FROM THE CRITICS

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By 1301, Lady Eleanor of Clarin knows she will do anything, even sleep with Lucifer, to keep her people safe. She has fought in war against the murderous Scots who killed her father. Now she is marrying an elderly, wealthy French aristocrat all for the good of her people and to thwart the plans to control her and her land by King Edward I, who selected a bestial knight as her spouse. On the journey across the Channel to France, pirates take her ship and capture Eleanor. However, the victors have no time to celebrate as Scots led by Brendan Graham attack their ship and make Eleanor their prisoner. Each one hates the other based on prejudices that center on deaths of loved ones. However, loathing turns quickly into passionate loving, but they realize they have no future together as the machinations of King Henry and Robert the Bruce supersede even the noblest of aristocrats. Seize The Dawn is an exciting medieval romantic thriller that leaves the audience gasping for breath. The story line is fast-paced, filled with the era's intrigue, and loaded with historical tidbits and persona that make the plot feel authentic. The star crossed lead couple is a charming duet as the intrepid Eleanor wants nothing to do with love thy enemy and Brendan is a worthy Gibson-like hunk. Shannon Drake writes an appealing historical romance novel that readers will need more than the dawn to finish this one- sitting tale.