When I picked up Between the Sound and Sea, I had no idea it was Christian Fiction. Honestly, I might have skipped it if I knew. But as they say, sometimes the right book finds you.

I was looking for something different from my usual reads, and this book's sweetness, without being preachy, was a refreshing change. Unlike the typical story of a woman returning to her hometown to rebuild her life, this follows Josephina "Joey" Harris as she leaves her familiar town to refurbish an old lighthouse on a North Carolina island.

Joey's journey isn't about reinventing herself but finding clarity and purpose. Along the way, she uncovers the history of Bleakpoint and the legend of Saint-Mae, heals her broken family, and finds a new one. This place, between the sound and the sea, leaves a lasting impact on her and the reader.

Despite being a full-length novel, the book reads like a novella, with some time jumps that keep the story moving. The little tidbits Amanda Cox drops here and there are delightful, and the full story, with its heartbreak and love, is beautifully revealed.

This is contemporary Christian fiction without the heavy-handed sermons. There are occasional biblical quotes and references, but nothing overbearing. It's clean, with no spice, language, or trigger warnings, making it a soothing and heartfelt read.

Josephina "Joey" Harris wants to redeem her family's tarnished name. But first, she decides to apply to restore an old lighthouse on a North Carolina island. Her new boss has regrets and wants to make amends for the past. And Joey encounters a man who might restore her passion. Will everyone find themselves in the end?
I like the folklore in the book. And some of the themes resonated with me, including following your dreams, appreciating friendship and restoring relationships.
Since romance isn't my jam, I skimmed most of the last quarter. Also, the ending is predictable. And one of the characters advocates spanking. However, I did enjoy the book overall.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“How many things in your life are placeholders holding space until whatever it is you’re waiting for arrives?”
"When people are hurt and scared, they aren’t always able to reason through things well. They can’t see past the pain and fear...Pain makes for a horrible shield. So I’m letting it go.”

This a delightful story about coming to terms with what you really want in life as opposed to the revenge you want to exact. There are some mysterious events that occur, just enough to keep you guessing for a while. It is a comfortable, clean read.

This was an incredible story! The characters were fantastic, and the writing/story-telling was so great! Just a great reading experience, highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amanda Cox’s *Between the Sound and Sea* is a beautifully atmospheric novel that blends history, mystery, and a touch of romance into an engaging story about redemption and resilience.

Josephina "Joey" Harris is an endearing protagonist, her journey to escape her family’s scandal and find herself paralleling the unraveling mystery of the lighthouse’s tragic past. The setting—a secluded North Carolina island and its weathered lighthouse—feels alive, the descriptions vivid and immersive, drawing readers into its windswept beauty and haunting secrets.

The notes Joey discovers add an intriguing layer, weaving a poignant story of wartime sacrifice and love that keeps the pages turning. Cox does a wonderful job of connecting the past and present, and the ghostly rumors surrounding the lighthouse provide just the right amount of suspense without veering into the supernatural.

While the pacing lags slightly in the middle, the emotional payoff is worth it. The romance subplot feels genuine and complementary rather than overwhelming, and the themes of forgiveness and finding one’s place in the world resonate deeply.

*Between the Sound and Sea* is a richly told story with a perfect balance of charm and intrigue. Amanda Cox captures both the allure of the sea and the resilience of the human spirit in this heartfelt novel.

I had high hopes for this book and while it was definitely a sweet story, it didn't *quite* live up to my expectations or the description. If you are anticipating a book full of moody coastal vibes, suspense and mystery, this isn't it. Similar to a hallmark movie, it was light, fun and kept me entertained, but also fairly shallow and predictable. I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters except for Walt. Loved the author's creativity in the plot, but was hoping for just a bit more when it came to the actual execution.

This was a hard read for me. I do love her books, but had a hard time with this one for some reason. We all go through seasons in life and I think my reading season was not going on when I was reading this. Love Amanda's books and appreciate the Advanced reader copy.

What a great clean read! It's always amazing to watch God put all the pieces together. The history that is woven through the story was fascinating as well. I love this author and look forward to more good, clean stories.

Outer Banks 1940’s - A father and daughter live on an island off the North Carolina coast and keep the lighthouse there. There is fear that Uboats off the Atlantic coast could come near enough to torpedo merchant vessels a few miles from the US shore! One night - the fear becomes reality and in the midnight melee which follows, the father and daughter go missing in the sea.

Decades later, a renovation of this same lighthouse unearths pages of the keeper’s log which have been ripped from the book and stuffed in cracks in the walls of the structure. These log entries describe dangerous rescues of seamen by a woman named “Mae,” whom the protagonist Joey (part contractor/ part event planner) sets out to find. Throw in the octogenarian owner of the crumbling lighthouse, his anxious and protective grandson, and a mischievous, troubled teen and you have a sweet mystery to solve, covering an episode of WWII naval attacks most of us aren’t familiar with.

Amanda Cox peppers overt Christian messages of hope and grace throughout the tale. She touches of themes of regret, honor, loyalty, forgiveness and redemption. All in all it was a sweet book, if a little dull at times.

We all have low moments. We all get fed up with whatever that is that's going on in our lives. What do you do then? How do you get back on your feet and smile again? For some people music works wonders. Others turn to other forms of art. There are also those who need to throw themselves into work. And work can be a form of art too.
Here all of the characters experienced their lows. They went on with their lives as they had chosen, even though not every choice turned out to be the right one. Yet they all got their well deserved second chance.
It`s a very stereotypical American story about good people, who made their mistakes and then turned their lives to better. It is a heartwarming, hope-giving tale to make the reader feel good, without preaching or moralizing. We all need a soothing book like this one from time to time.

This was a wonderful book families and how they interact with each other. The way we perceive each other as kids and what is really going on is often not the same. I love to see these characters moving on from their past after spending so much time looking back. Seems to take helping someone else through their struggles to do it.

This was a nice story, with a good heart.

I hadn’t realised when I requested it that it was a Christian book, but that became quite obvious as I was reading it. I feel, therefore, that there were aspects to the book that probably did not resonate with me as they would with a person of faith. There’s almost certainly an extra star in there for someone who could see a little further into this than I could.

I enjoy books set seaside and involving old lighthouses. There is a mystique about that era of life. Every family has its secrets. Josephina 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 jumps at the chance to escape her small town to oversee its restoration.
As the work begins, "Joey" discovers strange notes tucked deep in the crevices of the old stone walls--pages torn from a lighthouse keeper's log signed by someone named Mae who recounts harrowing rescues at sea. Fascinated by a woman lighthouse keeper, Joey digs into the past only to discover there's never been a record of a lighthouse keeper by that name.
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, what emerges is a love story--one that's not over yet.
Enough mystery and romance to keep you involved with the story.

My favourite quote : “The good news is that restoration work is kind of His specialty.”
Why is it always easier to sort out the problems in someone else’s life, than our own? ‘Between the Sound and Sea’ is about a whole circle of people, each of whom can see what is happening with the next person, rather than with themself. (We can all learn a lesson from that...)
I did find this book rather hard to get into, ‘connecting the dots’, but it slowly grew on me - & by the end it was worth it.
3 1/2 stars

Between the Sound and Sea was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by author, Amanda Cox. It had all the elements of a good book that I tend to look for. The characters came to feel like old friends by the end of this book. They each had their share of problems, troubles and challenges but they faced them with a resolve that I admired. Amanda Cox proved to be a masterful storyteller. There was a dual timeline that was portrayed in alternating chapters. The setting, though, was perhaps the most compelling feature. Between the Sound and Sea took place on a remote and secluded island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks where it was easy to breathe in the sea air, feel the coming of a storm and see the natural beauty that was all about the island. I found myself immersed in both storylines and enjoyed the development of the friendships that were forged as well as the budding romance that began to develop. Between the Sound and Sea was a very well written Christian fiction mystery that captured my attention from the beginning and didn’t let go until the very end.

Josephina Harris was called Joey by all those that knew her. She grew up in a small town in Tennessee called Cooper Creek. Her family owned and operated a respected construction company called Harris Construction Company. Joey’s father and brother worked together on the various projects that they were asked to do. They always stood behind their work and guaranteed it. Then Joey’s father and brother had a falling out. Her brother left Cooper Creek and he stopped talking to his father. Joey felt really bad about that. Looking to distance herself from the family construction company, Joey became an event planner. She developed a really good reputation rather quickly. Her organizational skills proved to be very useful in this industry. She was on her way to establishing a new career and company. All was going well for Joey until her father decided to sell the construction company. The new owner proved to be a swindler. He agreed to take on several projects for people in Cooper Creek, took their money and vanished without completing any of the work. Joey’s father let the new owner keep the company’s name. The people of Cooper Creek blamed Joey’s father for their problems and they began to make life very difficult for him even though he had nothing to do with it. Things got so bad for her father and mother that they sold the family home and moved away from Cooper Creek. Joey didn’t think that the problems that surrounding the family construction company would affect her business but was she wrong. Joey’s clients started canceling their events one after the other. What was Joey going to do? Her best friend suggested that maybe Joey should seek employment elsewhere until things calmed down in Cooper Creek. Joey’s friend found an ad that was advertising for a project manager to restore an old abandoned lighthouse on Bleakpoint Island on North Carolina’s outer Banks. She decided to apply for the position even though she wasn’t confident that she could pull it off.

Between the Sound and Sea was about restoring an old lighthouse that had been left vacant since the 1940’s. Joey was hired by Walt O’Hare, an eighty-one year old widower and grandfather. Walt held special memories that revolved around that lighthouse. Walt’s grandson, Finn, was not convinced that Joey was qualified to be in charge of this project nor was he convinced that buying the island and funding the restoration was the smartest thing his grandfather should do at this stage in his life. To say that Finn was skeptical about the entire project was putting it mildly. Would Joey be able to accomplish everything that Walt desired of this project? Why was this restoration so important to him? What would Joey discover as she began to restore the lighthouse? What secrets had been buried within the walls of this old lighthouse only waiting to be discovered and revealed?

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox was a gripping and yet touching story that was wrapped up in a mystery that stemmed back to the 1940’s. Amanda Cox created characters that were complex and yet so likable. As the storyline of Between the Sound and Sea developed, it portrayed the challenges a young girl faced by having to keep her father’s deteriorating health from dementia a secret and over time the extra burdens she was forced to bear as a result of this were revealed. Back in the 1940’s, lighthouses played a crucial role in detecting German boats that lurked off the shores of the United States’ eastern seaboard. Since the girl’s father was no longer capable of performing these duties, it was up to the young girl to assume responsibility. Between the Sound and Sea was about second chances, well kept secrets, family, passed down southern legends, faith, forgiveness, trust, new beginnings, curiosity and romance. The chapters switched between 2007 and the 1940’s. There was an element of mystery that ran throughout the book. Even though this was my first book by Amanda Cox, it will not be my last. I hope to read many more books by her in the future. Between the Sound and Sea was a book that I really enjoyed and recommend highly.

Thank you to Revell for allowing me to read Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I've always enjoyed novels about lighthouses. Don't know, it's just something about old lighthouses and the sea and the stories they tell that would just draw me in. This novel was an exceptional story. Of restoration, hope and new life. Not only to an old deserted lighthouse that had been neglected for years and years but also the house that the lightkeeper and his daughter lived in. Not only to the old lighthouse but also to many lives that were entwined in the rebuilding and restoration of this old lighthouse. It brought life and hope to individuals, the aged and the young. A beautiful story told in an exceptional way. This telling of the restoration of the lighthouse on an isolated, deserted island has a mystery surrounding it. A haunted mystery. Amanda Cox definitely has a way with words and bringing them to life where in your mind's view you can see as the story unfolds . Loved, loved, loved it and you will too. I received a copy from the publisher and the author and I am so happy to leave this positive review.

Between the Sound and Sea
A Novel
by Amanda Cox
Pub DateAug 06 2024
Revell
General Fiction \(Adult\)| Women's Fiction


Revell and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Between the Sound and Sea for review:



Each family has its own secrets. Josephina Harris wouldn't mind if her family still had a few after a lawsuit tarnished their reputation.  She jumps at the chance to oversee the restoration of a decommissioned lighthouse on a North Carolina island when she hears about a position opening up.  



 During the work, Joey finds odd notes tucked deep within the old stone walls, pages torn from a lighthouse keeper's log signed by Mae, a woman who recounts harrowing rescues at sea. Fascinated. Interested in a woman lighthouse keeper, Joey digs into the past, only to discover there has never been a keeper by that name.



 When things go awry on the island, locals believe it's the ghost of the lighthouse keeper and his daughter, who drowned at sea during World War II. As Joey sifts through decades of rumors and legends and puts together the pieces of the past, what emerges is a love story--one that's not over yet.



I Give Between the Sound and Sea five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Thank you NetGalley and Revell for this eCopy to review

Between the Sound and Sea is a beautifully woven tale that captures the essence of love, loss, and the healing power of the sea. Amanda Cox’s writing is both lyrical and evocative, drawing me into the story from the very first page.

The characters are richly developed and relatable, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs. I found myself deeply invested in their journeys and rooting for them every step of the way. The setting is described so vividly that I could almost hear the waves and feel the salty breeze on my skin.

I particularly enjoyed the duel timeline aspects especially as Joey investigates Mae, it was a great mystery with lots of secrets to unearth

What I appreciated most about this book is its emotional depth. It tackles complex themes with grace and sensitivity, leaving me with a sense of hope and renewal. Between the Sound and Sea is a truly moving read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a heartfelt and immersive story.

This book took me longer to start than I wanted it too after enjoying her other books but I eventually got there.

This one was just not my favorite but I will be honest my focus is elsewhere right now and I probably didn’t give this book my all.

I enjoyed Joeys story, light houses are the new big thing so this should be a hit.

I loved this book!! Amanda Cox is a favorite author. Her stories are so comforting and filled with hope!

Josephina (Joey) needs a fresh start after some small town drama surrounding her family. On a whim, she applies for a position coordinating the restoration of an old decommissioned lighthouse. When she arrives at the North Carolina Island town, she hears of rumors and legends of the ghost of the lighthouse keeper and his daughter who were lost at see during WWII. She starts to discover notes and secrets tucked into the walls of the lighthouse.

The setting is mostly contemporary with some flashbacks and interesting history from the WWII time period.

This is a mystery. A beautiful sweet love story. A story of loss and regret. With faith and hope sprinkled in!

Cox has a degree in Bible and Theology and a Masters in Professional Counseling. I feel that is evident in the complex, deep and relatable characters and the relationships she writes. I love her writing and I highly recommend all of her books!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

CW: brief mention of child loss, dementia/memory loss, loss of parents