Spreading His Grace: My Bookshelf: Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin

One plucky female pharmacist + one high-society naval officer = romance—and danger.

For plucky Lillian Avery, America’s entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg’s attentions only annoy—even if he is her brother’s best friend.

During the darkest days of the war, Arch’s destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves--and with—drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian’s trust and affection?

Anchor in the Storm is the second book in Sarah Sundin’s Waves of Freedom series, coming after Though Waters Deep. Although I didn’t actually get a chance to read the first installment, I did read one of Sarah’s other novels—With Every Letter—a while back. Now that I’ve finished this book, however, I really wish I had read Through Waters Deep, because if it is as good as its sequel, I would have really enjoyed it! Maybe I’ll get around to reading it sometime soon. Anyway, I really, really loved this book. I was captivated from almost the very first page, and ended up reading almost all of the book in one day. I started it one evening and read only about 40 pages, and was already sucked in but had other things I had to do, forcing me to set it aside. That didn’t stop me for long though, as the next day I had the whole day off from work, so I read the other 300+ pages. I have to say, it was well worth packing it all into one day! To be honest, it didn’t really take me all that long to read it, but I know I’ll definitely end up reading it again someday!

Lillian Avery is such a complex character! She has so much spirit, spunk, and is by far one of the strongest women I have ever encountered. At the same time, though, she continues to struggle with pain her sister has caused her from back when they were little, and she can’t seem to move past the scars men—mainly one in particular—have left her with. She is so reluctant to trust anyone with her heart, especially Archer Vandenberg, so she throws herself into winning over her boss at her new pharmacist job in Boston. My favorite thing about Lillian is her spunk, and how she can be sarcastic with just about anyone, but I also really love how her heart and mind works. When we see the true Lillian, it’s really impossible not to love her, because she has such a beautiful soul.

Arch Vandenberg is nothing like Lillian’s initial perception of him, and I am so thankful for that, because I’m not sure I could love that character, but I definitely love the sweet, thoughtful, very broken Arch that is featured amid the pages of this novel. His patience with Lillian is astounding, but that is what real love is, isn’t it. They do stumble over quite a few small roadblocks in their path, and one really big one, but what love doesn’t? I just can’t help but love the two of them together, but I won’t spoil all that really happens in this novel. There are some very surprising turns that this story takes, some good, some bad, but it makes for a very interesting story that never leaves you bored, and the ending is absolute perfection, mainly because of Arch.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story, so much so that I’m definitely excited for the third and final book in the series to come out. Unfortunately, it has a 2017 release date, so I’ll have to wait a while. Maybe I’ll find time to read Through Waters Deep before then. Anyway, I can’t imagine giving this book anything but all five bookshelves, and it already has a place on my all-time favorites list. I fell in love with Arch and Lillian from the very beginning, and I was so glad to read their story, though I will confess I did not want it to end. At least it had a very beautiful ending!

Happy reading!

There’s a great giveaway going on for this book here!