Until the Dawn
Elizabeth Camden
352 pages
kindle edition
From the Publisher:
A volunteer for the newly established Weather Bureau, Sophie van Riijn needs access to the highest spot in her village to report the most accurate readings. Fascinated by Dierenpark, an abandoned mansion high atop a windswept cliff in the Hudson River Valley, Sophie knows no better option despite a lack of permission from the absent owners.
The first Vandermark to return to the area in sixty years, Quentin intends to put an end to the shadowy rumors about the property that has brought nothing but trouble upon his family. Ready to tear down the mansion, he is furious to discover a local woman has been trespassing on his land.
Instantly at odds, Quentin and Sophie find common ground when she is the only one who can reach his troubled son. There’s a light within Sophie that Quentin has never known, and a small spark of the hope that left him years ago begins to grow. But when the secrets of Dierenpark and the Vandermark family history are no longer content to stay in the past, will tragedy triumph or can their tenuous hope prevail?
Review:
If you have followed my blog, or personally know me, you know that I am a big Elizabeth Camden fan. I have always enjoyed her books. Back in November, when my life was going a little bit crazy, I needed some really good shorter books to keep me distracted, but not too involved. That is when I read Toward the Sunrise, and it was SO perfect for me! (you can read my review here). Toward the Sunrise is a novella prequel to Until the Dawn – and you have nothing to lose, since it’s currently free on kindle.
Until the Dawn did not disappoint my expectations that I hold for Elizabeth Camden. I could not put this book down and I gobbled it up in one and a half days during my Christmas break reading binge.
This is a historical romance, so there is a bit of romance, but Camden always keeps it clean and enjoyable. But one thing that I have always loved about Camden’s books is the historical part is so involved and I come away from the books feeling like I have learned something about a bit of history too. She always has a bit of an underlining Christian theme in her books too – and this one really hit home for me. People can forgive, people can change, people can move past pain and find joy in life.
I really enjoyed the characters, I loved Sophie in Toward the Sunrise, and her character just became so much more real, developed and relate-able in this book. She is a strong, independent woman and I love that! She was so positive and always looking for the good, even though her life had not worked out the way that she wanted or had planned. Plus, I really adored that she showed her love through food. It just made me smile. She was such an example of what a woman should be, this quote really stuck out to me and made me even reflect on my own life, how do I want to be remembered?
“Sophie, Your legacy of quiet grace and compassion will
echo down through generations to come”
– Until the Dawn, Chapter 15
If you love historical fiction, romance, or christian-fiction, and haven’t read any books by Elizabeth Camden, I highly suggest her books. She is one of my favorites.
Final Score:
