Until The Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

A volunteer for the newly established Weather Bureau, Sophie van Riijn needs access to the highest spot in her village to report the most accurate readings. Fascinated by Dierenpark, an abandoned mansion high atop a windswept cliff in the Hudson River Valley, Sophie knows no better option despite a lack of permission from the absent owners.

The first Vandermark to return to the area in sixty years, Quentin intends to put an end to the shadowy rumors about the property that has brought nothing but trouble upon his family. Ready to tear down the mansion, he is furious to discover a local woman has been trespassing on his land.

Instantly at odds, Quentin and Sophie find common ground when she is the only one who can reach his troubled son. There's a light within Sophie that Quentin has never known, and a small spark of the hope that left him years ago begins to grow. But when the secrets of Dierenpark and the Vandermark family history are no longer content to stay in the past, will tragedy triumph or can their tenuous hope prevail?

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is a college librarian in central Florida by day, but by night I can be found pounding out inspirational historical novels the moment the sun goes down. I love writing books about fiercely intelligent people who are confronted with profound challenges. As a rather introverted person, I have found that writing is the best way for me to share my faith and a sense of resilience with others.

I decided to become a librarian because I can think of no other career in which you get such a wide exposure to all aspects of recorded knowledge. I have been an academic librarian for fifteen years, where on any given day I get to research the sonnets of Shakespeare, learn what makes pelican feathers pink, or compile demographic statistics for starting a new company.
I married relatively late in life, which turned out to be an odd kind of blessing. I had gotten very good at leading a solo life, and although I was not particularly content being alone, I had become reconciled to it. Then when I was in my mid-thirties and just a few weeks after buying my first house, I met the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. My years as a single woman taught me many things. I learned to be independent and resilient. I learned how to manage my investments, earn and save enough money to have investments, mow my own lawn, fix the rickety appliances in my sixty-year old house, and spend the holidays on my own when travel to family was not possible. Most importantly, it taught me never to take my husband for granted. I give daily thanks for the blessing of being able to share a life with my favorite person on the planet.
As for who I am? I love old Hitchcock films, the hour before sunset, a long, sweaty run through the Florida countryside, and a glass of good wine. After spending my entire adult life on a college campus (either as a student or a librarian) I have finally been able to pursue my ultimate goal of writing professionally.

http://elizabethcamden.com/ 

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My Review

We were introduced to the Vandermark family in Toward the Sunrise: An Until the Dawn Novella by Elizabeth Camden and now the story of this family continues when Quentin Vandermark returns to the family home for the first time in sixty years.
Sophie van Riijn has used the mansion for her weather station, and now she finds out that Quentin has returned to tear down the home, that is believed to be cursed, and being an architect his Grandfather wants him to handle the demolition. We walk these grounds with both Sophie and Quentin and we see the beauty of this place on the Hudson River, and I hated the idea that this place would be destroyed.
Quentin has also brought his troubled son with him, still suffering nightmares from being kidnapped the previous year. Poor little guy had been locked in a closet, and we watch him blossom at this beautiful place, and being around Sophie.
Is there a chance of romance between these two, it seems that Quentin’s grandfather main purpose is concealing family secrets and wants the mansion destroyed at all costs.
I enjoyed this look at early America and specifically the New York City Area, and how much things have changed, but this book brought out the unspoiled beauty of the area, and I loved the story and you will have to read to the last page to see how things turn out. Enjoy!
I received this book through Net Galley and Bethany House Publishing and was not required to give a positive review.