The Sea Before Us

I got book 3 in this series from NetGalley to read/review, so was suuuuper happy to find I already owned this one (book 1)!

I blitzed through it—no pun intended to its WWII setting—and not because I was in a rush to get to book 3. I do, after all, also have to read book 2 first!

No, I read it in 2 days because I had to find out what was going to happen with Wyatt and Dorothy. Pardon me as I quote “You’ve Got Mail” and how much Kathleen Kelly adores “Pride and Prejudice,” wondering if Elizabeth and Darcy will ever get together. That was me and this book, in the best way.

And, there’s a reason Sarah Sundin is my go-to WWII author...she’s amazing. The depth of research she does for (and includes in) every book makes me show more wonder how there’s anything left to tell in anew book, let alone a series...but there is!! I got so immersed in the days leading up to D-Day, it was hard to come back to present day sometimes.

SO GOOD. show less

This first in a new series "Sunrise at Normandy" details the exploits of the oldest of three Texas brothers, tragically estranged through incidents of jealousy, accidental death, and betrayal. Wyatt Paxton leaves his home after being accused of the accidental death of his middle brother's fiancee. He ultimately enlists in the U.S. Navy and is tasked to serve in London during preparations for D-Day. There he becomes acquainted with a young English "Wren", the equivalent of the U.S. Navy Waves. Dorothy Fairfax has her own personal demons to fight, and the two become friends as they work together. I found the story line that was personal to Paxton and Fairfax intriguing and engaging, but there is also considerable detail shared about the show more actual preparations for the D-Day invasion, as well as a couple of chapters detailing the naval aspect of the assault on Omaha Beach. For me, these proved tedious, and I confess I skipped through them rather briefly and may have missed important aspects of the story as a result. For this reason alone, the story rates just three stars from me, whereas I might have given it four stars had there been less war detail in the book. show less

“Adultery. Betrayal. Theft. Fraud. Lies.” (P260) love. War. Family. England. What a story! This was my first book by Sarah Sundin and it definitely won’t be my last. She is an excellent storyteller. The pages flow together into a seamless work. I looked down and I had read 50 pages. She is a superb researcher. So many details go into the work and it is amazing. I’ve read a lot of World War II stories and it sometimes feel like stories all blend together. They’re so similar. But this story is different. I had never read a story about Normandy and the Navy side of it. It was intriguing and stimulating in a way I didn’t expect. The ways her characters deal with their issues in a realistic way was exceptional. There were plot show more twists and turns that were totally unexpected. It is definitely not a predictable book! The love story pulls it all together and really makes it one of the best books on WWII I’ve read in a long time. Can’t wait for book 2!
I received a copy of this book from Revell publishing in exchange for my honest review. I was in no way required to write a positive review. show less

Sarah Sundin is a master of World War II women's fiction. I have read all of her work and find her stories to be extensively researched, believable, and always interesting.

I especially enjoy the characters and family units she develops and often miss them when I finish the last page of a trilogy. (This is especially true of her first trilogy, "Wings of Glory," which I read years ago and still fondly remember.)

In the first volume of her new "Sunrise at Normandy" series, Sarah moves from relatively peaceful stateside Boston (as in her "Waves of Freedom" series) to turbulent England on the verge of the European invasion.

Once again she shows womens' important contributions to the war effort while giving insight into everyday life, show more including friendship, faith, and love, during a time of war. Bravo! show less

Sundin continues to focus on the WWII era in her inspirational historical novels. "The Sea Before Us" is the first entry in a new series Sunrise at Normandy and may be her best series to date, if this novel is any indication.

Wyatt Paxton is suffering severe pangs of guilt and inadequacy. A sudden unexpected tragedy tore his family apart, and his subsequent behavior has left him deeply ashamed and anxious to make atonement. He has turned to his faith to seek forgiveness, and while he believes in forgiveness, he finds it hard to personally accept it. He is obsessed with "doing the right thing" as atonement.

Dorothy Fairfax, on the other hand, is dealing with family tragedies of her own. Her mother has died in an air raid, and her two show more brothers have died in the fighting. Only her father remains, and he has turned in upon himself, ignoring his daughter, his business and his own health. Convinced that she is fundamentally unlovable, Dorothy is turning herself inside out to become a different woman, with the kind of looks an personality that would attract the childhood friend of her brothers, a British naval officer and ladies man of considerable repute. Even if this woman bears almost no resemblance to the real Dorothy.

Reluctantly, these two lost souls are drawn to each other, despite their reservations. Dorothy encourages Wyatt to reconcile with his family while he still has them, and Wyatt tries to help Dorothy see that her natural self is lovable to her father, to Wyatt and to God. But there may be no time for anything deeper to blossom, as D-Day is looming just ahead.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The characters were likable, without being unrealistically wonderful. The religious content flowed as a natural part of the story and the characters rather than reading as inserted sermons. And the historical background, especially how the beaches at Normandy were mapped out in incredible detail ahead of the invasion based on vacation snapshots collected from British holiday makers. A wonderful read all around.

I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

Yet another stunning novel by Sarah Sundin! The Sea Before Us was everything I hoped for and more. Sarah managed to weave a sweet romance between the bitterness of war and the disillusionment of misplaced expectations. With a prologue that will reel you in and many unanswered questions about the Fairfax family, this story of forgiveness, both human and Devine, as well as characters riddled with flaws and brimming with honesty and potential, will hold you captive until the end.

As we follow the stories of American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton and "Wren" (Women's Royal Naval Service) officer Dorothy Fairfax, the picture of London before D-day becomes clear and vivid. Wyatt, a Texas boy at heart, finds himself working in London preparing show more for the "big day" alongside Dorothy who has eyes only for a handsome officer she's known since childhood.
Tensions rise, both on the war field and off, but the thing I loved the most about this story was the realness of Sarah's characters. It's not easy to create believable issues (both past and present) without things becoming too heavy to bear or too fake to trust. Sarah uses her characters to point out fundamental truths of the heart as much as she shows the raw and honest struggle with forgiveness.

I flew through this book not only due to the easy style of Sarah's writing (something I've always admired about her books) but because the plot was well paced and the character struggles easy to believe. The setting only enhanced the experience and left me feeling like I'd walked out of my own personal experience of WWII.

Highly recommended to those who love Christian historical fiction, sweet romance, and fans of all things WWII. You will find this book chocked full of realistic detail and a sense of the time period that will transport you back in time to a lesser known aspect of D-day.

I'm already looking forward to book 2!

_______________
I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own. show less

Wyatt Paxton is a lieutenant in the US Navy. Dorothy Fairfax is a first officer in the Women's Royal Naval Service. Both of these divisions of the US and UK military are working closely together to plan the invasion of Normandy in June of 1944, which is when Wyatt and Dorothy meet. Dorothy's job is to piece together thousands of holiday pictures of the beaches of France so that Wyatt can make informed decisions for the invasion. Though Wyatt is drawn to Dorothy, she has her eyes set on another man...who has his eyes set on several other women. Both have to find a way to keep romantic entanglements, as well as other family drama, from distracting them from the ultimate goal--winning the war.

What I liked about this book is that it was not show more just about the romance. Wyatt and Dorothy both had a lot of other things going on in their lives, and that's besides the looming invasion. In fact, the romance plot line is what detracted the most, or at least a particular aspect of it, as I'll explain a bit further below. Overall, though, the book was engaging, enjoyable to read, and clearly well-researched.

The book begins by showing an incident in Wyatt's past that haunts him throughout the book. It was especially interesting to me, because I've already read book #3 in this series and knew of the event, and now got to see it happen. Wyatt himself was a great character--great guy with a lot of depth, and I had an easy time imagining his Texas drawl, because his dialog was well-written. Feeling guilty about his part in the incident that happened before he joined the Navy, Wyatt sees himself as a prodigal son, leaning on God to get him through this tough time, and sharing his faith with Dorothy.

Dorothy had a lot more going on in her story, but I liked her less. She was a good daughter, and not necessarily mean to Wyatt (for the most part). But frankly, it took her way too long to see Eaton, her crush, for what he really was. There were times I was sure she was on the turning point, but she just kept pushing Wyatt aside in her mind and crushing on Eaton. And why was she so set on this? Because of what I felt was the weakest part of the book--her mother once told her that she regretted marrying her father, because he was boring, and she needed excitement. Her mother said that Dorothy was just like her, and warned her to marry someone exciting like Eaton. Why she wrote Wyatt off as "boring" so very quickly, I'm not sure, but she stuck by that assessment for far too long.

Other than a further contrivance later in the book, the rest of it was great. The book follows Wyatt into the invasion, from his position on a naval ship, and though a lot of the terminology was lost on me, I was caught up in it. There were several scenes in the last quarter of the book that made me so happy. In the end, I definitely recommend this book to all who enjoy Christian romance and Christian historical novels. show less