Customer Reviews

Till Dawn Tames the Night

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the mood for reading a beautifully written romance? Then look no more. Till Dawn Tames The Night is a MASTERPIECE of a romance. One of the finest ever written.

Aurora Dayne teaches at the orphanage where she had spent a good deal of her childhood. A very mysterious letter arrives offering her a position as a lady's companion. She quickly seizes this chance and boards a ship for Jamaica. Little does she know that another has also boarded. Someone who seeks the legendary emerald - The Star of Aran. Aurora's legacy . . .

Vashon is a ruthless privateer with a notorious reputation. A past treachery has shaped him into a hard man. He inspires fear in men and lust in countless women. He is a man to be reckoned with, a formidable enemy if ever crossed. He seeks the legendary emerald for it once belonged to his father. He knows who had stolen it long ago and who now knows where it is hidden.

He believes that Aurora knows where the emerald is. He is quite ruthlesss into achieving his goal. He tries intimidation to pry the knowledge out of her. When that fails, he tries seduction. Yet once passion is unleashed it is hard to control. Despite his hardness, he is drawn to Aurora even though he tries so desperately to remain indifferent. Aurora is unlike the other women he has known. She proves her loyalty to Vashon. A loyalty he is afraid to believe in. That action so selflessly given, seals his fate. She inflames him with her innocence and beauty, smashing through his cold indifference. Until he is mad with the desire to possess her.

Yet danger awaits as an evil villain plots Vashon's demise. Will Aurora's love finally set Vashon free from his past? Or will he lose everything in his quest for revenge?

Meagan McKinney is an incredibly gifted writer. She graced onto this story everything needed to keep the reader enthralled. I did not want it to end!! Without a doubt, Till Dawn Tames The Night is a KEEPER!!!!

This is a better than average romance overall, no more, no less.

The writing is ok, but the author has an odd habit of inserting complimentary decriptives when giving point of view...for example the author is writing POV of the heroine's thoughts, and then describes her beauty while doing so.

The settings are beautifully written.

The heroine is young and without any great depth or strength of will. She's not very interesting. Her redeeming grace is characterization of great compassion and ability to love. However, she has the typical and annoying romance characterization and dialogue-the "Don't touch me' while swooning with excitemnt foolishness that is supposed to indicate some measure of ovular fortitude.

The male lead is the typical bossy semi abusive type found in this fantasy rape type of book. The sex is practically non-con, but with a certain amount of angst. However, the saving grace of this story IS the male lead-one of the better developed traditional romance male leads ever. He is interesting, he has soul, he had depth, he has personal ethics-not society morals-but personal ethics.

And he is tough, tormented, and hot, hot, hot.

The over all plot is good, the mystery is decent.

The ending was disappointing-I disliked that the male lead 'changed,' 'conformed, to be 'the man' for the heroine. I am a big believer in accepting bad boys in fiction as they are. The heroine falls in love with the bad boy AS THEY ARE, which should be good enough BUT then changes them, which is what screws up people in real life-women want to 'save' or change bad boys, and it's just not realistic.

I'll paraphrase 'Pirates of the Caribbean' here- the hero's character was great and interesting as he was-why could he not "be a pirate, AND a good man?"

I first read this book almost 15 years ago, checking it out from the library over and over just for the intriguing male lead. I recently purchased it for the same reason, all these years later.

This book is one of my favorites. It's tattered binding & curled pages hold a place of honor next to several volumes from Shakespeare to Woodiwiss. Vashon is a tormented & driven hero, Aurora is a virgin with a dark side. Together they compliment one another as the damned & the redeemer. The setting in St. Kitts on the fictitious island of Mirage is wonderful, and the secondary characters are rich & add depth to this amazing work. I recommend it HIGHLY.

I have read this novel at least a dozen times. I enjoy it even more everytime. In my opinion, I have yet to read a romance novel that truly tops this one. Meagan McKinney is a master at character development as well as expressing the emotional process of the heroine. The grand secret to this author's success is the wonderful simplicity of her story plots. I have read romance novels with plots so intricate and complicated that it became frustrating to read them, and in the end the character depth was not developed. This however, is not the case with Til' Dawn Tames the Night. Over the years I have highly recommended this novel to many, even now. Unfortunately, Meagan McKinny no longer writes romance novels, I don't even think she's writing anything at this time. To say that I highly recommend this novel is probably the understatment of the year. The characters are real and very intriguing. Vashon, the male lead, sounds like a man, talks like a man and expresses himself like most men in his situation would. Its very real to me and often times I'll read other novelists portrayal of their male leads and I put the book down in disgust because their male leads do not sound naturally male. The female lead, Aurora, is a prime manifestation of womanhood. She is innocent but practical, waivering between confidence and insecurity, which is a very real state for the average person. I like that she is rebellious and fights Vashon but not to the point that she becomes ridiculously obnoxious, like some female leads that I have read in other novels. Aurora still bows to the dictates of the societal view of women at that time, so we as readers are convinced of the authenticity and seamlessness of the development of this story and time period. This is a MUST READ and then Lions and Lace should follow immediately after that, another fabulous novel by Meagan McKinny of the same caliber.

This was one of the first romance books I ever read, and I think it truly shaped the man I'm searching for. If I ever find my Vashon I would love it. The descriptive scenery is beautiful, and the characters are so real...right down to Flossie and Issac! I lost my copy in a flood, and Amazon found one for me THANK YOU THANK YOU! I will cherish this book forever, because it truly a work of art. (p.s. my son's name will be Brenden Vashon whenever I have him, that's how much the book influenced me!) If you get a chance to read this, prepare to be taken to far off lands and be included in a wonderful tale of love comes thru no matter what! >^..^<

Yes yes yes, all the reviews about this book are true! This book is a masterpiece. The character, plot, setting are phenomenal. You feel Aurora's excitement, hope and sense of adventure as soon as she boards Vashon's ship. "Aurora looked past a man bearing a bronze urn and found the captain standing idly by the railing. From below she could hear the pounding of hammers and the murmur of male voices as workers nailed the furniture into the cabin to make it immobile of the voyage Added to the celebration on the docks, the cacophony was deafening, there was certainly no retiring to her cabin in this din". I loved this section because the imagery is so vivid that you feel like ur in Aurora's shoes. With the cool night air brushing past your skin and you feeling too excited to sleep. It's awesome.

Vashon's quest was simple. He wanted to find a secret treasure to twarp his enemy. And the only way he could get to the treasure is through Aurora. Her father gave her the key to the treasure. While he wants to get the secret treasure, she is too busy with her kidnapping. While Vashon's ship sailed the high seas and avoided their enemies, the fell in love. Somewhere in there, it becomes more than just the sex. It shows in their little nicknames to each other "little wren" and in the little gestures they show each other. Since she is an orphan, she doesn't know when her birthday is. Spontaneously, he picks a day and declares it her birthday , gives her a touching present. In turn, she sees the gentle and generous man within. She sees this in his gestures and his actions. The fact that he gave a poor boy a job on his ship. And during their escape, he risked his life and went to rescue her monkey.

All in all, this an awesome book to read. Don't hesitate to buy this book and hopefully after reading all the positive reviews you will be excited to click the buy button on your screen.

Meagan McKinney is wonderful author! Till Dawn Tames the Night will make you cry. One of my all time favorites.

No need to ramble, this is a wonderful book!. If you enjoy Historical Romances, Adventure, Dashing Pirates, Seduction, and Happy endings, then this book is for you!

I gave this 4 stars but really would have preferred about 4.5
I almost didn't buy this book due to comments made regarding Vashon's lack of compassion. I'm so glad now I did. The reason I loved The Ground She Walks Upon was because Niall was allowed a bit of vulnerability which I find appealing so I wasn't sure if I could like Vashon. BUT Vashon's personality is totally acceptable given his tough background. He sees falling in love as a weakness he cannot afford...something that will negatively impact his sharpness of instinct...a life or death issue in his circumstances. I feel, frankly, that this story has a much more intense emotional undertow *sigh* than, say, When Angels Fall, which I liked but felt was a bit light on real emotional depth\interplay between our hero & heroine. I wasn't even sure at first that I could get into Vashon's whole physical image but, man, I read this book in 1 night! It's a keeper!

Ah...you know when you've found a romance that sweeps you away...one you will read and re-read. This one has it all: superb writing, intriguing plot, a tortured but strong hero and a heroine who won't give up. Oh yes, did I mention pirates?

Set in 1818, this is the story of Aurora Dayne, raised in an orphanage where she stayed on to become a teacher (think Jane Eyre), until the day she received an offer to become a lady's companion in Jamaica. Desperate for a new life, she leaves behind her past and strikes out for adventure, never knowing the invitation came from a pirate named Vashon. Vashon was the heir to Blackmoor but his twisted half brother sought to kill him and steal the title. At 13 Vashon was sold into white slavery in Algiers and that experience forged the dragon that lives within him. He has grown wealthy as a merchant seaman though he is not above piracy. He has lured Aurora to the Caribbean because her father, a thief, gave her the key to finding a cursed emerald he stole, the Star of Aran--an emerald Vashon's half brother is desperate to have.

Much of the story takes place on the high seas where innocent Aurora is taken captive by Vashon, who will use any method, including seducing Aurora, to get the clues to the emerald. But Vashon doesn't bargain on Aurora's fierce goodness that sees the lost goodness in him.

A great story of lost innocence, unrequited love and passionate moments that won't be denied...all set aboard ship and turquoise Caribbean isles. You will not be disappointed in this historical romance. It has everything one could ask for.

However, I must say that one could have done without the author's disparaging words early in the story damning evangelical Christianity and the message of William Wilberforce (who was truly a great man who fought slavery all his life). It seems the nonbelievers among us can't resist the opportunity to cast Christians in a bad light and display their bias. It was also unnecessary to the story. But still, I'm giving the author 5 stars for what is otherwise a wonderful historical romance. I'm just choosing to overlook her obvious bias.