Review: Before The Scarlet Dawn by Rita Gerlach

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Before The Scarlet Dawn Abingdon Press (February 2012) by Rita Gerlach

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rita Gerlach lives with her husband and two sons in a historical town nestled along the Catoctin Mountains, amid Civil War battlefields and Revolutionary War outposts in central Maryland.

"Romantic historical fiction that has an inspirational bent, is one way people can escape the cares of life and be transported back to a time of raw courage and ideal love," she says. "The goal of my writing is to give readers a respite, and inspire them to live fully and gratefully."

In many of her stories, she writes about the struggles endured by early colonists, with a sprinkling of both American and English history. Currently she is writing a new historical series for Abingdon Press entitled 'Daughters of the Potomac'. See her 'Novels In Progress' page on her website to learn more.

There are other novels on her list to be published, and a proposal for another book series.

She was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a large family in the Maryland suburbs. Her family claims that storytelling is their blood, handed down from centuries of Irish storytellers. Rita believes there just may be something to that theory.

ABOUT THE BOOK

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.  

Circumstances throw Eliza in Hayward’s path, and they flee to America to escape the family conflicts. But as war looms, it's a temporary reprieve. Hayward
joins the revolutionary forces and what follows is a struggle for survival, a test of faith, and the quest to find lasting love in an unforgiving wilderness.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Before The Scarlet Dawn, go HERE.

Watch the book video:

My rating:

 

My thoughts:

I have to say, I did NOT expect to get so emotional while reading Before the Scarlet Dawn.  However, I did get teary-eyed a few times and a couple hours after I finished it, I was still somewhat saddened by it.

I loved Before the Scarlet Dawn up until I got about halfway - that is when the story started going downhill for me. It was just too sad.

Aside from the sadness, I did really enjoy the story and found the characters to be great (although I wish something had happened differently).

Forgiveness and mercy play a big part in Before the Scarlet Dawn - and I loved that! It was very well written and that is probably another reason I found this book to be so moving.

In some ways, Before the Scarlet Dawn reminded my of Heiress by Susan May Warren - because that book was also a novel with many highs and lows.

This is only book one in Rita Gerlach's Daughters of the Potomac series and I have high hopes that happiness will be found in book two for certain characters.


A great novel that I recommend as long as you don't mind some sadness.


*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*