Review: The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann

Corporate turnaround specialist Morgan Spencer, dubbed the "success guru," has a Midas touch in business. But losing his wife sent him to the brink, and his two-year-old daughter, Livie, is all he's living for--until they encounter a woman whose trouble just might draw him out of his own.
 
Four years ago Quinn Reilly did the right thing. Now the man her testimony put in jail is getting out. Though she has put up barriers to protect herself and those around her, she has come to care for the Spencer family, especially the winsome Livie and her mercurial father. Unwilling to put them at risk when the threats begin, she requests something she hopes the super-successful Morgan might be able to deliver.

Fixing problems is what Morgan does best, but his counter proposal takes them in a direction neither is equipped to handle. Determined to confront the past, will they survive to build a future?

I have mixed feelings about this book. I've read (and liked) every Kristen Heitzmann book my library has, so when I saw the ARC for her latest book The Breath of Dawn on NetGalley, I was very excited to read it.

I was pulled in right away. Quinn's unique occupation and personality (not to mention her name) made for a wonderful main character. Morgan, successful, handsome and heartbroken, was great too. For quite awhile I was very into their story, but the pace slowed and dragged at times during the 416 pages.

I struggled with the parts about mental illness and evil spirits. Also, it seemed that the Lord's name was taken in vain several times. Some of that may have been a call for a heavenly help, but the way it was done rubbed me the wrong way.

I was surprised that there was sex in this novel, as I can't recall it in any other Bethany House published novels that I've read. There weren't details, and the couple was married, but I guess it stood out because the marriage was looked at as a business proposition instead of a loving relationship. They voided what they'd agreed to out of lust instead of love, at least initially.

Those issues aside, I enjoyed the overall story. I would recommend reading this as an e-book though, so you have the dictionary option right at your fingertips. Heitzmann seemed to be testing the limits of her vocabulary (or the thesaurus).