The Land Beneath Us
(Sunrise at Normandy #3)
Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and belong to the community, even as she uses her spare time to search for her real family—the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago.
After Clay saves Leah’s life from a brutal attack, he saves her virtue with a marriage of convenience. When he ships out to train in England for D-Day, their letters bind them together over the distance. But can a love strong enough to overcome death grow between them before Clay’s recurring dream comes true?
Review:*I received an early copy from the publisher. This does not affect my review.*This one was different from my normal reads, in many ways really. I don’t often read historical fiction, and when I do it’s often set somewhere in Europe during the Holocaust (like The Book Thief and the Zion Covenant series), or early to pre-US history like Redeeming Love or about the settlers. This one hits a little closer to home. Both that the time-period are closer than many I’ve read, and that while it does take place during WWII and much of it is about the war in Europe, the characters also have strong ties and deep roots to their home in the US. They didn’t want to leave their home, but were subject to circumstance, and I felt from the start, that makes them all the more realistic.
I loved getting to know Clay and Leah, and I admit I enjoy both characters fairly early on, which doesn’t always happen for me, and made reading this a nice treat! A lot happens, and I haven’t read the other two books in the series yet, but I understood enough in this one, that they can be read as stand-alones, but I’m sure it’s much more enjoyable to have all the little details and subtle mentions of things that happened in the other books. That said, I look forward to going back and reading them soon! I loved reading this, and it’s books like this that keep me coming back to a genre I don’t read very often, for the little dose of reality mixed with a well written romance and plenty of supporting friends.