Review: The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: November 1, 2017
326 pages

About the Book:

In the Dark of the Mine, In the Face of Rising Water,
In the Shadows of the Hills, Faith Will See Them Through

Judd Markley knew he could never set foot underground again. The mine collapse that nearly killed him and claimed his brother's life meant leaving West Virginia forever. Although that hard Appalachian world was all he knew, he put it behind him and headed for the open sky of the thriving town of 1954 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Larkin Heyward's life in the beach town is uncomplicated, mostly volunteer work and dancing at the Pavilion. But she dreams of one day doing more and being more--maybe moving to the hills and hollers of Kentucky to help the poor children of Appalachia. But she's never even met someone who's lived there--until she encounters Judd, the newest employee at her father's timber company.

Drawn together in the wake of a hurricane that changes Myrtle Beach forever, Judd's and Larkin's dreams pull them in divergent directions. It will take a significant sacrifice to keep them together--or maybe, it will take a miracle.  

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

While I like the main characters and was intrigued to find out what was going to happen, I struggled with some aspects of the story. It moved slowly at times, and towards the end some actions of particular characters felt uncharacteristic for them. Judd was an honest hardworking man, who has been through a tragedy at and is trying to build a new life for himself. Larkin is the privileged daughter or a timber company owner. Can these two overcome their very different pasts and find a future together where neither has to give up their dreams? Faith is mentioned and discussed throughout the book, but I still feel unsure of what the characters actually believed. The end scene ruined the book for me, I was left asking why this was included.

Favourite Quote: 

“I'm beginning to think you can do God's work anywhere. All you have to do is look for someone who's hurting and see if you can ease the pain.”

(I was gifted this book by my mom; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)