Dark Before the Rising Sun might delight lovers of the previous installment in Laurie McBain’s trilogy about the Dominick family. Sadly, for us, it did not.
Dark Before the Rising Sun by Laurie McBain
Rating: 
Published: 1980
Illustrator: H. Tom Hall
Book Series: Dominick #3
Published by: Avon
Genres: Historical Romance, Georgian Era Romance
Pages: 518
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: Amazon
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader
SNOOZE ALERT ⚠
The Book
Great Title, Beautiful Cover, Too Bad About the Book
Dark Before the Rising Sun is the last installment in Laurie McBain‘s trilogy that began with Moonstruck Madness. This is a direct continuation of that book’s sequel, Chance the Winds of Fortune.
With this book, I am breaking my rule for reviewing books that I have didn’t complete. I made it relatively far into this book and then skimmed to the end. Yes, it was that bad.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this romance more if it had been combined with the first book and the length halved.
The Plot
As I said in my review of Chance the Winds of Fortune, the second and third books of the Dominick series combine for over 1000 pages. In the previous installment, the pride and joy of the Dominick family, the eldest daughter Rhea Claire was kidnapped.
Events led her to be an unwilling passenger on a ship sailing the Caribbean, captained by Dante Leighton, former English Marquis turned pirate.
Rhea charmed the pants off of the ship’s men, metaphorically speaking as far as the crew goes, but literally speaking with Captain Dante. Rhea and Dante found treasure and true love.
Now the pair have returned to England so Dante can regain his title as the Marquis of Jacobi, and his beloved, Rhea Claire, daughter of Moonstruck Madness‘ Sabrina and Lucien, can let her parents know she’s alive and well.
After reading the soporific precursor to this book, I found myself looking at another 500 pages to complete their stupid, boring love story.
Why? I don’t know. What was the point? There’s a recap of the previous dull book.
Rhea’s dad, Lucien, doesn’t like Dante. Society still looks down on him. Rhea and Dante are united in their love for one another as they head to his estate of Merdraco to re-establish his place as the rightful Marquis. There’s a nasty villain who wants to destroy Dante.
There’s Rhea acting cute as always: “Let’s meet my great family, and they’ll help get your titles and estates restored now that you’re not a pirate anymore. I love you, darling. Aren’t we so wonderfully dull?”
And Dante reveals his dirty little secret: “Years ago, I once saw your mother at a party when I was a young man and had a crush on her.” That’s like a .05 on a scale of 1-100 for old-school romance craziness!
Final Analysis of Dark Before the Rising Sun
I suppose to really enjoy this book, you had to love the previous novel, and I didn’t. So I was destined to hate this one.
Dark Before the Rising Sun by Laurie McBain has a largely positive consensus in reviews I’ve seen online. I guess most people who read this far into the trilogy genuinely love it. Not me, the eternal contrarian.
I keep these books only for the covers, but as far as re-reading them, life’s too short!
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| Overall: | 1.8 |
Synopsis
A LADY’S PLIGHT
DARK BEFORE THE RISING SUN by LAURIE McBAIN
Lady Rhea Claire Dominick, fair and flawlessly beautiful daughter of a Duke, was stolen from her father’s house–and shipped to the Colonies as a slave.
A CAPTAIN’S DARING
Dante Leighton, who squandered a Marquis’ inheritance in his dissolute youth, pursued his fortune at sea–and found his destiny in the amethyst eyes of a fascinating woman.
A STORM OF DESIRE
They sailed the West Indian isles, discovering fabulous riches… and the raptures of a love more precious than treasure. On a secluded shore, in an idyll apart from the world, they surrendered themselves to ecstasy. But on returning to England, their joy was beset by a tempest of scandal, spite and murderous peril–which was the end of their happiness, or the dark before the radiance of their love…
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