Before the Scarlet Dawn

Before the Scarlet Dawn
Rita Gerlach
Abingdon Press
February 2012
Romance, Fiction, Historical 



In 1775, Hayward Morgan, a young gentleman destined to inherit his father's estate in Derbyshire, England, captures the heart of the local vicar's daughter, Eliza Bloome. Her dark beauty and spirited ways are not enough to win him, due to her station in life.

I have to honestly say I found this book to be a little odd. You definitely don't end it feeling good, it's very open at the end which sets you up for the next book in the series. Eliza is an interesting character and I can't decide if the author was simply trying to capture the feel of the day or if Eliza was just...odd. Obviously a beauty in love with the husband she managed to snare she also manages to catch the eye of a local neighbor in the New World. When she learns her husband is dead in her grief she turns to her neighbor with devastating results. 


Scarred and abandoned Eliza is sent childless and husbandless back to England. It is there where the story ends leaving us hanging wondering if Eliza will ever reunite with her husband and her child and what will be come of her. 


As I mentioned, it's an odd book. However, it kept my attention and I will definitely read the next installment. It's a heavy book dealing with heavy subjects so be forewarned. 


Thanks to Abingdon Press and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.