Another Dawn

ANOTHER DAWN is the sequel to Sandra Brown's SUNSET EMBRACE, set 20 years after the Colemans and Jake Langston make the wagon train journey that changed their lives forever! When Banner Coleman is betrayed on her wedding day, she turns to Jake Langston, her parent's best friend and one of the toughest men in Texas. Unable to resist Banner, Jake lets emotions go unsealed that have them both wondering why they didn't know how they felt about each other long before now. But this love could end a friendship that has lasted many years and destroy her family. ANOTHER DAWN is set in a western era Texas, before the turn of the century. Back in the wagon train times, when life was hard, and if you found love, you hung on with all of your strength. This book will make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you believing that a love this strong really can exist!

I am a picky reader and keep VERY few books I read, but this one I have. I found the plot to be very interesting and it's one of the better sequels that iv'e read. I thought this book was better than Sunset Embrace, probably because I liked Jake a lot better than I did Ross. Even in the first book Jake was my favorite character. I also liked Banner, yeah she was a little spoiled and very stubborn but I think she made for a more interesting heroine because of it. I know everyone is horrified by the ending, but as one reviewer pointed out, Ross had been an outlaw and killed people, so he did have it coming. I suppose if you really loved Sunset Embrace it would be almost impossible to like this book. All in all, I would definetly recommend this book.

I am writing this review to warn all readers who consider buying it: yes, do buy it, but don't read the reviews here, at least not the earlier ones. They are full of spoilers and give away an essential part of the plot, which nobody should know beforehand. It is one of the most surprising twists in any romance novel, and to know it will seriously detract from your reading pleasure.That said, the book is a real gem and definitely worth checking out. It is the sequel to SUNSET EMBRACE and closely connected to it. The protagonists are Banner Coleman, Lydia and Ross' daughter, and Jake Langston, one of their best friends. Logically, Jake is quite a bit older than Banner, but the age difference is protrayed very sensitively. He carries a lot of emotional baggage, but Banner is the perfect match for him. Basically, the novel is about their instant attraction, his trying to fight his feelings and Banner's efforts to win him over. It sounds simple, but Sandra Brown's unique, lively style, a set of fully developed secondary characters, touching love scenes and exciting twists and turns make this book stand out. It is a keeper, worth reading again and again. Despite being written in the 1980s, it has truly stood the test of time.

Although I read this book a good many years ago, I still recall the emotional tension that kept me riveted to the pages for hours. Ms. Brown used to be a master at manipulating our emotions, at keeping us turning pages so fast the edges of the paper turned hot to the touch. If only she would write a book like this today, but the new political correctness of today's romances precludes much of what makes the old ones great. As far as Ross' death, I heard Ms. Brown explain at a signing once that she killed Ross as a way of helping her accept and get over the death of her father. It is a tribute to her skills as a writer that so many readers were affected by Ross' death. Perhaps the book should be sold with a warning similar to those on cigarettes: Warning! This book may cause you to feel real pain!

I almost didn't read this book because of the low ratings it received. I'm really glad I did. I loved the Jake and Banner characters and got caught up in their romance. It was VERY sad when Ross died but it says a lot about Sandra Brown's writing when she can get a reader so involved in a story that a character's death causes real pain. I, too, would like to see another book in this series...Micah and Lee were a hoot!