Come the Dawn [Paperback]

Christina Skye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

Come The Dawn continues the story of the aristocratic Delamere family that readers were captivated by in Come The Night. This time the focus falls on India, the beautiful and headstrong sister of Come The Night's hero Luc Delamere, who falls in love with the rakish Devlyn Carlisle. They meet briefly and innocently as children, and again ten years later when, as adults, they fall deeply into a passionate affair. The Napoleonic Wars soon tear Devlyn away, but not before the two are joined in a secret wedding bond. When Devlyn is betrayed by a comrade in arms and presumed dead, India swears to continue her Iife alone, without the love that she prized above all else. Until one night a stranger with a familiar smile appears in a crowded ballroom, and India is plunged into a mystery to discover who betrayed Devlyn and to find a way to love again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This competent no-brainer from Skye (Come the Night) is the second book in her sensual Regency trilogy about the Delamere family, whose "wealth was beyond measuring and their eccentricities beyond numbering." Heiress India Delamere, daughter of the Duke of Devonham, secretly marries Devlyn Carlisle, 12th Earl of Thornwood?a heartbreaker from a chilly dysfunctional family?just before the battle of Waterloo. India loses their baby in the aftermath of the horrible battle and, believing her husband dead, returns to London to get on with her life. What a shock when a battle-scarred Dev reappears on the night of her gala introduction to society. Though he claims to remember nothing and no one, including his titian-haired wife, he is really on a secret mission for the Duke of Wellington to recover a cache of French diamonds that might put Napoleon back on the throne. And far from forgetting his reckless vixen, he fights constantly to keep his hands off her body. India is one of a new breed of independent heroines: she's been trained in a sort of Regency martial art that Jane Austen never heard of, and she can take care of herself, up to a point. Tumultuously, India and Dev sort out their relationship, rescue the diamonds and protect Dev's three wards (one of whom makes regular contact with the spirit world) in an uninspired but pleasant fashion.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Devlyn Carlisle, earl of Thornewood, suddenly reappears in London a year after he was reported killed at Waterloo, India Delamere, to whom he had been secretly married, is stunned and elated. But Dev claims amnesia, and when India sets out to solve the mystery, she find herself in the middle of a dangerous, diamond-studded intrigue. A fearless heroine with a pet wolf, a hero who plays a deadly game of deception, and a number of interesting characters (e.g., a wise, psychic child and a managing grandmother) add to this intricately plotted story that, despite some confusion and a few improbable rescues, will appeal to readers who like their historicals adventurous. From the author of Come the Night (Dell, 1994). [Skye lives in New Jersey.]
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Dell (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440216478
• ISBN-13: 978-0440216476
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Adventure and Love Story, October 24, 2002

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Come the Dawn (Paperback)

In this sequel to Come the Night you will find a wonderful blend of passion and adventure as well as being reintroduced to the eccentric Delamere family.

India has returned home after a year after witnessing the horrors that accompanied the battle of Waterloo where she waited for the handsome and charming, reckless adventurer the 12th Earl of Thornwood, Devlyn Carlisle. Waiting patiently as one after another wounded soldier came back she lived in hope until she was told that someone witnessed Devlyn being cut down on the battlefield with a bayonet through his chest - a wound that no one could survive.

She had lost much more than her love, but after a year of mourning it was her grandmama that would insist she put away her mourning and attend a ball, after all she was the Delamere heiress and had a duty to marry and carry on the Delamere line. She would hide her pain and smile as if her heart were whole and not left on the battlefield of Waterloo. At the ball she looked across the floor and saw the face of the man all thought was dead - his face but a stranger who looked back.

Set in the aftermath of Waterloo, Lord Thornwood is on a mission to thwart the efforts of a band of sympathizers that are working to free Napoleon. Spies, intrigue and murder as desperate people search for Napoleon's diamonds to fund another war.

The story is bittersweet, but oh so lovely of India loving the very handsome Devlyn, Earl of Thornwood who had no memory of the love they briefly shared, or did he? Was the last mission he must undertake more dangerous than the battlefield. Would the loss, be more painful to him, to risk losing the love of the only woman that ever meant anything to him for the sake of his country? It is a story most poignant and sweet. India would not give up without a fight and found herself constantly in trouble as she sets out to solve the mystery of Lord Thornwood.

India and Devlyn are a great couple and the addition of so many new and familiar secondary characters make this a wonderful fast-paced adventure. The three children that are Devlyn's wards are simply sweet and their dialogs add some levity to this adventure and mystery. One of the children, Alexis, should definitely have her own story. And what can be said of the Duchess of Cranford other than we really need to see her story (hint, hint Ms. Skye). Wonderful story, characters you can become involved with and want to hear more from! I really hated to see it end!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its spellbounding narration simply stole my breath away!, October 29, 1998

By 

R. Wong "rosieonvacation" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Come the Dawn (Paperback)

This is my first time reading Christina Skye's novels and I loved every page of her story telling! Which is the reason why I'm at this site now - scanning for a list of her other books!

I am amazed by the way she weaves romance together with adventure so successfully, that I didn't feel the urge to skip pages. In fact, the plot is refreshingly exciting, and I know it's ironic to say it, but hey, this is one romantic story! What I mean to say is, there are so many romance books out there, and some plots are overly stale. I just love the way Ms Skye brings us thru the story, falling in love with the characters, and actually trying to understand and gasp at what love is about. She deserves 5 Stars, NO LESS!!!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable book, March 14, 2000

By 

Claire "Night Rose" (Malta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come the Dawn (Paperback)

Although I much preferred the first book of this series "Come the Night". This book was quite good too. In fact I found myself enjoying it at times. What annoyed me about it though was that I found it confusing at times - due to double identities etc and i was not sure who was who (whether it was Devlyn or his double) and the love story in this book was not up to Ms Skye's usual standard I think. The fact also that the two main characters were married even before the beginning of book also decreased my enjoyment of it considerably. And I'm still not sure whether Devlyn had really lost his memory or not.

But all in all this is definetly a worthwile book to read and also quite enjoyable.