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Before The Dawn is my first review of a book set in World War II; as World War II is my favorite historical era, I was extremely excited to read this book. I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-researched, heart-pounding love story. The plot focuses on the chance encounter of Ruby Mottram, a local girl from Devon, and Sam Archer, a southern American soldier in 1943. The couple braves the terrors of war and difficulties with families to find their happily-ever-after.
The plot could be bare or simplistic at moments. However, I felt the battle and prisoner scenes were written flawlessly. I was pretty impressed that a primarily romantic book was historically accurate. The love story was sweetly romantic, and the war scenes were haunting and gripping. The story flowed well, switching back and forth between the two main characters. This book is written in the first person, which was different. This point-of-view gave the book a personable feel. Sam and Ruby were lovable characters, and their romance was lovely to read. I felt the only item lacking was several loose ends at the conclusion.
Before The Dawn is a stand-alone novel within the World War II time frame, full of romance, this is a character-driven story exploring many facets of war, from burgeoning love to breathless battle scenes to haunting prison scenes. Emma Pass is a new author to me, and she has created a vivid, poignant romance through the catastrophic occurrences during the war. I enjoyed this novel immensely and hope to read more books by Emma Pass.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Release Date: March 3, 2022
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