Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox Book Review

About the Book:

Every family has its secrets. Josephina "Joey" Harris wouldn't mind if her family still had a few of their own after a lawsuit tarnishes their name. When an opportunity opens to become a temporary keeper of a decommissioned lighthouse on a North Carolina island, she takes the opportunity to escape the scrutiny of her small town to oversee its restoration.

Soon Joey discovers strange notes tucked deep in the crevices of the lighthouse's old stone walls--pages torn from a keeper's log recounting harrowing rescues at sea. When things start to go amiss on the island, locals are convinced that it is the ghost of the lighthouse keeper and his daughter who were lost at sea during World War II.

As Joey sifts through decades of rumors and legends and puts together the pieces of the past, a love story emerges--one that's clearly not over yet.

My Review:

This is an entertaining novel that combines some WW II east coast history with a contemporary Christian romance. The focus centers around the restoration of a lighthouse and I appreciated learning a bit about it with respect to the German submarines along the east coast.

There are several issues included in the plot, such as regret, family estrangement and second chances at life. The pace of the novel was such that I would not call it a page turner. I liked the characters involved, some hurting from past pain, some a bit quirky, and my favorite, a teen needing a good dose of mentoring love. There is a good faith message included. The plot was predictable, as is often the case with romance, but it is an entertaining novel with interesting historical asides and contemporary character growth.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Amanda Cox is the Christy Award-winning author of The Edge of Belonging, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, and He Should Have Told the Bees. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com. Photo credit: Sarah Swainson Photography

Revell, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)