As Dawn Breaks

By: Kate Breslin

Narrated by: Polly Lee

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.

RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna's factory is likely next. Fearing for his family's safety, he's also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family - until Alex receives orders to surveil her.

Rose squirms beneath Alex's scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers' respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future.

©2021 Kathryn Breslin (P)2021 Tantor

Kate Brelin's Triumph

I have enjoyed reading Kate Breslin's books from her first, but the maturity and artistic prowess she has demonstrated in As Dawn Breaks, is nothing short of magnificent. The story is flowing, consistent, historically accurate, and well-researched so that the setting is authentic, enhancing the story at every turn. In addition, it is very difficult to craft a story that becomes neither plodding nor tedious as a result of too little or too much tension and intrigue. There was not a single instance in which this story lagged, nor did it keep me in such suspense that I was glad for a rest when I was finished reading. I was never able to predict the outcome; - there were several unexpected turns in the story - but each one progressed smoothly and naturally, never seeming contrived or exaggerated.

i found myself emotionally involved with each of the characters in As Dawn Breaks, both protagonist and antagonist, because Kate Breslin fully developed each one, Characters were completely believable, and I felt like i was reading the recounting of actual events told by a participant.

I have rarely, if ever, read a book that was so perfectly constructed as this one, The setting, characters and story are seamlessly woven together to create the most satisfying reading experience i have had in a long time, Polly Lee was the perfect narrator for As Dawn Breaks. I hope to find more books narrated by her.

If you love to read, and long for a book that draws you into its heart from beginning to end, this is one you must not miss.