Book Review: The Breath of Dawn

I recently had the opportunity to read The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann.  This is the third book in the Rush of Wings series--I own the 2nd book (The Still of Night) but have never read the first (A Rush of Wings). When I heard that there was a book three coming out, I was eager to read it and find out the next part of Morgan's story.

Morgan Spencer is a main character in all three novels.  In The Still of Night, he had reunited with his high school sweetheart, Jill, after many years, and it seemed that life was going to end "happily ever after" for them both, in spite of the hard knocks they'd endured.  However, life has a way of changing in the blink of an eye.  The Breath of Dawn opens with Morgan standing beside Jill's grave, at her funeral service.  She'd been killed instantly in a car accident, and Morgan is left with their infant daughter Olivia, only a few months old.

I initially was a bit upset to find that Jill (a character I had enjoyed very much in The Still of Night) was "killed off" for this book.  After all, Morgan had already suffered plenty of loss and heartache in life; why give him another tragedy to deal with?  But I soon got over that, and thoroughly enjoyed this story. :)

Morgan spends the next two years with Livie at his brother Rick's ranch, trying to heal and kind of hiding out for a while as he deals with Jill's death.  It is here that he meets Quinn Reilly, a young woman who has dealt with her own series of hard knocks and is trying to remain hidden from someone in her past.  When the past catches up with Quinn and danger dogs her steps, she turns to Morgan, well-known in the business world as a success guru, for help.  Morgan's solution is much different than what Quinn had in mind, and as their lives become entwined, so do their hearts.  But now both of their lives are in danger . . .

There is so much more I could say about this book, but I don't want to give away the whole plot. :)  It was a long book, with plenty of mystery, suspense, and romance.  I do want to note that there was some marital intimacy in the book--more than I would be comfortable recommending for a teen girl, although it was tastefully portrayed and not graphic at all.  And also, although this is Christian fiction, I found the "faith" aspect somewhat nebulous.  It was hard for me to figure out exactly if the characters were Catholic, or charismatic, or what . . . I would have liked to see a clear salvation message, but that was lacking (as it is in a lot of Christian fiction these days).

I really enjoy suspense, and this book had plenty (although it wasn't as scary as some I've read!).  I also really liked the characters, especially Quinn, Morgan, and Livie.  I appreciate how Heitzmann does a masterful job creating characters with flaws and struggles, and makes them seem so real.  I give The Breath of Dawn 4 out of 5 stars.

**I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to give a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.