The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas

From the publisher:

Judd Markley is a hardworking coal miner who rarely thinks much past tomorrow until he loses his brother--and nearly his own life--in a mine cave-in. Vowing never to enter the darkness of a mine again, he leaves all he knows in West Virginia to escape to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's 1954, the seaside community is thriving, and Judd soon hires on with a timber company.

Larkin Heyward's life in Myrtle Beach is uncomplicated, mostly doing volunteer work and dancing at the Pavilion. But she dreams of one day doing more--maybe moving to the 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 devastating hurricane, Judd and Larkin each seek answers to what tomorrow will bring. As opposition rises against following their divergent dreams, they realize that it may take a miracle for them to be together.


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I liked the settings of this story a lot. I felt that Sarah Loudin Thomas really made you feel both South Caroline and West Virginia. And not just the physical settings but the way the people were and how they related to others. 

I really enjoyed the back story of the Heyward family and how it all came to play with the ties between West Virginia and South Carolina and Judd and Larkin.  The story flowed easily but at near the end I felt it was dragging a bit and it made it harder for me to want to read through to the end.

The story has a temperate feeling to it. It isn't over the top in any way and instead you feel like you are sitting on a porch just relaxing and listening to a story. Yes, there is tension but not overly so. 

I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions are  my own.