Reviews

Before the Dawn by Beverly Jenkins

Only show reviews with written explanations

kayeluh's review against another edition

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slow-paced

5.0

tsukibayani's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

fi_c's review

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3.75

**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**

3.75

Audio (Thomas Penny)

Summary: After the death of her husband (really her late mother’s partner who she married for reasons of convenience just prior to his death), widowed Leah sets out west to handle some of his business - and finds herself irresistibly attracted to his estranged son Ryder.

Stats: HR Western, M/F, open door, stand alone.

Notes: I enjoyed this - but, like with most Beverly Jenkins’ books, I found the historical interjections a little annoying - they’re too underdeveloped/unconnected to add depth to the plot or world for me, but I appreciate the effort at research. I found the plot of this one a bit bananas and hard to follow, though I really liked both main characters - and found them to have depth, chemistry and a good balance of feistiness, reasonableness and kindness.

OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:

Illness/death of estranged parent, alcohol, death/illness of beloved parents (cancer, drowning), marriage of convenience (not to mMC), references to religion/prayer, racism, mentions of slavery (side characters, in the past), allegations of DV/IPV and murder in the past (involving side character), mentions of mining accidents/deaths, legal problems, description of childhood bullying, alcohol, transactional sex, serious illness/poisoning of friend, minor medical care, death, child abuse (in past, mentions, whipping), misogyny/sexism from side characters, description of massacre of indigenous people (including rape, torture, desecration and death of children), descriptions of murder/violence/death of police officers, media harassment, infidelity between side characters, side character with a gambling addiction, firearms, hunting, FMC punches MMC several times “playfully”, mention of abortion (negative), pregnancy, knife violence, gun violence/shooting, arson/fire, 32F black FMC, multiracial (black/Native/white) MMC, 1880s

awishman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

torilovesheas's review

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My quest to finish Beverly Jenkins backlist continues and this week our entry is a bit of a journey back in time!

Before the Dawn was an ‘01 release and while it was the start of the 21st century, it really has a 90’s romance feel to it. There’s unequal power balance (one of my favorite things to explore in romancelandia). There’s a little dash of the forbidden, since she’s his stepmom, even though they literally just met. And there’s characters that are neither wholly good nor wholly bad.

And all of that is really what made this work for me the most (besides Jenkins’ always phenomenal research and historical accuracy). There’s not a lot of *plot* happening here in any big way. Once Leah arrives in Colorado and all the characters are set up, the battle for her inheritance and the ongoing murder mystery and suspense aren’t the primary focus. It’s the battle of wills between Ryder and Leah that really drives the story. And while they aren’t my favorite Jenkins couple, I think the way they play off each other, combined with their chemistry is phenomenal.

I mean, Ryder is a headstrong, “alpha” character that pretty much gets his way a la 90’s hissy rono dudes and Leah isn’t inclined to give it to him. She goes toe to toe with him and it’s always delightful seeing Ryder get his advances shrugged off time and again. Even better is the fact that Leah’s cool with the banging, but refuses to marry him over and over LOL I loved it.

The best part of this was the connection Ryder and Leah both have as outsiders. Leah was an illegitimate child after her father died at sea and Ryder is the illegitimate son of a Creole father and Cheyenne mother. And I think it’s what draws them together and cements that bond.

Even though I don’t think this is a favorite of mine in Jenkins’ catalogue, it’s still a fantastic read, full of rich history, sizzling chemistry, and a unique cast of characters that dance right off the page.

Highly recommend!

CW: racism, death of a parent, death of a parental figure to cancer (briefly described), discussion of historic massacre of Native peoples, colorism, usage of slurs (towards both MCs by bad characters), murder, attempted murder, Jim Crow law enforcement, sexual content, unequal power balance (he pays off her debt in exchange for her sleeping with him, but she does consent), MMC that can be cruel with his words, grief and loss, description of abortion (historic, off page), bigotry towards Native Indigenous peoples.

Content Warnings