Private Clay Paxton has a dream … of how he’s going to die.
Oddly enough, that gives him confidence to push through his training as a US Army Ranger, because he knows none of these dangerous activities are going to kill him. And if death is what God has called him to, then death is a sacrifice he will willingly make—even if that means denying his other dream, of being a doctor.
Leah Jones was raised in an orphanage, and works in the library at the Camp Forrest Army Base where Clay is training. The two become friends, bonding over a shared love of God and books (in that order). But when Leah is brutally attacked in the library, Clay saves her life and they enter into a marriage of convenience.
The Land Beneath Us impressed me.
Clay and Leah are both downtrodden characters—Clay because of his race, and Leah because she was an orphan, and “nice” children didn’t end up in orphanages. Both are estranged from their families—Leah knows she has twin sisters, but has no idea where they might live. Clay has two older brothers, one of whom stole his girlfriend, while the other stole his life savings and dream of medical school.
But both have a strong faith in God even in the dark times, and neither are bitter. Clay’s story is based on the story of the Prodigal Son, except Clay is the youngest and stayed home, where his older brothers both left. Despite the circumstances, Clay has forgiven both his brothers, but has no way to reconcile with them because he has no idea where they are. As such, it’s the Prodigal Son(s) with a twist, because Clay isn’t resentful.
The Land Beneath Us is the third book in Sarah Sundin’s Sunrise at Normandy series.
I haven’t read any of the others, and I don’t think I missed anything (although those who have read The Sea Before Us or The Sky Above Us will definitely want to read The Land Beneath Us to conclude the story of the three brothers).
Recommended for fans of historical Christian romance.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Sarah Sundin
Sarah Sundin is the author of The Sea Before Us and The Sky Above Us, as well as the Waves of Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale, and Wings of Glory series. Her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Her popular Through Waters Deep was a Carol Award finalist, and both Through Waters Deep and When Tides Turn were named on Booklist‘s “101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” Sarah lives in Northern California.
Find Sarah Sundin online at:
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About The Sky Beneath Us
In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers’ betrayal, Clay has only one thing to live for–fulfilling the recurring dream of his death.
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?
Find The Sky Beneath Us online at:
Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong
This is my book club’s March selection. We have loved this series and are excited to finally read the concluding book. Thanks for sharing your thougthts.
Thank you for the lovely review, Iola! I’m so glad you enjoyed Clay & Leah’s story!
You’re welcome! It’s great to see a story with the prodigal’s brother as the hero.