The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin
Victoria's rating: 4 of 5 bookmarks
Editor's Note: The Sea Before Us is Book #1 of the Sunrise at Normandy series.
Sarah Sundin is truly a master of historical fiction. I have experienced it once before when I had the privilege of reading one of her books, and this one was no different; it did not disappoint. She goes into such detail about the period and the tasks of the military that I was blown away, and I walked away from the book with so much more knowledge than I had before. Getting to be immersed in such an environment and knowing that it was incredibly accurate was not an experience I will soon forget. Sarah Sundin definitely does her research and it shows so well in this book.
The story itself was well done and I enjoyed it. I am a hardcore Anglophile, so the fact that the book was set in London for the most part with a main character who was so thoroughly British made me so happy. Dorothy was so well done, that even her mannerisms, phrases, speech, and even her internal thoughts were so full of English mannerisms that I loved it. Set in the backdrop of World War II and full of historical details, the slight hint of mystery and the romantic tension made this a page turner for sure.
The characters, for the most part, were loveable. Wyatt was my favorite. I could relate to him the most. His struggles and his thought patterns were so realistic and relatable. The one part where this felt a little off for me story wise was with Dorothy. I didn’t get a good reason until at least one-third of the book in as to why she was acting the way she was, which only left me frustrated at her instead of rooting for her. Thankfully, that was resolved later in the book and the reasoning explained, so that definitely helped. In general, Dorothy isn’t a character that I connected with all that much, but I was able to sympathize with her later in the story.
The battle scenes were so well described, I felt like I was there. I knew exactly what was going on, and that was so awesome and enjoyable. It is so exciting when an author makes history come to life, and Sarah Sundin did that. I look forward to hearing more about the Paxton family in the upcoming books.
This is a book that I think anyone with an interest in World War II would enjoy. The depth of character development on Wyatt would interest men as well as women.
Content Advisory: There were some mentions of impure premarital relationships as well as some hinting at spending the night together, etc. Numerous kisses from detailed to less so happened throughout the book. Minor Spoiler: Dorothy was seeing a man who was a bit of a womanizer and this plays a somewhat major point in the plot.
The story itself was well done and I enjoyed it. I am a hardcore Anglophile, so the fact that the book was set in London for the most part with a main character who was so thoroughly British made me so happy. Dorothy was so well done, that even her mannerisms, phrases, speech, and even her internal thoughts were so full of English mannerisms that I loved it. Set in the backdrop of World War II and full of historical details, the slight hint of mystery and the romantic tension made this a page turner for sure.
The characters, for the most part, were loveable. Wyatt was my favorite. I could relate to him the most. His struggles and his thought patterns were so realistic and relatable. The one part where this felt a little off for me story wise was with Dorothy. I didn’t get a good reason until at least one-third of the book in as to why she was acting the way she was, which only left me frustrated at her instead of rooting for her. Thankfully, that was resolved later in the book and the reasoning explained, so that definitely helped. In general, Dorothy isn’t a character that I connected with all that much, but I was able to sympathize with her later in the story.
The battle scenes were so well described, I felt like I was there. I knew exactly what was going on, and that was so awesome and enjoyable. It is so exciting when an author makes history come to life, and Sarah Sundin did that. I look forward to hearing more about the Paxton family in the upcoming books.
This is a book that I think anyone with an interest in World War II would enjoy. The depth of character development on Wyatt would interest men as well as women.
Content Advisory: There were some mentions of impure premarital relationships as well as some hinting at spending the night together, etc. Numerous kisses from detailed to less so happened throughout the book. Minor Spoiler: Dorothy was seeing a man who was a bit of a womanizer and this plays a somewhat major point in the plot.
(To view spoiler, drag your cursor over the blank space above.)
Victoria Lynn is a “Jane of all trades” who seeks to master them. She runs several small businesses and is the girl behind the blog, Ruffles and Grace. She is an Indie Author with a passion for literature and the written word. She lives in the glorious state of many lakes, Michigan, with her parents and eight siblings. She devours books and likes to say that if she could get paid for every book she has read, she would be a millionaire. Some of her favorite things to do include writing fiction, learning new things, acting, creating something with her hands and playing the piano or singing. She also is one of the founders of Ichthus Family Productions and seeks to honor the Lord in all that she does.
Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
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