Sundin did an outstanding job with her treatment of Clay's struggle to understand the biblical meaning of forgiveness.

I was looking forward to how Clay's story would develop after all of his mistreatment that was revealed in the previous two books, and this book did not disappoint. Sarah Sundin's Sunrise at Normandy series is now competing with her Wings of the Nightingale series as my favorite. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and I purchased a paperback copy from Amazon. I will definitely be reading more from this author and am looking forward to her next book. I recommend this book and the rest of the series to teens and adults who enjoy historical fiction. As a word of caution, I just want to warn readers that upsetting events occur, including a rape, though it is dealt with in a way that isn't graphic. She also weaves biblical truth unapologetically into her books. Sarah Sundin is a master at writing historically accurate novels that touch the reader's heart while being convicting and encouraging at the same time. Clay was also a likable character, as well as Rita Sue. My heart broke for Leah, and I found myself tearing up a couple of times as I read. The D-Day invasion was described with such detail that I felt like I could have been watching a good war movie.

The characters, setting, and situations seemed so realistic. I loved this book just as much as the first two. Clay and Leah will try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, but could they possibly learn to love each other in the process? Clay is still hurting from his brothers' betrayal and is having a hard time forgiving them. Clay saves her virtue by marrying her, since his recurring dream seems to be telling him that he will die soon anyway. When Leah is assaulted and left for dead, Clay Paxton comes to her aid. Now she is eighteen, and she gets a job working in Tullahoma, Tennessee as a library aide at the Army Rangers facility in 1943, at the height of World War II. She was adopted separately from her two sisters, and soon after that she was left at another orphanage. Leah Jones is an orphan who has not had a true home or family since her parents died when she was four years old. This is the third and final installment in the Sunrise at Normandy series and is best read in order.

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin