Before Dawn by Suzanne HallidayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Entertaining Romance
This is the first book in a series of connected standalone books. There is no cliffhanger but we are introduced to several characters and potential plots to get us hooked on the idea of future books.
Dawn is a single mother with a deadbeat ex-husband who barely acknowledges his son and pretends the daughter who was born after he left doesn’t exist. Dawn barely scrapes by in New York City where she is tied by the divorce settlement. She is currently studying to get her teaching certificate and is stretched so thin you can see through her. It doesn’t help that the basic coverage health insurance her ex provides for his kids doesn’t provide decent care for her asthmatic son.
King is an ex-SEAL and together with his friend, Jon, who was in Delta Force, set up a security firm. Both great at the assignment stuff they recognised their weakness in the business side of things and brought Dottie on board. She basically tells them all what to do and makes them large amounts of cash. Dottie decides that King is burning out and refuses to give him any assignments for two months. She’s giving him a time out to try and work out how to live.
Dawn and King live in the same building and they meet when King raids Jon’s freezer for food and falls asleep. Dawn is feeding Jon’s fish when she startles and is startled by the stunning man in an unusual meet-cute.
This is a substantial book that lets the relationships evolve and the plot unfolds in an engaging and entertaining manner. The banter and honesty between King and Dawn almost from the outset is funny and endearing. What is just as important as the romance is the relationships between King and Dawn’s two kids Jack and Nicole. King and the kids fall in love as quickly and as deeply as King and Dawn. I love the way these kids are portrayed. They are bright, funny and sweet. Also important to the story are the supporting cast of characters. Dottie in particular is essential to the plot, as are Dawn’s best friends Jade and Loralei.
This book has a stark contrast between the everyday mundanity of raising children as a single parent and the extraordinary events that Dawn is wrapped up in during the course of the book. Dealing with childcare drop-offs and pick-ups at the same time as falling for her rich neighbour keeps everything grounded and almost believable.
This is an intelligent and heartwarming book. I enjoyed it tremendously and look forward to reading more by this author.
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