Speaking of historical fiction, I just discovered author Sarah Jio’s The Bungalow, “a heartfelt, engaging love story set against the fascinating backdrop of the war in the Pacific.” In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into something more. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world until they witness a gruesome crime. Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses – of life, and of love – that have haunted her for seventy years.

Fans of Nicholas Sparks and Kristin Hannah will likely enjoy Sarah Jio. I actually first heard about her in a Library Journal review for her newest title, Blackberry Winter – which of course, is now on my “To Read” list! You can check out her website too: www.sarahjio.com