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BEFORE
THE DAWN
Beverly Jenkins Avon October 2001 (4+) Jeanette Cogdell |
Historical Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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Fate has taken Leah Barnett from Boston to the Colorado Rockies and into the life of angry, ruggedly sexy Ryder Damien. Ryder is not about to welcome this beauty with open arms, especially since she was the one who won the affection of his late father and may now inherit his considerable wealth. But when Leah stands before him, desire replaces hatred in Ryder's heart. |
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REVIEW: |
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On his deathbed, Louis Montague made two request of Leah Barnett, the woman who was like a daughter to him. First he asked her to marry him, in order to secure her financial future. He then told her how 30 years ago, he abandoned not one, but two sons. His second request was for her to travel to Colorado and seek out his sons. Leah, who operates a small drinking establishment in Massachusetts, makes her way west and encounters Louis’ second son, Ryder Damien on the train. Upon meeting Leah, Ryder is attracted to her until he finds out who she is. He automatically assumes that she married his father for his money. He ridicules her and asks if she knew that her husband was a murderer? Leah is then met in Oklahoma by her dead husband’s debtors and instead of settling his estate, she finds herself owing them money she doesn’t have. Ryder comes to her rescue, but he also takes advantage of the situation to exact revenge on his father by using Leah. BEFORE THE DAWN is filled with jealousy, mystery and intrigue. There is the ever-present sexual tension associated with Ms. Jenkins books along with the very sensual love scenes. Ryder has to deal with issues from his childhood when the people in town would call him “squaw boy”. The half-black, half-Cheyenne businessman is very successful, unlike his Creole half-brother, Seth Montague, who lives in a shack on the outskirts of town. Ryder and Seth do not like each other and turn everything into a competition. Ryder lets his insecurities get in the way of him and Leah forming a meaningful relationship. Not knowing the truth behind her marriage to his father, he has a hard time learning to trust her. Ms. Jenkins is the only African-American author who consistently writes historical romance novels. I for one believe that if she weren’t, she would still reign as Queen (of the AA Historically). Her books are chock full of romance and skillfully created characters who give us a glimpse into a period of time which is often neglected in black history. When you finish one of Ms. Jenkins’ books, you come away not only delighted with the story, but with a history lesson you will not soon forget. I highly recommend everything she has written. |
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jeanette@romanceincolor.net (1st October 2001) |
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