Fantastic mystery! It was great to see a leading lady pharmacist who used a prosthetic leg. This was unique and intrigued me right away. Then to find out the story revolved around organized crime? I was hooked! Superbly done, Mrs. Sundin!

Content: alcohol, substance abuse

Arch´s wounds are invisible. Lillian´s one is very visible. And because of their hurts, they can not believe that they will be ever loved just as they are, that no one will be ever willing to go for their souls.
They are very wrong. But the way to know that is the way "through", through all of the pain true and false.
And yes, there is a war storming around. And enemies hidden both in the U-boats and in the sheepskins.

So fun and warm! Yet, so deep and so true.
The best of Sarah Sundin - yet (as she is a very skilled author, so I have high hopes for her next book - on my shelf waiting just for me finishing this review!).

I loved Lillian. She has been harshly wounded (both physically - as a resulf of childhood accident she is handicapped and she has to wear a leg prosthesis; and in soul - she is always the one to stare to, to have attitudes and prejudices towards, the one with the cold heart), yet she is a loving soul. Oh, I am not saying that she is a saintly soul! She is fierce and truly she can use her words as a weapon. But she is very human, and she is the kind of human who fights for the better good.
Arch is in my opinion a bit neurotized by his wealth, the thing which is weighing him down the most (when the true guilt lies within his past wrong decisions to give him nightmares, not within the wealth itself), but he is very much able to push himself to the right decisions.
And I love their story. So realistic, yet so romantic. Sigh.

And I was deeply touched by the theme of "combat fatigue" - now known as PTSD - and the truly horribly "medieval" techniques of how to "cure" men wounded by war - to give them drugs (in the best case) or to dismiss them from the army, the same army where they obtained their pained souls! Of course, this could very well produce the drug rings similar to the fictitious one described in this novel, with the access to the drugs to gain money on the pain of the wounded souls of soldiers.
I have not thought of this before - kudos to the authoress to tackle such a sensitive and realistic issue!

And now I am off to read the next installment.
Recommended read.

Anchor in the Storm tells the story of Jim's sister, Lillian Avery and Jim's best friend, Arch Vanderberg. Lillian has so much to overcome with her disability of a missing leg from the knee down. Not only do people stare and recoil from her, but it is also hard to find a job! I enjoyed seeing her character flourish throughout the story by overcoming such hard obstacles, but she also had much to overcome with her heart. Lillian was good at closing people off so that she could protect her heart, but in reality she was only hurting herself. Arch has something to overcome as well in this story. He has experienced a lot of prejudice from others because of the wealth of his family. Both of these characters have a hard time accepting the fact that people could really love them just because of who they are and not because of physical appearance or money. This story was a good read. I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and watching them both try to solve the problems happening both aboard the USS Ettinger and at Lillian's pharmacy job. I would say some of the book was a little predictable, but a great story non-the-less. Look for book 3 in the Waves of Freedom series which tells the story of Lt. Dan Avery and Quintessa Beaumont.
***I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received an e-galley through NetGalley of Anchor in the Storm in advance of it's release date but until recently watching the documentary series "The War" on Netflix, it was easily put aside for books set in other time periods. Turns out, reading it after the documentary series was perfect timing as it familiarized me with the state of U.S. defenses at the beginning of our involvement in World War II.
This was everything I didn't know I wanted in a World War II story, including main characters who have been hurt in the past and fear that they will never find someone to love them for who they are.
Lillian Avery also fears that she is hard-hearted, but knows that she is strong and will continue to overcome obstacles, including her employer's reticence to hire a "girl pharmacist" even before he was aware that she is crippled. Archer (Arch) Vandenberg harbors regrets and longs for someone to see the man and not the family money. As an ensign in the Navy, he is also fighting to hide the affects of surviving the sinking of his ship.
Halfway through, I suddenly thought "this story just makes me happy." Not only was the romantic story arc pleasing, combining a charming man and a wholesome girl from a large Ohio family, but following Arch onto his ship and Lillian into the drugstore and joining them on their attempts to uncover a drug ring that linked their workplaces was both interesting and entertaining.
Strong themes of faith, perseverance, and acceptance shone through this story as Arch and Lillian each separately long for a stronger faith, but fear that they are not capable.
Secondary characters were well drawn and all added to the story by their presence, particularly the character of a seaman, Warren Polansky, who (along with Arch's society girl ex, the shallow and scheming Bitsy) could have been pulled straight from a 1940's movie, where he would have provided comic relief and contributed to the dramatic storyline. And it is the secondary characters that now have me wanting to read the other books in the author's Waves of Freedom trilogy, as they each feature one of Lillian's brothers and one of her roommates in the lead roles.
A recommended read. I loved this combination of history, conflicts, faith, romance, and overcoming obstacles. I also loved how this struck just the right note in evoking both the period as it was and as it has been popularly portrayed.
This review refers to a print copy borrowed from my local library. I also voluntarily received an e-galley for review purposes through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks for letting me review it! Never read this author before.

Anchor in the Storm, the second book in the Waves of Freedom series, was an intriguing continuation of the series. I really liked the characters and that the main characters from book one were in this story a few times (always love that!!).

I felt for the heroine and all that she went through due to her disability (although, I will say, she was very tenacious!)...and then hearing her story was heartbreaking, at times.

All in all, a good read that I think, if I wouldn't have been in such a reading slump while reading it, I might have enjoyed even more. Still, if you are a fan of Sarah Sundin's stories, I think you will like Anchor in the Storm.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

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.