It happened slowly at first. Thread by
thread, the fabric of privilege and complacency enveloping the Wyndham family
began to unravel. A carefree summer at their island house, disrupted by the
arrival of long lost kin, ended in tragedy, betrayal, and war.
Now, in the compelling sequel to the
acclaimed epic, The Summer Before The Storm, Ria and her friends find
themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.
It's late summer, 1916. While some members
of the Wyndham family revel in the last resplendent days of the season at their
Muskoka cottage, others continue to be drawn inexorably into the "Great War",
going from a world of misty sunrises across a tranquil lake to deadly moonlight
bombing raids, festering trenches, and visceral terror.
For Ria, too many things have happened to
hope that life would ever return to normal, that innocence could be regained.
Caught in the vortex of turbulent events and emotions, she abandons the
relative safety of the sidelines in Britain for the nightmare of France.
Her fate as an ambulance driver remains
entwined with that of her summer friends, all bound by a sense of duty. Living
in the shadows of fear and danger awakens the urgency to grasp life, to live
more immediately, more passionately amid the enormity of unprecedented death.
Together, their lives weave a tale of liberation and loss, evolution and
redemption. Those who survive this cataclysmic time are forever changed, like
Canada itself.
Impeccably researched, beautifully
written, Elusive Dawn will resonate with the reader long after the final
page has been turned.
"In Elusive
Dawn, author Gabriele Wills shows talent that is anything but elusive. Her
skillfully crafted scenes populated by well drawn characters will pull readers
into the story and not let go until the very last page." - Writer's Digest
Magazine
NEW!
Read the latest reviews from a 2013 Blog
Tour.
Here's a sample:
"There was never a moment in
reading Elusive Dawn that I wasn't completely captivated with the
story. I absolutely adore Gabriele Wills!" -
Peaceful Wishing
"I can't tell you enough how much I
adored this book and the characters it holds." - Stitch - Read - Cook
"I highly recommend you read
Elusive Dawn. There are definitely similarities with the
Downton Abbey series." - M. Denise C.
"Wills writes her characters in such
a way that you literally feel like you're on this journey with them. The second
book in this series is fantastic." - To Read, or Not to Read
"[Ms. Wills] truly brings history
alive through her descriptions and her characters. I didn't want the story to
end." - Broken Teepee
"I recommend this novel not only to
historical fiction fans, but to readers who crave an emotional experience with
characters who start to feel like family." - Mom in Love with Fiction
"I love fictional novels that bring
history to life in a personal way. Gabriele Wills is a skilled author who
expertly weaves this family saga together." - Sweeps 4 Bloggers
Read the first chapter of Elusive Dawn. To view it full screen, click on
the 4-arrows-box in the bottom right corner after the book opens.
Meet some of the main
characters.
