As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

As Dawn Breaks
by Kate Breslin

ISBN-13: 9780764237485
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: November 2nd 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
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.


My Review:
As Dawn Breaks is a romance set in 1918 in England and Scotland. Unfortunately, I felt like this story had so many twists that it became too confusing and unbelievable. Some things were never explained, probably because there was no believable explanation. Others were explained by Tilly's brother being such a master of disguises that even the people who knew the impersonated person didn't realize the switch. Even after reading the explanation of who did what, why, and when at the end, some explanations still made no sense and seemed forced in order to prolong the suspense. (If you want someone to stop killing people, do you wait until he's set the bombs or stop things as soon as you can?)

I also didn't feel like the romance worked. Sure, Alex was wonderful compared to the cruel bully that Rose was supposed to marry, and she loved his family. But each repeatedly assumed the worst about the other, sometimes even after the evidence indicated otherwise. Alex wouldn't even consider the truth when Rose finally told him, so she stopped talking to him. Their future marriage will have great conflict resolution skills. Not.

Finally, very little of the story was about trying to uncover and capture the bad guy. Rose was busy being afraid and being bullied by the girls that she supervised until she suddenly found her courage. The whole time, Rose knew some valuable information but didn't trust anyone enough to tell them. Alex didn't suspect the bad guys that were right in front of him and did little to uncover them. Oddly, it was the bad guys that finally clued them in to who they were and where the bombs were hidden. Go figure.

The Christian themes were that God had a good plan for Rose's life and Alex needed to forgive himself for his brother's death. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.