A Kiss Before Dawn by Laurie Salzler

Chris Martel is a loner. She is more comfortable with her horses and dogs than she is with people. She has one friend, an eighty one year old widow, Frances Cook. When Chris requires a woman’s company, she heads out to the lesbian bar in Rochester. Chris has never had a real relationship. She has too many issues from her past and has a problem trusting people. For Chris to be able to love, she has to learn to trust, which isn’t an easy thing for her to do.

Newly qualified vet, Mary Jo Cavanaugh DVM, meets Chris when she goes with her boss, Doc Hall, to Chris’s farm. She doesn’t make a good first impression when she upsets one of Chris’s precious horses, nearly killing herself in the process.

Once both women get over their initial meeting, they find they have a lot in common. Including a growing mutual attraction for each other.

Gradually Chris begins to let go of her inhibitions and Mary Jo and Chris manage to move their relationship on to the next level. Unfortunately, someone from Chris’s past makes an unwelcome appearance, which could well end the budding relationship between Chris and Mary Jo forever.

Will Chris and Mary Jo’s love survive this intrusion, allowing them to share a kiss before dawn?

This is a lovely well written debut novel, which goes far beyond a lesbian romance. During the course of each year, if I’m lucky, a debut book will be written that exceeds all my expectations. This book is one of those.

It is obvious from the very beginning that Laurie Salzler has a talent for writing, is an animal lover and researches her subjects well. If you love animals you will adore this book, as the animals play a large part in progressing this story along.

Even if you are not a particular animal lover, I feel you would like this book. Both main characters are extremely loveable and there is a good story-line. It’s also hot in parts too as an added bonus. I would defy anyone not to tear up when they read the story of Chris’s earlier life. The life she had with her family before her arrival in Bristol. The life Chris led is a big part of the person she is today.

Mary Jo’s work as a vet also plays a big part in the book. It’s was also very interesting to read of her life as a vet and the day to day work she does, the problems she faces and how she deals with them.

All the characters are well formed and each interacts well with the others to enhance the story. The scenic descriptions are fabulous. From the descriptive writing I could ‘smell’ the stables, and the outdoors. A true sign I was totally lost in the story. This book is a page turner that kept me up way beyond my usual bedtime. A book that I will definitely re-read.

It would be nice to see more of Chris and Mary Jo, even if they are part of another book and not main characters.

I’m not sure how Laurie Salzler is going to top this book with her next one. But it will be on my ‘to buy’ list as a must read.