The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin

The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin ISBN-13: 9780800727994 Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Revell Released: February 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the U.S. 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?


My Review:
The Land Beneath Us is a Christian historical romance set from June 1943 to June 1944 in England. It shows the training up to D-Day and the invasion from the viewpoint of the U.S. Army Rangers. This book is the third in a series. Though it includes enough information that it can be read as a stand alone, the three books are linked as each brother is motivated by a shared painful incident in their past.

Clay was betrayed by his brothers and feels that his future was taken from him. He has a recurring, vivid dream of his death while saving others on the battlefield. This gives his life meaning, and he's so depressed that he doesn't mind the idea of dying. When Leah needs a marriage of convenience to save her reputation and future, Clay has a further opportunity to help another. They're friends and grow closer through the frequent letters that they exchange. Leah urges Clay to forgive his brothers. But both believe that he's going to die during the invasion due to the dream.

The main characters were likable, acted realistically to events, and had depth. Clay and Leah supported each other and became better people through their friendship. They were an awesome match. It was very suspenseful since there was a good chance Clay wasn't going to survive! Both main characters had to deal with prejudice and giving forgiveness, and Leah also had to deal with feeling abandoned by everyone important in her life. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this excellent, suspenseful historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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