United We Stand: Candleshine/The Rising Son/Escape on the Wind/C for Victory

by Colleen L. Reece, Colleen L. Reece, Jane LaMunyon

In the global convulsion of World War II, millions of people find their lives in upheaval. From the homeland to the frontlines, American citizens are suddenly diverted off their chosen paths. They'll each fight a war - in their own way and with varying success, but always bound by the same cause. Can they see God's hand - and perhaps find romance - amidst the chaos? Under the community war efforts banner C for Victory, Ruth Sinclair works alongside Jim Griffin. He shares her faith and stirs her heart, but Ruth is officially committed to a fiance who is fighting oversees. A trip to Germany would help reporter Amanda Chase learn the truth about that country's new leader and expose it to the world. But if the quiet rumors are true, her Jewish relatives may be in danger - and Amanda could be swept into their struggle to Escape on the Wind. Keiko's traditional Japanese father has surprised her with an arranged marriage, but the bombing of Pearl Harbor has shattered the security of her world. Betrayed by the country she loves, with the world around her in a bitter conflict, can Keiko find happiness following The Rising Son? Nurse Candleshine Thatcher and pilot Jeffery Fairfax meet coincidentally...and face an inevitable good-bye. Theirs is a wartime romance, a wisp of a breeze in the sultry South Pacific, an impulsive promise made amid threats of invasion and attack. Faith unites these women...love gives them strength. Follow their stories through one of the most compelling periods of American history.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Fiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

COLLEEN L. REECE writes under the pen name Connie Loraine and is one of Heartsong's most popular authors. Colleen learned to read beneath the rays of a kerosene lamp. The kitchen, dining room, and her bedroom in her home near the small logging town of Darrington, Washington, were once a one-room schoolhouse where her mother taught all eight grades! An abundance of love for God outweighed the lack of electricity or running water and provided the basis for many of Colleen's 140+ books.

Her rigid "refuse to compromise" stance has helped sell more than 6 million copies that help spread the good news of repentance, forgiveness, and salvation through Christ. Colleen helped launch Barbour Publishing's Romance Reader flip books, the American Adventure series, and her own Juli Scott Super Sleuth Christian teen mystery series. In 1998 Colleen was inducted into the HeartSong Hall of Fame in recognition for her contribution to Heartsong's success.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the first story C For Victory by Joan Croston some time back.

The 2nd story: Escape on the Wind by Jane LaMunyon takes place in 1934. Right when Germany was starting to persecute the Jews but the rest of the world new nothing of it. This is an action packed, heart wrenching story. It is also a very captivating story to read. Amanda and Curly's story is well told.

Darlene Mindrup writes the 3rd story. The Rising Son.
I was so angry at hearing what happened to Americans just because they were Japanese until I realized some of this still happens today. Perhaps not camps but it is so easy to judge everyone who is a certain ethnicity by the wrong doing of people of the same.

Prejudice can be a tough thing to overcome but reading of the hurt it causes, hopefully will open our eyes and hearts.

Candleshine by Colleen Reece is the last story in United We Stand but it is the 2nd book to A Torch for Trinity. It is worth reading the first book as well.

Candleshine takes you in the trenches. The fear of being in the open ocean and on an island with the enemy searching for you in the air. Of losing those you love or not hearing from others for long periods. Of seeing the light goes out in those who were young and joyous at an earlier time of peace.

This is a book worth reading.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pretty much only read the third story in here, the other ones I tried and didn't care for. It was a beautiful story, about a Japanese girl who enters into an arranged marriage with a Japanese man she doesn't love, all during WWII, when American's held hostility against the Japanese.

That story was a little mature for younger readers, though there are NO details whatsoever, just a lot of things implied.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading all the stories in this book, they drew me in and took me back into their world.

[Deb Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four insightful stories of World War II. I found it difficult to read because of the teeny, tiny font. If I were younger with better eyes I would have loved it.