Before the Dawn

By Erica Vetsch

Book Overview

A determined wife and a blind mining engineer-separated by fear, connected by love, and tested by darkness that threatens to tear them apart.

David Mackenzie was the most capable mining engineer in Colorado until a cave-in left him blind and filled with guilt over the deaths of his workers. Now he fears he'll never be worthy of love or respect again. When his fianc e returns from nursing her sick aunt, he must find the courage to break their engagement before she wastes her life caring for a broken man.

Karen refuses to give up on the man she loves, but David has built a wall between them that grows higher with each passing day. When he tries to call off their engagement, she forces him into marriage through an unconventional lawsuit. Now she must find a way to break through his bitter shell and prove that her love hasn't changed-before his fears and pride drive them apart forever and she loses not only the man she loves but also her chance at the family she's always longed for.

When David's cousin reveals a deadly secret about the cave-in, Karen and David find themselves trapped underground, forced to work together to survive. In the darkness, they must confront the fears that threaten to destroy them both. But even if they survive, can they find their way back to the love they once shared?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1963212614
• ISBN13: 9781963212617
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Wild Heart Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Captivating Story

A beautiful story of coming to terms with life altering events and learning to trust God to lead and yourself to move on instead of wallowing in self pity and expecting the worst. Karen is a strong woman who steps ahead of God and learns that sometimes God says wait. This is a short read but contains so much insight into the characters and deals so well with what repercussions a family faces after an accident. David learns how to face life with courage and faith. A story of faith, family, perseverance, with some suspense thrown in for good measure. I didn’t want it to end as I was very invested in this story. This is book seven in the Brides of the West series and can be read as a stand-alone but why would you want to miss out on all these enjoyable reads. I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit/Wild Heart Books. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

heart-warming historical fiction

I am thoroughly enjoying going through Erica Vetsch's backlist of shorter historicals set in America. I enjoyed meeting the Kennebrae brothers of Duluth, Minnesota in early 1900s and the McConnell brothers of Money Creek, Idaho in early 1880s. Now we're in Martin City, Colorado in early 188os with the Mackenzie family. This was a bit of a different love story, with David and Karen already engaged but battling obstacles in their love. The helplessness and hopelessness and the anger and bitterness overwhelmed David in the aftermath of losing his sight and feeling the weight of his failures. His plight was easy to empathize with and I cheered him on every step of the way when he decided to step out of his self-pity and move forward in the life God wanted for him. Karen's love for David was admirable and her steadfast character made her shine. I didn't love his mother's meddling but realized that it was needed to pull him out of the dark self-imposed pit. I learned quite a bit about the world of the blind in the late 1880s and how schools were set up to educate and equip the blind to integrate into the society. If you enjoy heart-warming historical fiction, you will definitely enjoy this book. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.