Come the Morning [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Shannon Drake (Author), Sandra Burr (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

In the days when Scotland lay under siege - from the Vikings who sailed from the north and the Norman English who came from the south - King David sought to unite his people into one nation. For this, he needed loyal warriors. Waryk de Graham soon proved the greatest of these fighters, and was knighted Lord Lion. But his honored position came with a price: a wife chosen for him by the king - a reluctant Viking bride.

Daughter of a Gaelic noblewoman and a Viking warlord, Mellyora MacAdin had an imagination that blazed with dreams of ancient myths and tales of adventure. She had already pledged her heart when she received King David's decree to marry the fierce Lord Lion. As he came to claim her, Mellyora swore to resist this barbarian nobleman - only to find herself a willing partner to his seduction. Now, torn between defiance and devotion, Mellyora must decide where her future truly lies, as she discovers the savagery in her family's blood, and the secrets of her husband's heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prolific historical romance author Drake's (The King's Pleasure) hardcover debut is a swashbuckling tale of warring factions in 12th-century Scotland. It chronicles the coming-of-age of a young nobleman whose feats of bravery earn him a royal but troublesome marriage. During a borderland battle, 13-year-old Waryk de Graham uses his father's sword to impale the last standing enemy, a Norman lord, as his father and uncle lie dead. Scottish King David has seen the act, and assumes guardianship of the robust boy. Ten years later it is 1137 A.D., the English monarchy is in chaos and Scotland is wary of attack from the Vikings and Normans. The king summons Lady Mellyora MacAdin of Blue Isle, whose father has recently died, to the Scottish royal seat of Stirling. In a strategic move to keep the Viking island secure for his kingdom, he has arranged for Mellyora to marry Sir Waryk , now his most respected warrior knight. She defiantly objects to the marriage, since she is already in love; while Waryk is equally dismayed, having been poised to wed his beautiful mistress. The narrative follows the war of wills between calmly intelligent, war-scarred Waryk, who accepts the king's command, and wily, irate Mellyora, who is trained in swordsmanship and repeatedly tries to escape to her utopian Blue Isle. Waryk is faster, but his expertise in outwitting the enemy is tested by this Viking sprite. Drake's characters are richly detailed; their romantic interplay is set among the vividly rendered skirmishes and treachery of medieval Scotland.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Pseudonymous Drake's first hardcover novel, a fictional account of the life of the first Graham, Waryk de Graham, Laird Lion, hits close to home, since Drake is actually Heather Graham/Heather Graham Pozzessere. It all begins when a dazed young Waryk is knighted for his courage on a blood-soaked battlefield in the Borderlands of Scotland while mourning the loss of all his kin. King David declares him his champion and eventually offers him prosperous Blue Isle. But there's a catch: David must marry heiress Mellyora MacAdin, a Viking's daughter. Mellyora is outraged that she will not have control of her own destiny, but Waryk is ruthlessly determined to have her home with or without her. Amid a tangle of lies, treachery, and obvious villainy, these two strong-willed people must come to terms so that there can be peace throughout the land. Fans of Johanna Lindsey's medieval and Viking novels will relish this tale, the first novel in a proposed series about the Graham clan. Melanie Duncan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Unabridged Library Edition; Unabridged edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567406300
• ISBN-13: 978-1567406306
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.3 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,770,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today best selling author, Heather Graham was born somewhere in Europe and kidnapped by gypsies when she was a small child. She went on to join the Romanian circus as a trapeze artist and lion tamer. When the circus came to South Florida, she stayed, discovering that she preferred to be a shark and gator trainer.

Not really.

Heather is the child of Scottish and Irish immigrants who met and married in Chicago, and moved to South Florida, where she has spent her life. (She has, at least, been to the Russian circus in Moscow, where she wished she was one of the incredibly talented and coordinated trapeze artists.) She majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over one hundred and fifty novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, horror, and Christmas family fare.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages, and has had over seventy-five million books in print. She has been honored with awards from Walden Books, B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA and more. Heather has also become the proud recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.

Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. Each year she hosts the Vampire Ball and Dinner theater at the RT convention raising money for the Pediatric Aids Society and in 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf region. She is also the founder of "The Slush Pile Players", presenting something that's almost like entertainment for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Close to 5 star, but a bit too much info at times., March 4, 2006

By 

Alyce In Wonderland "The Looking Glass" (Over the hill or underland, or just behind a tree) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come the Morning (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a terrific story. Realistic battles, several great characters, drama, romance, excitement, and triumph.

Waryk de Graham is a young fledgling warrior. He enters his very first battle at his father's side. When he awakens from an injury to his head, he finds his father lying dead beside him. The rest of his family lies dead as well. He is the last of the Graham name. Filled with rage, he pulls himself from the ground, grabs his father's sword, and runs to attack his enemies in surprise. He manages to kill most of them, as King David arrives with troops to help. David sees that Waryk has the potential to be a great champion. He knights Waryk there on the battle field. Waryk is now Sir Waryk de Graham, Laird Lion. He pledges his life to David's service, determined at the same time to use his father's sword to bring down the rest of his enemies.

Years later, with his father's sword in hand, Waryk has earned his king's respect. King David decides to reward Waryk by giving him a vast estate, complete with a beautiful heiress for his bride.

Mellyora MacAdin is the daughter of a former Viking warlord. Her father, Laird Adin, had long ago changed his ways and become one of King David's loyal lairds. However, he raises his daughter in the Viking tradition of teaching women to battle along with their men. Mellyora is a woman who can handle a sword against men who would attack her, her home, or her people.

When Laird Adin dies suddenly, his daughter travels to David's court in hopes of keeping her father's land, known as Blue Isle. David has already decided that Mellyora will marry Waryk, making certain that her Viking relatives can not seize the property. Mellyora escapes from the king's castle. She decides to run to her uncle's camp and ask him to help her keep Blue Isle long enough to convince the king that she is capable of defending it without a husband. While running through the forest at night, a man grabs her and questions her. When he discovers she is running from his king, Waryk makes a plan to bring her back to the castle. In the midst of his plan, he discovers that she is the woman intended to be his bride.

Over the next weeks, Mellyora and Waryk battle for control of her land and life. When the king makes it clear that he will give Blue Isle to Waryk, with or without marriage, Mellyora had no choice but to agree to marry him. Now they must work together to save Blue Isle and it's people from a secret enemy, the son of one of the men Waryk killed as a boy. This enemy, Ulric Hallsteader is determined to take Waryk's wife and land. He finds ways to attack while disguising himself as Mellyora's uncle, Daro of the Vikings. If he can cause war between Waryk and Daro, he can weaken them both. This will open Blue Isle for attack.

There were numerous terrific characters in this story. They made a truly magnificent tale. There are many men and women to root for, and plenty to fear. This keeps the story exciting and it makes putting the book down very difficult. (Hence the dark circles under my eyes after reading into the early hours of the morning.) The romances that develop are gripping and deep. While reading, you feel the joy, frustration, fear, and determination of the characters as if you were living it yourself. This is a characteristic that makes the difference between a good story and an excellent story.

My only disappointment was the fact that there were several pages of unnecessary history and background. I found myself skimming through these paragraphs to get back to the plot. However, the story was enthralling enough to make up for it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historical Scottland and Romance, January 1, 2003

By 

Tanya L. Schaub "TSchlaack" (Livermore, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Come the Morning (Audio Cassette)

One of the few unabridged offerings in the historical romance category, and a good choice from Brilliance. First off if you don't like romance stories this one is not for you. But, if you like Scottish/English romances this one is for you. You will follow the story of one of the King's champions (King David of Scotland that is) as he is finally "given his prize" for being a champion all these years. He is to get the Castle of Blue Isle and along with it the Heiress. But the heiress has other ideas and thinks that she can govern the lands herself, as she is the daughter of a Viking. She commences to run away which allows for an interesting first meeting of the warrior and the heiress.

There is a lot of intrigues, vengeance as well as history in this story. The author takes the time to talk a lot about the difference in what is happening in Scotland as well as England at the time. She also goes into the history of the isle and how things have changed over the years. I liked the story though at times it seemed a bit long.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romance with a history lesson..., September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Come the Morning (Bookcassette(r) Edition) (Audio Cassette)

This is my first Shannon Drake book, so I didn't quite know what to expect. This book differs from other historical romances I've read, in that it reads like a "story" that happens to have romance as one of the primary focal points. It's not the typical historical romance where the focus is on the beauty of the "fair maiden," the prowess of the male character, and their sparring matches before they realize they're meant to be together. Sure there's some of that here too, but there's a story as well. This is evidenced by the length of time it takes before the two characters even kiss. I guess this is more of a "mature" historical romance. However, it was enjoyable enough that I'll try another of her books. While I still prefer the "typical" historical romance, the bottom line is, would I recommend it? The answer is yes, as long as you don't expect a novel similar to some of Kathleen Woodiwiss' best (and older) novels.