Anchor in the Storm (By: Sarah Sundin)

Anchor in the Storm

By: Sarah Sundin

Storyline

Anchor in the Storm is the second book in the Waves of Freedom series. It picks up where book one left off and quickly grabs your attention. The attack on Pearl Harbor has just happened and America is now at war. Lillian Avery has finally been offered a pharmacist position at a drug store in Boston where her brother Jim and his best friend are stationed in the Navy. However, Lillian has two strikes working against her: she is a female and has a prosthetic leg. She refuses to let anyone think either of those will hold her back. She is determined, independent and will prove she is the best for the job! 

Archer Vandenberg is used to women falling for his looks, his charm and mostly for his wealth. He longs to find one who will love him for who he is, not for his family's money. He is instantly intrigued by Lillian (mostly because she won't give him any attention). When Arch starts noticing strange behavior in his crew mates on board, he seeks advice from her and the two start to investigate a possible drug ring. As they dig deeper and deeper they find themselves wrapped up in a dangerous mystery. Twists and turns keep the book flowing well.

Depth

Lillian has a hard time showing her true self to anyone. She never wants to be viewed as weak so in turn comes off as hard-hearted. Having been hurt before, she has built a wall around her heart and won't easily let others in. Honestly, it was a bit hard to connect with her in this story. It took awhile for even us as readers to see into her heart. 

Arch has tried to escape his wealthy upbringing and longs to live away from the affluent society. He fears what comes with living that lifestyle and doesn't want to be liked because of his affluence. He wants real, honest relationships but is so suspicious of others that he must learn to trust those who love him for who he is on the inside. 

We learn a lot about what the Navy would have looked like fighting from American soil and the waters nearby during WWII. Also woven throughout the story are problems many naval soldiers must have faced during this time. Sarah Sundin has definitely done her history homework for this book!

Faith

The theme in this book is Jesus needs to be your anchor and hope in any storm you face in life. We love how it ties into the title. Lillian and Arch both search their hearts to see what they are putting their trust and hope in. They both have weaknesses, whether they be physical or emotional. Will they be able to let go and let God work through them despite their weaknesses? Will they let His strength be enough?

Squeal Factor

The romance part of this book is quite sweet and enjoyable. As mentioned above, these two characters have quite a bit to overcome for either of them to open up their heart to another. Once the walls start to come down it is a satisfying journey, but be careful because it's easy to let those walls go back up! We loved how Arch truly tried to encourage Lillian to be the best version of herself. There are definitely a few sigh worthy moments between these two!

Overall

Anchor in the Storm was a great addition to the Waves of Freedom series. The depth and number of naval history tid-bits made parts a little slow for us, but we still recommend reading it. However, if you are a history buff, you may very well love this aspect of the book! We enjoyed revisiting characters from the last book and being introduced to the main characters of book three. We are looking forward to finishing up the series next year.

Find it on Amazon: Anchor in the Storm

Note: We were given this book in exchange for our honest review