Another great addition to the Killer Instinct series by Cynthia Eden. Before the Dawn had me engaged from the very beginning its compelling storyline and great character interaction, I can’t wait to read more of this series

I loved this book. But I have loved all of her books. She pulls you in from page one and does not let go

Teeming with a brilliant story, Before the Dawn was both addictive and thrilling. Eden's masterful art of capturing suspense was ever-present, and it was blended in beautifully with a seemingly impossible second-chance love story. Its mounting obstacles and high stakes made for a truly excitable read that earned every fast heartbeat and flutter of the belly.

Across many twists and turns, Eden skillfully kept the villain a surprise, constantly throwing the reader off of the trail just as much as the characters themselves. With the sensitive subject matter of what tore Tucker and Dawn apart years ago, I loved the visceral reality of their situation and how it was handled with both care and authenticity. Their connection, threaded with a painful past, furthered the combustible nature of their re-connection and kept me rooting for their obstacles to be defeated. Eden, as always, brought to life a strong, resilient heroine that sometimes suffered blinders due to her stubborn nature, and the protective hero with the perfect ability to shirk it for his supportive, even if reluctant, side. Together they sparked, burned, and found beauty underneath the ashes.

The fiery romance and the fast-moving pace of the twisty suspense of Before the Dawn made it impossible to put down. The conflicting emotions between the two main characters were incredibly vibrant and wouldn't stop pulling at me to turn the page, to push my eyes faster, to know how it resolved. As long as Eden keeps coming up with more fascinating mysteries, I'll be there to gobble them up with glee.

Cynthia Eden displays her brilliance once more in this second exciting and dangerous installment of the Killer Instinct series.

BEFORE THE DAWN is a crazy suspenseful read. I had to physically stop myself several times from skipping to the end of the book to find out the "whodunit."

I absolutely loved it. Tucker and Dawn are in love and then BAM! Tucker's brother turns out to be a crazy psycho serial killer and his latest victim is Dawn. She survives with Tucker's help but afterwards, Dawn can't stand the sight of him or his touch and unfortunately, the two part ways.

Years later, the killings start again with the identical MO of Tucker's brother, ironically enough in the same city where Dawn currently lives. Coincidence? Is Tucker's brother killing again or is it someone new? Tucker and his partner are assigned to the case, bringing Tucker and Dawn back together. All bets are off in this thrilling and deadly story. And no one is exempt from being a suspect.

I highly recommend BEFORE THE DAWN to any romantic suspense fan. It's a scream!

Cynthia Eden can write romantic suspense with the best of them. I loved reading this book and want to dive right into more by her.

The Good: The opening sequence was written so well. It captured my attention exactly as it was meant to do and made me want to keep reading. The momentum continued throughout the book as well. Nothing sucks the life out of a Rom/Susp that can't keep up with it's own prologue. The characters are well thought out and I liked that we continued to learn and understand them throughout the book. The secondary characters are intriguing, especially Macey and Bowen who are part of the special task force Tucker is on. I also enjoyed the investigation aspect of the book. From the precinct, to the morgue, to the hospital, we were with the team every step of the way. The mystery suspense aspect in the story was well balanced with the romance as well. There weren't a lot of annoying misunderstandings between Tucker and Dawn and the characters didn't constantly push each other away (even though at one point it felt like it was almost going that way.)

The Bad: I went into this book with no knowledge of the series, the book order, or even what this book was about. With that in mind I need to say that even though this book was easily read without any other background of the characters or the special FBI unit Tucker is part of I am now very aware of who the perpetrator was in the first book, After the Dark. I'm not sure if this was common knowledge, meaning if the identity was known from almost the beginning of that book, but I'm a bit disappointed in knowing the killer's name and his ties to the other characters. So with that said, I'd recommend reading this series in order. I would prefer to read books as I pick them up and since you really shouldn't in this case I find it a negative. I also thought the killer's identity was a bit of a stretch and his reasoning a bit sketchy but nothing that would prevent me from recommending this book to lovers of these subgenre.

In a Nutshell: A very good book to what appears to be a good series. I'm looking forward to reading the others and if I didn't already have several books lined up I would even consider reading them all back to back. I never binge read so that says something about this book. 4 Stars

Mix Criminal Minds with a second chance love story and you have Before the Dawn. You do not have to read book 1 1st in order to enjoy this story; it is a total standalone.

Tucker and Dawn have a seriously messed up past. Dawn was the only victim to escape the serial killer known as the 'Iceman'. At the time, she was a college student with a boyfriend. The killer? Her boyfriends brother, Jason. Tucker saves her, but that is the end of their relationship. Tucker doesn't want to hurt Dawn by being a reminder. Typical man though, he never bothered to ask Dawn what she wanted or felt. He just left. Now, he has quite the tragic past as well, which he never shared with Dawn. Seven years later, a killer is using the Iceman's MO in the city Dawn lives in and Tucker, working for a special unit in the FBI is sent to handle the case putting him back in Dawn's path again.

Dawn has feared that perhaps Jason didn't die and he might be out there, but Tucker doesn't think thats possible. She doesn't want to be left out of the investigation. She works in NOLA as a PI and knows the town well. The mystery of the story is who the killer is. It could be Jason (maybe he never died), or it could literally be almost anyone else. I suspected many different people throughout the story. While the hunt is on, you have the rekindling of the romance between Dawn and Tucker. However, they are both still struggling with the same things that drove them apart before. It was a little annoying that Tucker treated Dawn like a china doll when she obviously wasn't. I appreciated that Dawn expressed herself as much as possible and tried to be honest with Tucker and her struggles. Tucker however, didn't seem to share that same outlook on self expression. Frankly, I was kind of getting annoyed with him.

Like with all of Eden's books I have read, she includes glimpses into the mind of the killer which adds lots of tension. While I am not usually a fan of 3rd person, it works perfectly for romantic suspense books where the antagonist is unknown. Thrilling plot twists, steamy romance, and potent supporting characters makes Before the Dawn a must read romantic suspense!
Link live on 7/22/17

One of my go to authors, Cynthia Eden did not disappoint on this latest installment of the Killer Instinct series. I'm not normally a fan of the old lovers reuniting story line, but this was didn't bother me. I really like the idea of the new Unit all having personal connections with serial killers--makes total sense. The mystery and romance start from the very first, and don't let up. There was the red herring which most suspense stories have, and while I'd already figured out the killer, I was still entertained until the end.

Before the Dawn is the second book in the Killer Instinct series. Ms. Eden is continuing the intense, gripping, plot driven, story-telling she perfected with her LOST series. Samantha Dark, the lead from the first book in the series, has a secondary role in this book. The main characters are Tucker and Dawn, two very dark and tortured souls. Theirs is a second chance romance that finally has a chance for resolution.

You always care for Ms. Eden's characters. Tucker is especially well written. He and Dawn are very well rounded and you feel their pain and emotions throughout the story. I was able to figure out the killer less than half way in - probably, because I disliked him so much, I wanted it to be him. The killer's arc is well written, and while I did know who I did not know why.

As always, the story is very much plot driven, with many twists and turns, and an occasional red herring thrown in. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Received from Netgalley for an honest review.

A suspenseful and drama filled tale of a killer on the loose, trying to establish who he is while time runs out and watching long lost love get a second chance.

Loved loved loved it!

I have been on a major Cynthia Eden kick this year. Fortunately, she’s publishing books nearly as fast as I can read them, plus her back list is huge, so I have plenty to keep me entertained. Before Dawn is the newest book in her Killer Instincts series, which centers around a special FBI team made up of people with some kind of personal connection to killers. Eden has several series going right now, and they are tied together in various ways. For instance, there are a couple Harlequin Intrigue titles that are not marked as part of the Killer Instincts series but that really are tied in. And then I swear some of her LOST series books also crossover, but I could not for the life of me remember which ones and how they tied in. Moreover, because I’m confused about the order, I don’t read them in order, so I keep reading Eden books and being pleasantly surprised to find I’m reading the story of a character I already learned about in some other Eden book. Basically, I’m saying it’s damn confusing and I have no idea how to untangle the threads. You’re on your own.

What I can do is tell you about Before Dawn, though! I really loved the first book in the series, After the Dark. As I said, the series is about this special team of people with connections to killers, which is pretty unbelievable but makes for a superb book premise. This time, we meet Tucker Frost, whose brother was a serial killer. His final attempted victim was Tucker’s girlfriend, Dawn. Tucker killed his brother to save Dawn, but because his brother messed with Dawn’s head, and because he looked just like Tucker, Dawn was understandably traumatized, and her relationship with Tucker didn’t survive. Tucker has spent his life trying to prove he isn’t his brother and atone for what his brother did. Dawn, on the other hand, hardened after her attack and is still dealing with the psychological trauma. When Tucker returns to town to investigate some recent murders that bear a striking resemblance to his brother’s crimes, he and Dawn have to deal with their past and work together to figure out what’s going on.

I liked Dawn and Tucker as characters. Dawn was prickly and smart, but she’s clearly still suffering greatly from her earlier attack. It was a bit hard to read sometimes, especially the flashbacks to when Tucker’s brother had her captive. He was physically brutal and manipulated her into doubting Tucker. It was totally understandable that Dawn would struggle to be around Tucker later. Tucker was great, too. He tried to be there for Dawn after her attack, but when he realized his presence was too painful, he disappeared from her life. My heart hurt for him, because what an impossible situation to be in! I appreciated that he tried to let Dawn set the tone for their interactions, and all he wanted was for her to be at peace.

I did have some niggling doubts about whether Tucker and Dawn could really move beyond their past, though. Dawn was terrorized by a man with Tucker’s face. Was it really possible for her to see beyond that? Dawn clearly still needed a lot of serious professional help to process her trauma. I’m not sure love would be enough, even ten years on. I also felt like the intense alpha-schtick Eden usually writes was a little out of place here. Dawn wasn’t breakable, but I kind of wanted Tucker to tone it down. You’re trying to convince her you’re nothing like your violent brother, so maybe dial it back a bit, huh dude?

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as After the Dark, but it was still a good read.

Grade: 4 out of 5

I feel like I should have liked this one better. The start of this one was horrifying. I hated what Dawn went through and how one brother used another to hurt the girl he loved. Easy to see how in the aftermath how both Dawn and Tucker would be so affected, to the point where they were driven apart.

What I had a hard time buying was the romance in the present between Tucker and Dawn. It seemed like both were protesting a bit too much about how the past affected them. What did work for me about this book was the crime and how the team worked together to figure things out. While there were some wrong turns along the way, they figured things out. I really didn't expect the bad guy to be who it was, nor for the root to be "daddy issues." I loved how Tucker managed to wrap up the bad guy tight, prison won't be good for him.

even years ago Tucker had to chose between saving Dawn the woman he loves versus his brother Jason who was trying to kill Dawn. He made the ultimate sacrifice and shot his brother to death. Fast forward today Tucker is part of an FBI department where all the agents have personal connection to serial killers. They receive a call from the New Orlean Police department that a woman was found frozen in a freezer similar way Jason aka the iceman use to kill his victims. Tucker and his group goes to New Orleans to head the investigation. That is when Tucker comes back face to face with Dawn after all those years leaving her due to the fact she couldn't get over the Tucker similar features like his killer brother. What happens is their love is reconnected and they race against time to stop this serial killer who seem to be one step of them every time leaving dead bodies in a fast rate. As with previous readers saying they start suspecting who the killer was but even down to the last rate who i thought it was was not. Ms. Eden plot keep you at the age of the seat. Reviews are on Goodreads and amazon.com

Terrifying and suspenseful, this novel keeps you guessing until the very end. Tucker is an ex Navy SEAL who works with the FBI primarily on serial killer cases. His past is horrifying and cost him the only person he cares about, Dawn. Dawn is now a PI and has worked hard to overcome being a victim of the Iceman serial killer. He's supposed to be dead, but when the killing starts again, it's clear that she's the target. Tucker is brought in on the case and he and Dawn are in for the fight of their lives. Great romantic suspense.

Ex-Navy SEAL Tucker Frost knows the world is full of evil. He's had encounters with evil from first his father, then his brother, and now he works on a special task force that hunts serial killers. His brother Jason Frost, a methodical killer who Tucker personally killed when he threatened the love of his life Dawn Alexander, Dawn is the only victim to have gotten away from the "Iceman".

With his personal experience with killers, made him perfect for Samantha Dark's new profiling team for the FBI. Samantha's ties are revealed in After the Dark. Samantha wants to build a team of agents who have personal ties with killers, have a unique insight into their mind and maybe even hunt them down quicker. When women begin turning up dead in New Orleans, Samantha sends Tucker because the new victims match that of the Iceman's.

Tucker has been keeping an eye on Dawn for years, making sure she was ok after his brother's torture seven years prior. Dawn is stronger than Tucker remembers and even more stubborn but his desire for her has never waned. While they are working together to track down the killer, he vows to keep her safe and she wants the truth and complete trust from Tucker, who has secrets that he's never revealed.

Before the Dawn was a great addition to the series, Tucker and Dawn have a lot of obstacles to overcome, for example he believes that she hates him because of the last time they were together after Jason's attack and torture. Unlike the first book of the series, you have interactions with the killer and there is just one moment in the story where your just like, uh he's the killer, but what comes out in the reveal was something you don't see coming. I read this one in a sitting, thank goodness it was a Friday night, I couldn't put it down. There was just so much going on I wanted to see where I was being lead. Great work as usual by Cynthia Eden, and I can't wait to read Into the Night with Macey Night and Bowen Murphy.

This book was really fantastic! I really hope that we get more books in this series, because yeah, these characters are fantastic, and this world with the group of people who were connected intensely with serial killers and now work to catch them!

We briefly met Tucker in the last book. And yeah, it was great to get his POV in this book, mixed with Dawn's. They had a really great relationship, until his brother kidnaps and tortures her, and Tucker kills him to protect her. And yeah, that complicated things!

The mystery was personal to Tucker and Dawn, since the killer was basically continuing the Iceman's work, either the original, or a new killer. So there was that component of investigating the case. After all, that's the reason why this unit was created!

Really enjoyed watching Tucker and Dawn together, given their past, and their chemistry together. Given that her life is threatened, well, yeah, that intensifies things. Loved how it all came together and they beat the bad guy!

This book was just so great, and yeah, I really hope for a 3rd book!

A twisting story that takes serial killers into our midst. The series focuses on an FBI team who all have intimate connections with serial killers. They are all engaging and I hope they all get their individual stories. The story of Tucker and Jason Frost is intriguing and horrifying at the same time. Fans of Allison Brennan, Cynthia Eden and Nora Roberts suspense will enjoy this book and series.

Before the Dawn is suspense driven story from first page to last. It pulls the truth out of each persons past bringing painful memories as well as why they chose their chosen paths.
The couple in this story has a gut wrenching past that has readers will want them to have their happiness.
The story is a more predictable than I had expected and that came from the back the serial killers seemed to change his MO never once having a direction which made it even easier to figure out the truth.
This book doesn't stand out as much as others in the series because it seem to follow a lot of her most recent books and lack the twist she is known for. The sex is hot like always, the characters are dark but lovable and this story can be read in a day leaving readers very satisfied.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

3.75*

I’m a big fan of Cynthia Eden and think she has one of the best dark romantic suspense voices in the industry… and she has multiple successful dark RS series to prove it. But the one drawback of her prolific work is that some of her books and characters sound the same-- particularly those that feature specific tropes (both plot and character). Second-chance/reunion romance after the couple was torn apart by a traumatic event? Read that before… several times. Alpha hero whose love for the heroine (who either ditched him or he walked away from ‘for her own good’ in the aftermath) is so all-consuming it borders on obsessive and whose protective streak you could land an A380 on? Don’t stop the presses. BEFORE THE DAWN, the 2nd full-length book in Ms. Eden’s latest Killer Instinct RS series features both, in addition to the rather unoriginal plot of a copycat serial killer… but Ms. Eden’s writing is just so good that it makes even deja vu worth experiencing. I’ve never found overly-alpha heroes sexy and found both Tucker and Dawn’s attitudes off-putting at times--particularly Tucker’s when he crossed the line from protective to autocratic-- but Ms. Eden nonetheless manages to craft another compelling and unputdownable novel. Although not my favourite Cynthia Eden (or dark RS) novel, BEFORE THE DAWN is a solid, engrossing read, and I can’t wait for Macey and Bowen’s story in January!

** ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review