The Sea Before Us

March 12, 2018
Sundin (A Distant Melody) displays her usual knack for weaving historical detail into a rousing war drama in this enjoyable launch of the Sunrise at Normandy series. Dorothy Fairfax is an officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (aka the Wrens), analyzing reconnaissance photos of the Normandy coast in order to create accurate maps for the upcoming invasion. The area is well known to her because she used to vacation in Normandy while growing up. She is teamed with American naval lieutenant Wyatt Paxton, a gentleman of faith who left home after being blamed for a tragic accident that killed his brother’s fiancée. As the operation takes shape, Dorothy’s childhood vacation home at Omaha Beach, set on a fortified bluff, becomes a potential rallying point for the Allies’ invasion. At first Dorothy and Wyatt’s relationship is strictly professional, but as D-Day approaches, their reliance on one another deepens. Their romance might have to wait, though; Dorothy feels she can’t leave her ailing father, whose business is failing, and Wyatt is still guilt-ridden over betraying his brothers before the war, a tortured past that makes him skeptical of forging a new relationship. When the invasion begins, both officers must make crucial decisions—in war and in love. Faith elements are strong, portrayed as more than mere emotional support; both Dorothy and Wyatt wrestle with and ultimately rely on God during the life-threatening trials they face. Sundin’s lively book combines heart-pounding war action with inspirational romance to great effect.

March 15, 2018

In 1944 London, as the Allied forces prepare for the Normandy invasion, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton and British Wren officer Dorothy Fairfax work to piece together a map of Omaha Beach and its surroundings, drawn in part from reconnaissance photos, Dorothy's memories, and snapshots of her childhood vacations. As D-Day draws closer, explosive family secrets are revealed with the potential to derail the couple's focus and jeopardize a crucial victory the Allies need. Sundin weaves a story that is part wartime romance and part suspense, bringing to life the months and days leading up to the Normandy invasion. Both the personal pain suffered by the protagonists and the intrigue revolving around Allied plans combine to make this a full-bodied story rich with historical details. VERDICT The author of When Tides Turn kicks off a new wartime series, mixing her usual excellent historical research with fast-paced, breathtaking suspense. World War II fiction is hot, and this period romance will have wide appeal.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2018
Having lost her mother and brothers to the war, Dorothy Fairfax now serves as an officer with the Women's Royal Navy Service and shares a department with the handsome though reserved American naval officer Wyatt Paxton. Wyatt, who fled his Texas home and family after a tragic accident, feels like the prodigal son in search of forgiveness from God and himself. Dorothy tries to convince herself she isn't running from past fears of rejection and misery. As an embezzlement accusation and a dark family secret implode, both Wyatt and Dorothy must find their way in uncharted waters. Sundin, author of the splendid Waves of Freedom series, which includes When Tides Turn (2017), begins a new naval WWII saga, Sunrise at Normandy, set in England before the Allies' Normandy landings. The first installment in the series is written with the unwavering excellence for which readers know and love Sundin, and its intensely personal portrait of those living through loss is stunning and tragic. With a commanding grasp of naval history, Sundin spotlights women in the war effort and immerses readers in the ups and downs of naval missions and military exercises as she leads up to a riveting climax in the waters off Omaha Beach.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)