Just Before Dawn

By Joanna Wayne

Just Before Dawn by Joanna Wayne released on Apr 24, 2004 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037322771X
• ISBN13: 9780373227716
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

An impressive romantic suspense

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Sara Murdoch has lived with nightmares almost her entire life, ever since she lived at the Meyers Bickham Orphanage as a child. The nightmares change, but they always predominantly feature a ghost baby's cry. She thought she had put all of that behind her, and is a happy mother to her young daughter, Kendra, in spite of her struggles to support them. Summer has arrived and Sara has plans for a long vacation at an isolated mountain cabin. Nat Sanderson is a rugged mountain man, and Sara's closest neighbor, who lives with the knowledge of mistakes made in his earlier days, which have altered him irrevocably. He escaped to his mountain apple orchard, trying to avoid people as much as possible. He never wants to get close to someone again, and risk making such a huge mistake again... until Sara and Kendra arrive, altering his chosen lifestyle and dragging him out of isolation. When accidents start to happen and the threat becomes real to Sara and Kendra, she begins to realize there may be something to those old bad feelings about the orphanage, and her nightmares. Nat must now overcome his past to put his old security skills back to work in order to protect them. He cannot have another grievous error like he did a few years ago, making him the recluse he became. As tensions escalate, and danger beckons to Sara, feelings grow between Nat and her. But can he overcome his past and can she overcome her terrors to become the couple they are truly meant to be? Ms. Wayne knows how to pack a wallop, figuratively and literally, into her stories. She weaves a suspenseful plot that will keep one engrossed through the end. Though the "whodunit" in this story is pretty easy to figure out, that is not the real mystery. What really fascinates is the secret of what exactly happened all those years ago at the orphanage, and just how much does Sara know? There are enough peaks and valleys in this story to provide a roller-coaster ride of emotions in the reader. One will feel fear with Sara as she realizes the imminent threat to her precious daughter, anger and disgust at the cruelty of the evil-doers in the story, and tender love as Nat and Sara realize their feelings for each other. One will never know what to expect next, and that makes this book all the more intriguing. Nat and Sara are perfect for each other. She is a strong woman, who has overcome much adversity in her life since leaving the orphanage at fifteen years of age. Yet, she still has her softer, more vulnerable side, as evidenced in her love for Kendra, and her fear over what will happen to her. Nat is a protector, though he has lost sight of that aspect of his personality as a result of tragedy, as well as having a tender, emotional side. He needs someone resilient enough to cope with this duality in his nature. The two complement each other well, providing strength where needed, yet also having their respective sensitive sides. Having read previous books

Real Page-Turner

This book is outstanding. I haven't read such an engrossing novel in a while. Harlequin can be very unreliable--shoveling out junk books and good books indiscriminately--but every once in a while you find a truly excellent read from that publisher. This is one.