Title: Dusk
Author: Eve Edwards
Series: Dusk #1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Genre: YA, Historical
Published (UK): 6th June 2012 (Penguin)
Dusk by Eve Edwards is a beautiful love story set against the brutal back drop of WWI.
A love worth fighting for.
When Helen, a young hard-working nurse, meets aristocratic artist Sebastian, she doesn't expect to even like him, let alone fall in love. But against the troubled backdrop of wartime London, an unlikely but intense romance blossoms. And even the bloody trenches of the Somme, where they are both posted, cannot diminish their feelings for each other.
But Helen is concealing a secret and when a terrible crime is committed there are devastating consequences for them both.
When lives are being lost, can true love survive?
Dusk is a beautifully written story about a young couple mixed up in the brutality of war. Set during World War I, Sebastian is an officer in the army, doing his best to try to motivate his soldiers and keep them alive. Helen is also trying to save lives, working as a nurse behind the front lines. The narrative switches between their two perspectives as well as jumping back to their lives before the war, detailing how they met. The contrast between the two time periods serves to emphasises the horror of war. To start with I thought the constant switching would get confusing but it is done really well so it flowed nicely and I didn't once get mixed up with which character or time I was reading.
Helen and Sebastian are both really likeable characters. Helen has had a tough childhood and although shy and quiet, she's also feisty and determined when she needs to be. Sebastian is somehow adorable, even though I can't quite decide why; there's just something about him. He's a proper gentleman and I really liked that he essentially joined the army out of duty to his country and loyalty to his brother.
As I was reading the story, I was mostly expecting it to play out as a nice safe romance - not my usual thing but I do like me some historical fiction, so I tend to give exception in this genre. So, I was pleasantly surprised for there to be quite a twist towards the end and there is a bit of a cliff hanger making me eagerly anticipate the second book, Dawn, which is due out next year.
