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Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Book Review - THE SEA BEFORE US by Sarah Sundin


Sometimes I think Sarah Sundin must be a time traveler. Her books make you feel as though you are right there in the middle of World War II with the heroes and heroines. You can almost hear the roar of the fighter engines and the terrifying whine and whump! of bombs dropping around you. I love a good Christian WWII novel, and Sarah Sundin perhaps writes them best of all. The Sea Before Us is the first of three in the Sunrise and Normandy series.

The first impression I had of this book was that the girl in the picture looked awfully pale and, well, that little half-smile made me wonder if she was a nice person. And then I read the book, and I understood!

Dorothy Fairfax has a goal. Her job as a Wren is to provide information regarding the Normandy coast for the upcoming invasion there. Her concentration, though, is disrupted by the presence of Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Eaton, the one man in her dreams. Her main goal in life is to become Mrs. Eaton. Her nickname as a child had been Jolly Dolly for good reason. But Lawrence prefers a woman who is composed, urbane, and droll. So she covers her freckles with powder and practices composure, urbanity, and drollness: hence the pale, composed, droll-smiling girl on the cover.

Wyatt Paxton lives with a burning conscience, one that tortures him constantly: he was the reason for one of his brothers' (Adler's) fiance's death, plus he stole $2,000 meant for his youngest brother's medical education. At the time, it seemed his only recourse--Adler wanted to kill him, and Wyatt had to get away. Now, years later, he's struggling to sock away that $2,000, plus interest. He can't go back home and ask forgiveness until he can pay it back.

Wyatt finds himself very interested in Dorothy, and even from the beginning you can see these two need to get together. Maybe if you got the book you could encourage them. Available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as your favorite neighborhood bookstore. Plus--read below. Sarah Sundin is providing some prizes available only until Sunday.

I received this book free from the publisher. No positive review was required, and the opinions and evaluations are my own.

Don't miss this!
I got this email from the author on Tuesday:
To celebrate the release of The Sea Before Us, I'm giving away a prize pack of items I picked up in England and Normandy on my research trip! Come join me on Facebook Live Video on my Facebook author page today, February 6, 2018 at 11 am PST/2 pm EST. I'll describe the items and their significance to the story! The video will be available for viewing afterwards as well.
To help you get "In the Mood" for the story, I'm giving away a package including:
  • The Sea Before Us totebag
  • Teas from London in decorative tins
  • A tea infuser spoon
  • Jams from Harrod's in London
  • Walker's shortbread in a Scottie dog tin
  • Tea towel with Wrens poster, from the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth
  • "Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain" from the Imperial War Museum
  • "Victory in the Kitchen: Wartime Recipes" from the Imperial War Museum
  • British Home Front replica pack of brochures and ration books, from the Imperial War Museum
  • Souvenir London notepad and pen
  • Sand I collected from Omaha Beach, in a commemorative jar
  • Commemorative D-day pen
  • Postcards from Vierville-sur-Mers, Longues-sur-Mer, and the Imperial War Museum
The giveaway is open February 6-11, 2018. US addresses only please. The winner will be announced on February 12, 2018.

Enter on my blog or on my Facebook author page. If you're unable to do that, please send me an email.


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