Book Review: Shine Like the Dawn by Carrie Turansky

In a quiet corner of northern Edwardian England, Margaret Lounsbury diligently works in her grandmother’s millinery shop, making hats and caring for her young sister. Several years earlier, a terrible event shattered  their idyllic family life and their future prospects. Maggie is resilient and will do what she must to protect her sister Violet. Still, the loss of her parents weighs heavily on her heart as she begins to wonder if what happened that day on the lake…might not have been an accident.

When wealthy inventor and industrialist William Harcourt dies, his son and Maggie’s estranged childhood friend, Nathaniel, returns from his time in the Royal Navy and inherits his father’s vast estate, Morningside Manor. He also assumes partial control of his father’s engineering company and the duty of repaying an old debt to the Lounsbury family. But years of separation between Nate and Maggie have taken a toll, and Maggie struggles to trust her old friend.

Can Maggie let go of the resentment that keeps her from forgiving Nate—and reconciling with God? Will the search for the truth about her parents’ death draw the two friends closer or leave them both with broken hearts?

GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Multnomah
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2017
PAGES: 354

“It’s time to put your hurt and suspicions into the hands of the One who knows the truth and has the power to do something about it.”

Y’all. This is my favorite Carrie Turansky book yet! (And I’ve enjoyed all her novels) In Shine Like the Dawn, Turansky has quite simply outdone herself with the characters, the setting, and the theme.

I love Maggie as a heroine, in part because of her spirit and personality and in part because she’s not from the wealthy privileged class. She has more strength than she realizes and more faith than she thinks she does. She’s also had to face more loss than anyone should ever have to, especially one so young. Yet despite these tragedies, she remains friendly to everyone – whether wealthy or servant – and keeps a tender heart.

As I’ve mentioned there is a lot of loss that the characters must deal with. But faith and romance are both woven naturally and sweetly through the pain. In fact, Maggie and Nate are my favorite romantic pairing of all of Carrie Turansky’s novels, their childhood friendship simmering into something more is truly delightful and made me smile more than once. Additional romantic subplots in the background of this novel are also quite sweet and add dimension to the supporting characters.

The theme of trusting God with what hurts – with what we don’t understand – is so tenderly conveyed through Maggie’s quest to find out the truth behind her parents’ death. Her grandmother’s wisdom, Nate’s affection, and the Reverend’s insight all work together to form a thread that seamlessly supports the rest of the story with gentle but profound and important truth.

Bottom Line: Shine Like the Dawn is Carrie Turansky’s best novel to date. With a vividly drawn setting, lovable characters, and even a little mystery and historical tension, you will certainly find it difficult to put down once you’ve started reading! The tender message of trusting God with even the most painful parts of our past is sweet and sincere, never preachy, and the romance will steal your breath. It’s a stand alone novel but I for one wouldn’t mind returning to Heatherton for a visit or two, should the author feel so inclined 😉

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 5 stars / Love it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / will steal your breath

CARRIE TURANSKY is an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels and novellas. She has been the winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award, and was a finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award and the Maggie Award of Excellence. A prolific writer of contemporary and historical romance, women’s fiction, short stories, articles, and devotionals, Carrie lives in central New Jersey with her husband Scott. They have five adult children and four grandchildren.

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Other Books by Carrie Turansky

What about you? What is some wisdom you learned from your grandmother, or a grandmotherly figure in your life?