Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

Sophie van Riijn's life revolves around taking weather readings and cooking at the abandoned mansion known as Dierenpark. When Quentin Vandermark, the grandson of Dierenpark's owner, arrives unexpectedly with plans to demolish the mansion and put an end of generations of superstition and rumors about the land and its owners, Sophie's life is thrown into upheaval. Her weather station gives her a sense of purpose and the information she gathers is vital to the Weather Bureau. Willing to fight for Dierenpark, Sophie engages Quentin and sparks fly often. However, Sophie is able to help Quentin's son and hope begins to emerge. Will Quentin destroy Dierenpark and Sophie's dreams? Or will love find a way to prevail when secrets of the past are exposed?

Although Until the Dawn is not my favorite Elizabeth Camden novel, I enjoyed it overall. The mysterious history of the Vandermark family held my interest. The plot moved along well. The love story between Sophie and Quentin was intriguing, but a bit unrealistic due to the extreme opposites of character. The mix of opposites attracting and light shining into the darkness is a great ideal, but it didn't quite pan out with the authenticity I was hoping for.

At any rate, I still feel that Until the Dawn is worthy of reading. Camden knows how to tell a story and I found myself hoping for a sequel that would explain more about Marguerite's Cove. Until the Dawn does have a prequel, Toward the Sunrise, but those characters were barely mentioned and Until the Dawn read fine as a stand-alone novel.

Read an excerpt from Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."