GRINNING EAR-TO-EAR!

K8 the Book Buff recently read and reviewed "DARK SKY AT DAWN" on her very popular, high-traffic book review site. It was a privilege to see my book reviewed and rated in a forum that features books by national authors like James Patterson. The review was incredibly flattering though tough. I'm grinning ear-to-ear.

Dark Sky at Dawn was an absolute joy to read. One of the most impressive aspects of the book was how much research was put in to create such an authentic feel. I read so many books that it seems as if an author just woke up one day and thought "gee, I think I'll write about the Civil War", considering historical authenticity to be merely a minor detail. Notice I say authenticity, not accuracy. This book is a work of fiction, the characters are fiction, so some creative license is expected to insinuate these characters into a real historical period. This is the delicate tightrope an author must balance, between creative license and authenticity--and L.C. Lewis does so magnificently. Aside from the book being a wonderful period piece, there is a heart rending and beautiful love story going on between some of the main characters. There was one detail where I felt the romance fell a bit short: anyone who reads or writes romance knows that a lot of the tension in a romance is created by miscommunication and mixed signals. I felt as if Dark Sky at Dawn stretched the drama a little too far and may have had just one too many missed communication or mixed signal. An aspect of the romance I did love was the unselfishness of the characters, and also the tenderness and friendship between them.

The non-romantic relationships of the characters in the book were rich and complex as well. Few people in the book are cut and dry simple characters of pure good or pure evil, there are many delicious layers to unwrap on each person, and so many stereotypes are broken. I think this book is a great book to reach out to many different audiences. There is great romance, great action, great history, and a great sprinkling of politics. No one aspect overwhelms another, but instead creates a beautiful symphony of genres. There is also some religion in the book, as the time period had great religious upheaval, but it is not pushy, cheesy, or overdone. Overall I loved Dark Sky at Dawn and rate it a 2, Borders with a Coupon. There were just a few things that held the book back from perfection, but stay tuned because I am loving this author and plan to review more of her books in the future and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a 1 in there somewhere :)