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Beyond Sunrise is a rip-roaring adventure romance that keeps its hero and heroine hurtling from one dramatic and exciting moment to the next for most of its 423 pages. If that were all it was, it would be one terrific read. But Candice Proctor somehow manages to blend action, excitement and thrills with passion, emotion and a lot of heart. She does it effortlessly too, which makes her books something special.
India McKnight is a travel writer of some renown. The fiercely independent Scotswoman has traveled the world finding material for her books, avoiding the kinds of relationships, especially marriage, that would tie her down. She arrives in the South Pacific to do research on the island of Takaku for her latest work. The news that the island is inhabited by cannibals doesn’t faze her, but it does make it difficult to find anyone willing to take her there. After being turned down by yet another ship’s captain, she encounters British naval officer Simon Granger, who suggests she look up an Australian named Jack Ryder.
The rude, hard-living Ryder dislikes her on sight. She does manage to convince him to take her to Takaku for a reasonable sum; getting him to follow through after a night of drinking and gambling is a little more difficult. Things don’t improve once they arrive on Takaku. What India doesn’t know is that Ryder is wanted by the British navy for causing the deaths of a ship’s crew he once served with, and Granger, a former friend, is using her to draw him out. When Granger catches up with them on the island, Ryder takes her hostage to make his escape. Suddenly India’s getting more adventure than she intended, dodging both cannibals and their pursuers in a race to a French outpost on the other side of the island in the company of a man whose past and motives are more complicated than she initially believes.
Set in the South Pacific in the late 1800s, the story takes advantage of a lush tropical backdrop that is as much a breath of fresh air in the current romance market as an ocean breeze. Vivid descriptions bring the Polynesian islands to life; the backdrop makes for an appealing and romantic atmospohere thick with passion and danger. One minor annoyance is that the exact date of the book is never provided; the reader must follow subtle indicators to pinpoint it. This may only bother readers like me who like to have the time expressly stated, but the author does provide a good sense of the period in the story and details.
Beyond Sunrise is a fast, exciting thrill ride that crosses land and sea, but what makes it a cut far above the average adventure tale is the characters. A tough, resilient (and thankfully non-annoying) heroine and a rugged, resourceful hero are the perfect companions for a tropical adventure. As action-packed as it is, Proctor never loses the characters to the action. There’s always a steady sense of development to both the characters and their relationship as they race from one harrowing moment to the next.
It’s not just fun; it’s also funny. While the book is not a comedy, humor plays a big role of the story. Jack and India are two strong-willed people who bicker and banter their way through their adventures. The story is full of good dialogue, clever exchanges, and amusing moments. Best of all, it’s the kind of humor that flows naturally from the story and the situations the characters find themselves in, never seeming forced or too obviously set up for a funny line. Any book that has the heroine ask in exasperation, “Why does everyone keep taking their clothes off?” earns extra points for that alone.
But Beyond Sunrise also touches on a number of more serious issues that give weight and substance to what could just be a light, fluffy read. There is heartbreak in the hero’s background and some very emotional and moving moments involving his past. The story takes place among the native cultures slowly being wiped out by the European invaders, and there is a genuine sense of loss and sadness at what has been done to them. Themes like honor and colonial arrogance are touched upon, giving a fun book enough meat to it to make it even more compelling.
It would be easy to turn the British characters into one-note villains, especially with some of the actions perpetrated by the British navy during the story. Proctor doesn’t take such an easy route. The stories of two of the naval officers, Granger and a younger officer on his first assignment, are told alongside the main storyline. Both are gradually developed into complex characters that make the story more interesting, especially late in the book.
Beyond Sunrise has all that, plus a good cast of secondary characters and an ending I didn’t see coming. The book’s only small weakness, which may not bother readers who pay more attention to the hero than the heroine, is India. There’s something murky in her characterization I couldn’t quite put my finger on. An odd blend of modesty and straightforward strength, she doesn’t snap into focus as a person the way Jack does, and I never quite got a handle on her.
This may be why, when I finished Beyond Sunrise, I didn’t have that kind of definitive emotional response that usually signals I’ve read a great romance. Their relationship is reasonable, well-developed and persuasive, but for whatever reason, the love story fell just short of moving me. It’s the hero’s back story that provides most of the book’s emotional grounding.
So how can I rate it so highly? Easily. When a book is this good, this fresh, this different, this fun, this exciting and moving and passionate, all in a thrillingly different and vivid setting, it deserves nothing less. Whether or not it’s a great love story, it is certainly one great book. If I had received an ARC instead of a finished copy of Beyond Sunrise for review, I would have gone out and bought one to hold on to. That is a keeper.
Grade: A-
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 27/05/03
Publication Date: 2003
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.