Anchor in the Storm ~ Review

Anchor in the Storm
Waves of Freedom #2
By Sarah Sundin

America is at war and everyone is expected to do their part.  With so many men enlisting there are openings for pharmacists and Lillian Avery finally is given a chance to prove herself.  She has never allowed anything to stop her - not being a woman in a man's world, nor the loss of her leg years ago.

Working in Boston allows her the opportunity to see her brothers Jim and Dan, and unfortunately her brother's best friend Archer Vandenberg.  And Lillian doesn't have time for men, especially wealthy ones who are likely snobs.

Arch has always attracted women - his family's wealth an instant draw.  Lillian's avoidance of him leaves him puzzled, but he has bigger problems.  Arch has been suffering since his previous ship was sunk.  But admitting to his condition would be a quick way out of the Navy - something Arch doesn't want.  The Navy was his way out of the life his parents envisioned for him, one away from the gold-diggers.

But when Arch and Lillian both suspect something is amiss with their work environments - they may have discovered a link between the two.  But uncovering the answers they seek may place them and their new-found friendship in danger.

Can two people who have been hurt by the past discover a future of healing together? Or will the hurts of the past keep a firm grip on their present and keep them from a future?

Anchor in the Storm was a another lovely reading experience from Sarah Sundin.  The characters one came to know in Through Waters Deep are secondary characters in this book but it was fun to see how their lives have progressed since the sabotage that Mary Sterling uncovered.

Fans of historical fiction and specifically World War II fiction will enjoy  this second book in the Waves of Freedom series.  The characters are believable and one can be both in sympathy and annoyance at them at the same time.  Life wasn't simpler just less technically encumbered though there were definite drawbacks, as far as communication was concerned.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

In a time of sacrifice, what price can one put on true love?

Nothing slows Lillian Avery down--not her personal challenges and certainly not America's entry into World War II. She finally has a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The demands 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 Lillian has been filling? 

As the danger rises on both land and sea, the two must work together to answer that question. But can Arch ever earn Lillian's trust and affection?