1. Darkness Before Dawn
    Ace Collins
    Abingdon Press / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$15.29 Retail Price$16.99 Save 10% ($1.70)
    4.6 out of 5 stars for Darkness Before Dawn. View reviews of this product. 13 Reviews
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    Stock No: WW714674
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  1. ruthhill74
    Yelm, WA
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Good Reminder that Drinking and Driving Don't Mix
    December 29, 2013
    ruthhill74
    Yelm, WA
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    As I have stated many times in reviews, I am not generally a fan of contemporary fiction. Well, this is one of those rare occasions when I can say that I could hardly put this book down, and it is contemporary fiction. It is also Christian and includes no profanity nor bedroom scenes. But that does not mean that everything is happy and cheery all the time. I truly felt for Meg, and it was sad to watch her go down a road she didn't need to. I am not being critical of her because after all, I have never in my life lost someone I love like this.

    I loved the Christian message that Ace Collins wove into the very fabric of the book. I found myself emotionally connecting with Meg more than once, and it was so glorious to see commitments to God being made. I found myself really getting angry over the defense attorney in the courtroom. And it really gets to me when I realize that the way things are described is not so far from the truth.

    This is a book that can be enjoyed by all, and I believe teens should read it, too. It is a good reminder that drinking and driving don't mix.

    I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
  2. Sufficient in Jesus
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Light breaks through the Dark. It is Dawn.
    June 3, 2013
    Sufficient in Jesus
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I just finished Darkness Before Dawn by Ace Collins. It is Powerful. It is Sad. And then--Light breaks through the Dark. It is Dawn.

    What a book this is. Ace Collins has a new fan.

    So what is this book, Darkness Before Dawn?

    It is a story that takes people you and I know....husbands driving home late at night, young wives waiting for them with joyful news to share, the carload of boys and girls drunk on beer and scotch after a lake bonfire party. This book lets us follow their lives, lives just like ours or someone we know, and lets us see inside their minds as these lives intersect, and one of them ends.

    This story begins in the darkness of night when Meg Richard's answers her phone to find a state trooper making the call no one ever wants to make or receive. He said "I am sorry to have to inform you that there has been an accident."

    What he doesn't say is what she hears. "Your husband is dead. Your world is torn apart."

    Steve Richards died upon impact with the drunken teen's vehicle, and his car went up in flames with his body trapped inside. This 2 AM phone call ushered the Dark Music into her bright life, Dark Music that would not stop playing for a long time.

    Meg drove to the hospital to identify the body, knowing her husband by the ring on his hand. The ring that was engraved "Til death do us part."

    They had been parted, at the hands of James Thomas, underage drunk who drove into the wrong lane and hit Steve head on.

    There is no way on earth to bring Steve back. Meg knows this, but she also knows she can punish his killer, and make him understand the pain he caused. Darkness Before Dawn brings us down with Meg, down to the thirst for revenge, to the place where causing James Thomas harm becomes her purpose at her own expense and the expense of her baby.

    As I read, I felt Meg's desire for justice. I knew why she wanted it. I hated the selfishness, the carelessness of this young man who snuffed out life in a horrible way and showed no remorse. This book pulled me into Meg's battles.

    This book would not let me put it down.

    Allow me to tell a little story at this point... and you will better understand why I say this is a book we all should read.

    This morning I stood on the bank of a drainage ditch at the end of my local dirt road. There was a beer bottle lying in the grass near the slimy run-off water. As I picked up the sun-warmed bottle and held it in my hand, I looked down at the marks where the cars parked there had spun dirt as they pulled out. The drivers were probably young--this is one of our county's favorite hangouts for the highschoolers. If past history and the weight of the bottle in my hand meant anything, they were drinking again.

    And I wished that they would stop, that the hands that had tossed this bottle would soon fold in prayer.

    I wish that we could raise our young men so that they would never have to have memories of drinking. I wish we could teach them to run from the bottle. I wish we could help those who are drinking, those who have been James Thomases, to be redeemed.

    Thank you Ace Collins, Abingdon Press and Litfuse for sending me Darkness Before Dawn. I will not be forgetting this one.
  3. neenee
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    darkness before dawn is an apt title for this book.
    October 29, 2015
    neenee
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    i really enjoyed this book

  4. ACS Book Finder
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Grief. Drunk teen driving, tragedy
    April 29, 2013
    ACS Book Finder
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Review: Well written and easy to read, this book tells the story of losing a loved one and the grieving process. This particular book deals with drunk driving and the consequences of driving under the influence. Even more important, it deals with the subject of teen drunk driving, which is a problem in our society. Even though this book is Christian fiction, no doubt it is very real to many families.

    Meg Richards is the young woman whose husband is killed by a drunk teen driver. She is full of bitterness and basically turns her back on God. "How can a God of love allow such a thing to happen?" She makes it her personal goal to destroy the young man responsible for her husband's death. In addition, she receives news that she is expecting their first child within just a few hours of her husband's death. This only adds fuel to her bitter spirit.

    Ultimately she does destroy the young man. But God in His grace gives her an opportunity to save the young man and restore her own heart and faith in God. The author also introduces a character who is instrumental in Meg's life. Nancy shows Meg that even though bad things happen, God is still on the throne and in control.

    While I felt that the author dwelt on the "bitterness" side a little long, the ending was good. I appreciated the spotlight being put on the subject of teen drunk driving and how the decision of someone to drink and drive can have devastating and irreversible consequences. This is a book that is easy to recommend for reading.

    DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy of Darkness Before Dawn was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group on behalf of the author and publisher, Abingdon Press in exchange for our honest review.
  5. Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Will her grief push her faith over the edge?
    April 1, 2013
    Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Ace Collins is rapidly moving his way up my list of favorite authors in a hurry! Everything I've read of his has been exceptional, life changing and worth talking about to anyone I can! The characters and situations he takes you to are places you hope you never have to visit but once there, you simply find yourself holding your breath waiting for the next page to be turned.

    In his latest novel, Darkness Before Dawn, we meet Meg Richard's who receives the phone call we all had to get. Early in the morning, she is informed that her husband Steven, 28, was in a car accident and didn't make it. The van that hit him was filled with teenage boys that had been drinking and he was on his way home from working late when they hit him. Steven was trying to make it home so that they could spend their anniversary weekend together. They were just beginning a new life with one another, looking at buying their first home and now it was if God simply decided that Meg needed a different life than the one she had been planning on having.

    She heads to the hospital to identify her husbands remains but is advised that she should avoid it. It seems the accident was pretty bad and his car caught fire. Her friends, at the hospital try to convince Meg that this isn't the way she wants to remember her husband, but somehow she feels until she can be absolutely sure it's him, there is a chance he might still be alive. The only thing she can manage to identify is his wedding ring. That's when Meg realizes that all her hopes and dreams have simply died. Her faith in God is over since she believes God is the one responsible for killing her husband. After all if God is so all powerful, He could have prevented the accident from happening. Coupled with all the prayers and condolences from well meaning family and friends, Meg has simply had enough.

    She attempts to turn her grief into revenge and seeks out the person responsible for the accident. When most of her attempts to learn his identity, she finds out he is under age and is protected by law. The District Attorney is still going over the evidence to see if he can even prosecute the case since he has been turned over to his parents for the time being. Meg will stop at nothing to ensure that all the pain and grief she is having to deal with, will be poured out on the person responsible for Steven's death. On top of all this, she learns on the eve of his death, that all their efforts to have a child, means that Meg is now pregnant with their first child. Will she give up her faith or will she see how God can turn even this situation into something good in His own way?

    I received Darkness Before Dawn by Ace Collins compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This novel floored me with all the emotions and intensity of what a wife would have to endure. In fact, I had to remind myself at times I was only reading a novel and now actually dealing with the situation myself. That's how real Ace involves his readers into his storyline. It's phenomenal! I couldn't put it down until I knew how this would all play out. I honestly felt I would have reacted much the same way Meg did and wondered where my faith would have played out in all of it as well. Another masterpiece in my opinion and one I would highly recommend if you're looking for a novel you can become a part of! This one hits home for me with a 5 out of 5 stars! We'd all like to say we'd handle things better than Meg does at first, but until you deal with a loss that great in an unexpected and 100% preventable way, then you find yourself testing your own faith in new ways you could never imagine!
Displaying items 1-5 of 13
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