Book Review: Morning Side of Dawn by Justine Davis

The third in a trilogy that includes Stevie's Chase and Left at the Altar, Morning Side of Dawn follows the story of "supermodel" Cassie "Cassandra" Cameron, who is being stalked and thinks she may have had enough of the world of modeling. Enter Dar Cordell, a friend of her brother's who is the only one able to protect her while her brother and sister-in-law are out of town on a much-needed family vacation and her sister-in-law's brother and his wife are dealing with a difficult first pregnancy. Dar is attractive, an athlete, and a double leg amputee who hides away from the world when he is not competing in - and winning - races. The two romantic leads are, perhaps, overly perfect - a supermodel and a super athlete, but this is a romance novel, after all, and they have their faults as well. There are many obstacles in their way, not least of  all their own stubbornness.

What sets this book apart from others in the romance genre is the handsome Dar Cordell, a very rare example of a double leg amputee being the leading man/hero of the story. Justine Davis realistically portrays his physical experiences and reality while, at the same time, showing him as attractive and desirable exactly as he is. If you like "wounded hero" romances, this is definitely one of the better examples of that genre. And it is not a bodice-ripper, although it does have its intimate moments which are well worth the wait as the story builds and Cassie and Dar's friendship and romance build along with it. It is sexy without being smutty, and it leaves you wanting more.

While this book is best read after reading the other two in the trilogy first, it also stands well on its own. It is intelligently written, well-researched, and, most importantly, it engages the reader in a way that makes you really care about what happens, not just to the main characters, but to the supporting characters as well. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys wounded hero romances, and Dar Cordell is one of the best wounded heroes I've encountered in all of my reading. Justine Davis has shown real commitment to her material and to the various characters who are included in these books by writing a trilogy rather than stand-alone novels, and I have yet to find any other romance novels that even come close to giving us another hero like Dar Cordell.

Book Review: Left at the Altar by Justine Davis

Left at the Altar is the second in a series of three books by author Justine Davis. This sequel to Stevie's Chase tells the story of Stevie's brother, Sean, who lost his fiancee after he lost his leg. Now, Rory has come back into Sean's life and he is torn between the hurt and devastation he felt when she left him standing at the altar and the love he still feels for her. She is desperate for Sean to understand why she left, and she is in danger from the man she left him for. There is a lot more to her story than Sean ever knew, and as they reconnect, and as he learns the real reason she left him, we watch as Sean tries to decide what he feels for her and where to go from there.

Justine Davis has done her research well to portray an amputee character in an accurate and well-rounded way and as a romantic lead, and the reason she wrote Sean's story, she says, is because fans of Stevie's Chase contacted her and wanted to know more about Sean and to see a story with him as the lead.

This is an excellent wounded-hero romance, and I recommend not only this book but the whole series, which is best when read in the correct order. Start with Stevie's Chase (another wounded-hero romance about a man on the run [Chase] and the woman [Stevie] who figures out his true identity), then read Left at the Altar, and finish it off with Morning Side of Dawn, which is another excellent wounded-hero romance which tells the story of Sean's best friend, Dar, who is a double leg amputee, and Chase's sister, Cassie. I have re-read this series multiple times and still love them every single time. If you like wounded-hero romance, and if you like romance featuring characters like Sean and Dar, you'll like this trilogy by Justine Davis.