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Before Dawn Breaks
Alexandra Lyons is a cold, seductive assassin, skilled in the art of killing. Camilla Angelson is a bubbly writer enjoying the quiet life as a recent graduate from college. Both women are the same person. Unfortunately, her former employer, the secret government bureau that hired her, knows this all too well.
Josh Mayer is a former secret service agent looking to pick up the pieces of his life after a messy divorce from a cheating wife and a job of putting his life on the line. Doubling as a restaurateur and an "unofficial" undercover agent, the beautiful female target he is protecting may be the same one he is willing to risk his life and, most of all, his heart to save.
Soon, Josh must put his life on the line to evade an unknown killer that ties them all the way to a money-laundering scheme involving the newest presidential candidate to the White House. Meanwhile, Alexandra's heart is warmed with Josh at her side as she slowly remembers the dark past she left behind.
Josh Mayer is a former secret service agent looking to pick up the pieces of his life after a messy divorce from a cheating wife and a job of putting his life on the line. Doubling as a restaurateur and an "unofficial" undercover agent, the beautiful female target he is protecting may be the same one he is willing to risk his life and, most of all, his heart to save.
Soon, Josh must put his life on the line to evade an unknown killer that ties them all the way to a money-laundering scheme involving the newest presidential candidate to the White House. Meanwhile, Alexandra's heart is warmed with Josh at her side as she slowly remembers the dark past she left behind.
188 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Rae Lori
22 books142 followersThroughout her writing career, Rae has written comic book and film related articles which have appeared in online publications such as Comic Stack, Suite101, CinemaGap and Dark Moon Rising. As a result, her alma mater's English course chose one of her articles as an example for how to write an article. She also served as editor and contributing writer of her school newsletter. For her contributions to the newsletter and her leadership, she has won various Success & Leadership awards sponsored by her alma mater where she received her BA in Media Arts & Animation.
Her manuscript, Hotel Sunset, won an Honorable Mention award in the 73rd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Under various pen names, she has written books, novellas and short stories that run the genre gamut of science fiction, fantasy, short roman noir and paranormal romance and many more waiting to drip onto the page.
A fan of David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock, she also has a love for film, vampires and visual storytelling which she couples with the art of the written word to tell her stories. While penning her works, she loves to create artwork that explores her strong female characters and the men in their lives.
Rae also has a reader profile where she posts her favorite reads and recommendations at Goodreads. Feel free to add or follow her! http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12...
Her manuscript, Hotel Sunset, won an Honorable Mention award in the 73rd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Under various pen names, she has written books, novellas and short stories that run the genre gamut of science fiction, fantasy, short roman noir and paranormal romance and many more waiting to drip onto the page.
A fan of David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock, she also has a love for film, vampires and visual storytelling which she couples with the art of the written word to tell her stories. While penning her works, she loves to create artwork that explores her strong female characters and the men in their lives.
Rae also has a reader profile where she posts her favorite reads and recommendations at Goodreads. Feel free to add or follow her! http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 23, 2012
Once again Rae shows me why she is my fav author.
This couple was hot with a sensual love that transends the physical, no there was no sexually explicit content, no smut no porn, just love.
When their eyes connected for the first time, their hearts touched, their souls imprinted on the other. she didn't think about how well endowed he is or got wet looking at him (rolls eyes at how much that is used in so called romance, sex is not romance),but how she felt just looking in his eyes, and as their connection progressed, I believed they truly loved each other, LOVED, that's a beautiful thing.
when they came together, they made love, sensual and sweet. I didn't need to see it or have it described to me, no matter how modern the day is, that is still a private part of two people that belongs to them alone that no one else has any business sharing. I knew what they did was made love, not have sex or F&&&ed, but made love, beautiful.
The rest of the book kept me on edge, I couldn't stop reading, wanting to know what would happen next, things happened that I couldn't guess would. I don't want to give anything away,you need to read this.
great Job Rae, in MHO, you're up there with the masters of both romance, mystery and suspense genre. Thanks for this fantastic, heart pumping, soul touching read.
This couple was hot with a sensual love that transends the physical, no there was no sexually explicit content, no smut no porn, just love.
When their eyes connected for the first time, their hearts touched, their souls imprinted on the other. she didn't think about how well endowed he is or got wet looking at him (rolls eyes at how much that is used in so called romance, sex is not romance),but how she felt just looking in his eyes, and as their connection progressed, I believed they truly loved each other, LOVED, that's a beautiful thing.
when they came together, they made love, sensual and sweet. I didn't need to see it or have it described to me, no matter how modern the day is, that is still a private part of two people that belongs to them alone that no one else has any business sharing. I knew what they did was made love, not have sex or F&&&ed, but made love, beautiful.
The rest of the book kept me on edge, I couldn't stop reading, wanting to know what would happen next, things happened that I couldn't guess would. I don't want to give anything away,you need to read this.
great Job Rae, in MHO, you're up there with the masters of both romance, mystery and suspense genre. Thanks for this fantastic, heart pumping, soul touching read.
March 29, 2009
This is an action-packed tale with enough twists to keep your interest. Alex/Camilla is a formidable heroine who also has a gentle side to her. The question is, which one is real? That is what Alex has to find out on this journey. Josh is such a sweet guy, but he's also more than capable of handling the danger that stalks them both.
I liked the premise of this book, reminding me of the television shows Alias and La Femme Nikita. It's cool to see an African American heroine in this case. Like Sydney and Nikita, Alex is a heroine you care about but is more than able of taking care of herself and anyone who happens to be her enemy.
The love story was sweet and involving. You do want things to work out between Alex and Josh, hoping that they will find each other amongst the chaos of Alex trying to find out who she is and trying to stay alive as her enemies strive to do her in. And Josh is personally involved himself, as his ex-wife is one of the people gunning for Alex.
If readers are looking for an action-filled romance that has a sweet love story at heart, they will love this book. I hope to read more from Ms. Lori.
I liked the premise of this book, reminding me of the television shows Alias and La Femme Nikita. It's cool to see an African American heroine in this case. Like Sydney and Nikita, Alex is a heroine you care about but is more than able of taking care of herself and anyone who happens to be her enemy.
The love story was sweet and involving. You do want things to work out between Alex and Josh, hoping that they will find each other amongst the chaos of Alex trying to find out who she is and trying to stay alive as her enemies strive to do her in. And Josh is personally involved himself, as his ex-wife is one of the people gunning for Alex.
If readers are looking for an action-filled romance that has a sweet love story at heart, they will love this book. I hope to read more from Ms. Lori.
December 6, 2012
This is the first book I've read by this author and it won't be my last. Before Dawn Breaks is the story of two agents caught in the crossfire of a corrupt Senator. Hero Josh Mayer is assigned to protect assassin Alexandra Lyons and the two become entrenched in a battle over money that threatens their lives. This is a really good book. The pacing is rapid, dialogue snappy, and Ms. Lori writes such believable action scenes that you can really see the fighting. The plot is plausible and the activities of these agents and the agency to which they belong is wholly believable. Furthermore, Ms. Lori sets up the romance with strong, emotional characters--even the villains were well developed. There's a plot twist I totally didn't see coming and you just have to read it to see how good it is.
April 5, 2011
I won this in a giveaway and really enjoyed it. It was fast paced, exciting and thrilling to read. Camilla/Alex and Josh are great characters, the differences between Camilla and Alex are interesting even though they are the same person. The storyline was fun and I think the book was the right length to keep me interested in the characters.
Would really like to read more by Rae Lori.
Would really like to read more by Rae Lori.
September 23, 2013
Before Dawn Breaks by Rae Lori is a book about Alex, a female assassin. Simple, direct, and to the point? Not actually. It combines a spy novel, a crime novel, an action novel, and a love story. It is to some extent convoluted and a bit ragged and disjointed in presentation.
So is life.
Probably the life of a professional killer would be more complex than that of a “normal” person. Lori seems to take this into account in her writing, jumping from point to point and sometimes leaving the reader wondering what’s going on. Understandable. The protagonist isn’t sure what’s going on either, at least not for most of the book.
When Alex discovers her job isn’t exactly what she thought, and her targets may not be the kind of people she signed on to eliminate, she is suddenly in danger from the people she’s working for. With a loss of memory caused by an explosion intended to kill her, she wakes to a whole new life and with different personality.
She meets Josh, a restaurant owner. They fall in love. A second attempt on her life forces her to accept the fact that neither she nor Josh are what they seem to be. Like her, he was a government agent, one who now considers protecting her his role in life.
At this point things become complicated. “Friends” turn out to be enemies. “Enemies” become friends. Petty jealousies become deadly, and a dishonest senator who wants to be president is pulling more strings than he should be able to.
In real life we seldom know all the details about the things going on around us. If you insist on having everything spelled out in absolute terms, this probably isn’t your kind of book. If you can accept the fact we never know everything about everything, and the author writes her novel to reflect this, with plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion, I think you will like Before Dawn Breaks.
So is life.
Probably the life of a professional killer would be more complex than that of a “normal” person. Lori seems to take this into account in her writing, jumping from point to point and sometimes leaving the reader wondering what’s going on. Understandable. The protagonist isn’t sure what’s going on either, at least not for most of the book.
When Alex discovers her job isn’t exactly what she thought, and her targets may not be the kind of people she signed on to eliminate, she is suddenly in danger from the people she’s working for. With a loss of memory caused by an explosion intended to kill her, she wakes to a whole new life and with different personality.
She meets Josh, a restaurant owner. They fall in love. A second attempt on her life forces her to accept the fact that neither she nor Josh are what they seem to be. Like her, he was a government agent, one who now considers protecting her his role in life.
At this point things become complicated. “Friends” turn out to be enemies. “Enemies” become friends. Petty jealousies become deadly, and a dishonest senator who wants to be president is pulling more strings than he should be able to.
In real life we seldom know all the details about the things going on around us. If you insist on having everything spelled out in absolute terms, this probably isn’t your kind of book. If you can accept the fact we never know everything about everything, and the author writes her novel to reflect this, with plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion, I think you will like Before Dawn Breaks.
September 12, 2013
Before Dawn Breaks by Rae Lori is a fast-paced, action-packed romantic suspense with plenty of sass, witty dialogue, and a very unusual main character: a female assassin. After completing a hit for the secretive government organization named Section 16, Alex Lyons becomes a target herself. The problem? She lost her memory after she was attacked and almost killed. Unable to successfully get rid of Alex, the man behind the curtain keeps a close eye on her. However, Section 16 wants to keep Alex safe, so they send former agent Josh Mayer to watch over the amnesic assassin.
Now living as “Camilla Angelson”, a budding writer, Alex is a completely different person, with new clothes, a new personality, and a new past, only setback is that she can’t remember anything about her attack or who may be after her or why. When Josh, posing as a restaurateur, literally bumps into Camilla, he can’t help but to ask her out when the sparks fly. Camilla, is leery, but eventually decides to give him a shot. While Josh and Camilla’s flirting is heading toward something more, they are both thrust into the midst of danger with very few friends they can trust.
After Camilla starts to remember more of Alex’s life, the truth behind her attack and those responsible begin to unfold with shocking revelations. Alex and Josh make a great team inside the bedroom and without. Anyone looking for a quick, tension filled romantic suspense will enjoy Before Dawn Breaks.
Now living as “Camilla Angelson”, a budding writer, Alex is a completely different person, with new clothes, a new personality, and a new past, only setback is that she can’t remember anything about her attack or who may be after her or why. When Josh, posing as a restaurateur, literally bumps into Camilla, he can’t help but to ask her out when the sparks fly. Camilla, is leery, but eventually decides to give him a shot. While Josh and Camilla’s flirting is heading toward something more, they are both thrust into the midst of danger with very few friends they can trust.
After Camilla starts to remember more of Alex’s life, the truth behind her attack and those responsible begin to unfold with shocking revelations. Alex and Josh make a great team inside the bedroom and without. Anyone looking for a quick, tension filled romantic suspense will enjoy Before Dawn Breaks.
September 14, 2013
A review of Before Dawn Breaks:
As it should be in every good thriller, from the first page the author tossed me into an atmosphere of unknowns, uncertainties, into dangerous, cold blooded, methodical missions. Lori’s candidate for these missions is heartless hitwoman Alex Lyons. Alex is a superior markswoman with nerves of steel, a woman who can’t remember having a childhood, her parents, a home, nothing. She has few expectations or hope of finding love and security in her future. In short she feels she has nothing to lose. She is human in that she is flesh and blood, but she is cold, working by rote, living from assignment to assignment, taking out specific targets, with limited information, giving little thought as to the reasoning. For Alex, it doesn’t matter who pulls the strings, it’s a job. As a reader I know that sooner or later, all of the characters will have a part in Alex’s survival, or in the plot to bring her down, but how do all of the players fit together? Will Alex grow a warm blooded, passion-filled heart, that was the question that kept me reading.
Lori managed to keep the pace, even when her characters took on new personas, changed lives and names. This is not a long, drawn out story, this story moves with action, passion and guts. The climax is highly satisfactory, plenty of action and tension just as it should be. I give Before Dawn Breaks four stars. This review is by Dorothy A. Bell.
As it should be in every good thriller, from the first page the author tossed me into an atmosphere of unknowns, uncertainties, into dangerous, cold blooded, methodical missions. Lori’s candidate for these missions is heartless hitwoman Alex Lyons. Alex is a superior markswoman with nerves of steel, a woman who can’t remember having a childhood, her parents, a home, nothing. She has few expectations or hope of finding love and security in her future. In short she feels she has nothing to lose. She is human in that she is flesh and blood, but she is cold, working by rote, living from assignment to assignment, taking out specific targets, with limited information, giving little thought as to the reasoning. For Alex, it doesn’t matter who pulls the strings, it’s a job. As a reader I know that sooner or later, all of the characters will have a part in Alex’s survival, or in the plot to bring her down, but how do all of the players fit together? Will Alex grow a warm blooded, passion-filled heart, that was the question that kept me reading.
Lori managed to keep the pace, even when her characters took on new personas, changed lives and names. This is not a long, drawn out story, this story moves with action, passion and guts. The climax is highly satisfactory, plenty of action and tension just as it should be. I give Before Dawn Breaks four stars. This review is by Dorothy A. Bell.
September 25, 2013
The hook that pulled me into Before Dawn Breaks is who is Alex/Camilla? Is she an aspiring, innocent young writer? Or could she be a hardened assassin for hire?
Maybe the novel’s plot seems familiar. Yes, we’ve all read about government corruption, vengeful ex-wives, secret castles of torture, and double-crossing agents. Yet, Lori takes these elements and spices them with her own flair. She also lends gripping action and ingenious plot twists to the story. Energy crackles throughout the pages—and every word counts. You feel you are there during the hair-raising car chases and shoot-outs.
By contrast to the action--I enjoyed the gentle thread weaving its way through the story. The growing romantic involvement between the heroine and former CIA agent Josh Mayer, whose mission it becomes to protect Alex, has a certain tenderness.
If you like your heroines gutsy, Before Dawn Breaks might be just your cup of tea.
Maybe the novel’s plot seems familiar. Yes, we’ve all read about government corruption, vengeful ex-wives, secret castles of torture, and double-crossing agents. Yet, Lori takes these elements and spices them with her own flair. She also lends gripping action and ingenious plot twists to the story. Energy crackles throughout the pages—and every word counts. You feel you are there during the hair-raising car chases and shoot-outs.
By contrast to the action--I enjoyed the gentle thread weaving its way through the story. The growing romantic involvement between the heroine and former CIA agent Josh Mayer, whose mission it becomes to protect Alex, has a certain tenderness.
If you like your heroines gutsy, Before Dawn Breaks might be just your cup of tea.
June 8, 2016
This book was pretty disappointing. It was a good idea but poorly written and put together. I don't know who the editor was but I feel like it would have strongly benefited from some good editing. That being said I'm still willing to try some of Rae Lori's other books and hopefully those will be better than this one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews