Sunrise at Normandy

The Sea Before Us

Published February 6th 2018

 by Revell

In 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. He works closely with Dorothy Fairfax, a "Wren" in the Women's Royal Naval Service. Dorothy pieces together reconnaissance photographs with thousands of holiday snapshots of France--including those of her own family's summer home--in order to create accurate maps of Normandy. Maps that Wyatt will turn into naval bombardment plans.

As the two spend concentrated time together in the pressure cooker of war, their deepening friendship threatens to turn to love. Dorothy must resist its pull. Her bereaved father depends on her, and her heart already belongs to another man. Wyatt too has much to lose. The closer he gets to Dorothy, the more he fears his efforts to win the war will destroy everything she has ever loved.

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Meet the Author:




Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the author of The Sea Before Us (February 6, 2018), the Waves of Freedom series (Through Waters Deep, Anchor in the Storm, When Tides Turn), the Wings of the Nightingale series, and the Wings of Glory series. Her novels Through Waters Deep and When Tides Turnwere named to Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Through Waters Deep won the 2016 INSPY Award and was a Carol Award finalist.

A mother of three, Sundin lives in northern California. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women's Bible studies. She enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers' groups.

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My Thoughts:

I was very excited to see Sarah Sundin was writing a new series, Sunrise at Normandy.  The release of the first book,  The Sea Before Us, she introduces us to the Paxton family from Texas where there are three boys of whom have reunited in celebration of Wyatt's graduation and return to Kerrville to take over as his father's manager of Paxton Trucking.  Wyatt is the oldest and this book follows his tour of duty with the Navy which takes him to Kensington, London, England.  

As Wyatt steps on foreign shores he's determined to put his troubled past behind him and put his training into action as plans are made for the naval bombardment of Normandy.  Wyatt is confronted with learning cultural differences between his upbringing and the English way of life.  Wyatt has a strong faith in God. 

Dorothy Fairfax is another key character in this story.  She and her father live in Kinsington where he runs a small railway shipping company.  Dorothy at present works for the Women's Royal Naval Service, WREN, for short where she pieces together photos from France that people have supplied them with.  It's a job she enjoys and is good at.  With the donation of photos they are looking for areas of weakness to this campaign, both where they could attack or be attacked during the bombardment.   She has known much sorrow in her short life.  She had lost both brothers to the war and her mother during the Blitz, when German bombers had blasted Britain almost every night for a year. With so much sorrow and the emotional distance from her father Dorothy finds herself in a crisis of faith.  

Wyatt and Dorothy work closely together in the maps area of the British Naval Building and a friendship quickly develops.  Dorothy gives him an insight into the life as it's been in London and the culture.  Wyatt truly enjoyed meeting her father and all the sights and knowledge she is giving him.  

This is a spectacular read!  

I was easily draw in from the first page. This is delicious story where characters find things more complicated than they ever imagined.  The wonderful imagery immediately brought the story to life for me.  The characters are complex and engaging.  Their turmoil was raw and real as shown by their emotions.  The secondary characters are well integrated into the story which brings a richness to the story.  There are twists and turns that bring a certain amount of suspense and unexpected mystery. This book brings elements of mystery, suspense, family values, faith, love, and lots of history.  This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves history and romance.  

**I received this book from the publisher as part of their book bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.