Carve Me a Melody (A Music Box Romance Book 2)

WWII war widow Sophie Wright has just moved back to Aspen Falls with her two children, Garth and Maggie. Almost immediately, her brother Keith introduces her to carpenter Leland Halverson in the hopes they’ll hit it off. Leland is shy and reserved and reluctant to pursue Sophie. He has a dark secret he feels would tear them apart, and he’s afraid to be hurt. Sophie meets ex-aviator David Alexander shortly afterwards. David has it all – a war record, a family business he now runs, prestige, good looks, and he claims he loves Sophie. But Sophie, too, has a dark secret she is afraid to share with anyone. Until she is free of her secret, she’ll never be free to share her heart.

In “Carve Me a Melody”, Ms. Christensen creates an authentic picture of America as it was immediately after WWII. One feels as though they are there, suffering through the sugar, coffee, and gas rationing. The haunting melody of a music box snakes its way through the story, bringing so many different people together who have one thing in common – they all suffer from a deep sorrow, and the melody brings sweet healing. David Alexander has little depth and is shallow from the time he makes his first appearance. That minor flaw aside, “Carve Me a Melody” is a beautifully written, poignant story that eagerly embraces the past and makes it real to the reader.

Belinda Wilson