Between the Sound and Sea: A Novel

by Amanda Cox

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.
 
Multiple Christy Award winner Amanda Cox is your guide upon the raging seas of young love, heartbreaking loss, and learning to risk it all for a chance at happiness in this timeless novel.

Genres: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Fiction

486 pages, Library Binding

Published April 30, 2025

About the author

These books should be attributed to https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

(I tried to change the name for this "author" & merge the two, but it doesn't work. I also tried changing the author for each of the books, but it doesn't work either.)

Reviews

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging General Fiction novel with a dash of romance.

Josephina "Joey" is reeling after her family is shunned by her hometown leaving her family in crumbles. With her parents and brother both leaving town for different destinations, she decides to try something new and works on a lighthouse on the coast of North Carolina. In the course of going through her own healing process, she helps others in similar fashion. There's also a bit of mystery about what happened years ago (WWII) at the lighthouse.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is an absolutely amazing book! It has suspense, a mystery, lost love and found love! The mystery was like puzzle pieces that needed to fit together to see the whole picture. The love stories are romantic and beautiful!

The characters are fabulous! I was totally invested in each of their lives. Joey has had some tough times, but a new location and project bring hope to her life! Finn is full of heartbreak, and he's not ready to let go of the little family that he has left. Cathleen is a woman of strength and courage. She has to make hard decisions at a young age and loses all that she holds dear.

Second chances are a theme that's prevalent in the book. Most of the characters receive second chances to forgive and/or love. I really liked the idea of family in this book. Joey and Finn seem to collect people that they fold into their lives. It's a beautiful thing!

I really enjoy books by Amanda Cox. She creates characters that the reader truly cares about. Her imagery literally brings the settings to life!

I won this book from Revell through LibraryThing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Aryauna Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Man, I’m very picky about what books I give my ratings too. But seriously guys, I could Not put this book down. The mystery in here was so intriguing and the history behind everything the characters were finding was so cool! I am so excited to read others by @amandacoxwrites
However, the beginning is a little slow…..

🌸 Love interest Boss
🌸 Clean
🌸 Christian Morals
🌸 Sailing themes
🌸 World War ll
🌸 Historical/Mystery

Check out my instagram profile. @lovelyrosewrites

[Shannon McNear · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 read. It was lovely revisiting the Outer Banks, and Amanda Cox has just the right mix of drama and romance with almost flawless writing!

[Alisa Welsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of Amanda Cox's books have been 5 stars and this one is no different. I really enjoyed learning about lighthouses and the roles that they played in WW2.
No spoilers but this has a mystery, history, and romance as well as her trademark touching family drama.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hallmark-feeling contemporary mystery drama with a side of romance, set on the shores of the Outer Banks, North Carolina 🌊🐚 Follows a young woman on her quest to prove herself and uncover mysteries of the past as she restores a long abandoned lighthouse.

It had all the positives and negatives you would associate with Hallmark movies:
- sweet, endearing (if somewhat flat) characters
- squeaky clean & cozy
- somewhat shallow but positive family, faith-based themes
- not much suspense but still got a little mystery going
- a little unrealistic, but you might not mind

I didn't find the writing style particularly inspiring in this, especially compared with her other book, "He Should Have Told the Bees," which I found much more intriguing and more deeply characterized.

But it was a good solid clean, beachy read.
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⚠️CW: family estrangement / separation; villainous step-parent; arson; brief sweet kissing; dementia; very mild WWII period violence (mainly ships sinking and talk of bodies washing up)

Also multiple characters make horrible financial decisions but it all works out the end - whether that's a positive or a negative, I leave up to your interpretation.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25🌟
I enjoyed the storyline, the characters, and the character development. I liked how some of the chapters were from different points of view. I liked the theme of surrendering control to God And allowing him to make beautiful things out of our past mistakes. I did feel like the romance, although that wasn't the focal point of the book moved a little bit fast then was maybe realistic.

"the way I look at it, as long as you've got enough breath in your lungs to blow these Carolina skeeters away from your face, then the good Lord still has something in store for you Earth side."

" I think it means the things that look so dark and confusing to us are not that way to God. so even if we feel overwhelmed and like we lost sight of the path ahead, we can still trust he's there beside us. guiding us."

"That's what made home, home wasn't it? The people?

"That's the beauty of love and grace. The real kind. We don't have to earn it."

[DR · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the themes of longing for/inability to escape from/regret about the past, especially how all the main characters had their own experiences that tied into this theme.

Did not like the Finn/Joey pairing. There was no chemistry/build up between them leading up to their kiss. It just felt like they were paired together simply because they were the same age and different genders.

Very much a happy ending on all accounts.

[KAurora Blythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would make an adorable Hallmark or GAC movie. I enjoyed the setting and the historical mystery. However, the MMC and FMC did not have chemistry. I was more invested in other characters. I did appreciate the love story took place over months rather than mere weeks, since that is more believable. Overall, a pleasant read.

[Heather Weaver]

I LOVE that I have found a Christian fiction author where romance is a subplot. I am on my second book by this author, and I think I will like it even more than my first. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this book, and the story was sweet, but what truly has me 😍 over Amanda Cox's books is that she writes about deeper issues we all face and isn't slapping a Christian name on a romance novel

[Kori Benfiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning about restoration and the storyline kept me reading and reading. The depth of characters and connections were insightful and had me guessing. I also appreciated the less preach-y approach to Christian Fiction.

[AngelaC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely slow to unfold story of family coming together to restore a decommissioned Outer Banks lighthouse representative of the patriarch’s biggest regrets in life. Lightly inspirational; not preachy.

[Deborah Troxell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming tale captured my interest very effectively. It centers around restoration of a lighthouse and the lives of the people involved in the past and the present. There's a bit of mystery along the way and progress in the restoration of relationships.

[MC McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous story set in a place I love… Well done! Even better that I got to read it on the porch of 69 Beach Rd on the island :-)

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice summer beach story

[Smokey Maples]

TBFL due back at library

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story. A bit too many hand of God moments and a too neat and tidy ending, but enjoyed it alot for the story.

[Sara Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lighthouse/ notes

[Kinsey King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good in my opinion. Peter does not talk like a teenager at all, Walt is kind of a huge dick for immediately pining after his first crush after his wife died (and buying her lighthouse and restoring it wtf?), and Joey and Finn just didn’t have the chemistry. It was a very bland story.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt / touching and clean read ❤️

[Monica Munteanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating story. I finished listening to this book within two day, kept my attention and interest.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the Sound and the Sea briefly begins in an idyllic town where Hallmark movies are filmed. Joey Harris, a native of Copper Creek, clings to her way of life after an unfortunate and unfair scandal rocks her family's reputation and the town turns its back on them.

At the urging of her longtime friend Sophie, Joey applies for a job restoring a long-abandoned lighthouse located on the coast of North Carolina. With tall tales surrounding the keepers of the lighthouse, Joey and the grandfather and grandson team that hires her to oversee the work battle the "ghosts" of both Bleakpoint Light and their pasts, only to emerge on the other side with the closure and restoration that only God can bring to shattered legends and shattered lives.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. A bit too happy, tidy, goddy but I enjoyed it nonetheless.