Happy Friday! Today is First Line Friday, hosted by Reading is My Superpower, when readers share the first line from the closest book. Today I am featuring the newest release by a new-to-me author: As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin.

Aylesbury Prison
Buckinghamshire, England
Early March 1918

“Only by searching the bowels of hell would he find the devil.”

As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin

The Basics

Title: As Dawn Breaks

Author: Kate Breslin

Publication Date: November 2, 2021

Genre: WWI Historical Romance

My Rating: 4 Stars

From the Back Cover:

Her daring bid for freedom could be her greatest undoing.

Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.

RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna’s factory is likely next. Fearing for his family’s safety, he’s also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family–until Alex receives orders to surveil her.

Rose squirms beneath Alex’s scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers’ respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future.

My Review

This is the first of Kate Breslin’s books I have read, and I can see why she has so many fans! She has brought Scotland during World War I to life in As Dawn Breaks. Rose has a fascinating job in a munitions factory – I learned a lot about the women who worked in these factories and the risks they took every day to do this important work. Rose faces an extra layer of difficulty when she assumes a new identity in order to escape an arranged marriage. However, she has no idea that her new identity will draw scrutiny for reasons she never imagined, putting her and the family she is boarding with at risk.

This story has all the ingredients that make for great historical fiction – careful attention to detail, charming characters that bring the time period to life, a fascinating topic that brings a lesser-known part of history to light, sweet romance and friendships that provide light-hearted moments, and suspense and intrigue that keep you turning pages. I am now a fan of Ms. Breslin’s work, and I am sure historical fiction fans will enjoy this novel as well!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Reading is My Superpower to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.