"The Land Beneath Us" by Sarah Sundin

Clay Paxton knows how he's going to die. He's had the recurring dream for years. It will be in Europe during a big battle. The sights and sounds of it are embedded in his brain, and he's at peace with this. He lost his future a long time ago, when his brothers stole everything that was important to him. Now in Ranger training, Clay can finally complete his life's purpose.

When his young friend Leah is attacked and faces losing her own future, Clay sees another purpose added into the rest of his brief life. He can give Leah his name and some security. They won't even have to pretend they have a real marriage all that long before he ships out.

After a lifetime marked by loss and abandonment, Leah thought she'd never have to take charity again once she moved out of the orphanage. However, when faced with losing the only thing she's ever really hoped for, she agrees to accept Clay's marriage proposal. He insists that helping her is one of the reasons for his dream. It's not charity, it's purpose for his short time left on earth.

As Clay heads to Europe and D-Day approaches, letters fly between Clay and Leah. He wrestles with truly forgiving his brothers, while she continues to face and fight prejudice on the home front.

There's so much to love in this story. Leah is a wonderful heroine. She reminded me of Pollyanna in the fact that she's faced incredible hardship but always wants to find the bright side and cling to the good even in awful situations. Clay's story brings full circle the tale of the Paxton brothers (which we already know about through Book 1 and Book 2 of the series), and he understands that he is the key to reunite the family at long last. This is a winning conclusion to Sundin's Sunrise at Normandy series, one that should not be missed by any fans of WWII fiction.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.