets the stage' for the rest of the trilogy, throughout which the characters deal with the aftermath of a horrific accident. It's probably weird, but I love stories that deal with injuries and hospitals. This one has all of that, and the ending is so sweet! I've read this book four (or five?) times and I want to read it again soon. :) 

A Christmas Peril by Diane Moody // The Teacup Novellas, book #5 

Lucy Alexander's Teacup Novellas were inspired by a collection of vintage teacups her Aunt Lucille bequeathed to her. She's excited about writing the next book in the series, a Christmas tale loosely based on her aunt and uncle's love story set in the 1940s. But when a hostage situation lands Lucy's boyfriend in the hospital, she sets her work aside to keep a bedside vigil with Mark. As the long hours of waiting stretch on, Lucy starts to read her beloved aunt's handwritten diary. Shocked to discover a frightening story so eerily similar to the one she's living, Lucy longs to find hope and encouragement in the pages of Lucille's diary.

December 1944 - "The most wonderful things seem to happen when you least expect them," writes Lucille Alexander after a serendipitous meeting with Gary Reynolds, a handsome lieutenant home on leave from the war in Europe. The two are inseparable in the five precious days he has left before heading back overseas just weeks before Christmas. On their last morning together, Lucille accompanies Gary to the train station, already dreading the long separation ahead. But that would be the least of her worries after her brave lieutenant rushes to help an elderly woman in distress.

Lucy finds a strange solace in her namesake's ink-stained journal. Though seventy years have passed between them, would their stories have the same ending?

When I imagine a perfect book (in my opinion, of course), this is about what comes to mind. The historical aspect of WWII, the enjoyableness of contemporary, the sweet love story, and the – like I mentioned above – the injured-human/hospital scenes thing. Perfect for Christmas time, this sweet novella is not to be missed! 

This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof 

There is nothing extraordinary about Tucker O’Shay’s dreams. Go to college. Become president. Fall in love. And pretend like he has enough time to get it all done.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Miller doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary when she begins her first day at the one-room-school house in her new hometown of Rocky Knob. But when she meets seventeen-year-old Tucker O’Shay—the boy with the fatal illness who volunteers to tutor her in algebra—she finds herself swept up in a friendship that changes the way she sees the world and a love that changes her life. 

(Finally! A book that doesn't start with 'A'... :P) Tucker and Sarah's romance was so endearing and innocent. Beautiful and bittersweet, this little novella shattered my heart into teeny-tiny shards. And yet I love it? That seems to be the thing with me and Ms. Joanne's writing; I know it will hurt, and yet I let myself love it anyway. 

The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson // A Medieval Fairy Tale, book #2 

What happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?

The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character.

Avelina is only responsible for two things: making sure her deception goes undetected and avoiding being selected as the margrave’s bride. Since the latter seems unlikely, she concentrates on not getting caught. No one must know she is merely a maidservant, sent by the Earl of Plimmwald to stand in for his daughter, Dorothea.

Despite Avelina’s best attempts at diverting attention from herself, the margrave has taken notice. And try as she might, she can’t deny her own growing feelings. But something else is afoot in the castle. Something sinister that could have far worse—far deadlier—consequences. Will Avelina be able to stop the evil plot? And at what cost?

After hearing many good things about Melanie Dickerson's retellings, I decided I must give them a try. I read book-1 (The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest) followed quickly by this one. Both were great, but I believe this was my favorite – I could relate to the 'leading lady' better. Aside from the romance, the mystery and medieval setting were amazing! Although they're definitely connected, this book could be read without having first reading book-1. I'm looking forward to reading book-3 soon too! :D 

Read my full review here.

Are you enjoying the party? What's your favorite Christian romance? :D

~Faith 

P.S. Blogger decided to work against me and erase much of this post last night. So...hopefully the second write-up is somewhere near as good and informative as the first was. :P