Carolyn Miller’s Dusk’s Darkest Shores is a thought-provoking look at life after war for a wounded soldier sprinkled with a generous dose of heartfelt kindness from a “spinster” nurse.
Set in 1811, the story opens with a local war hero, Adam Edgerton, returning home to England before his comrades. There is a mix of excitement and curiosity among the residents of his hometown. Will he and the beautiful Emily Hardy finally have their wedding? Why is he the only soldier coming home?
Twenty-nine-year-old Mary Bloomfield, considered well past marrying age, has settled into life as her medical doctor father’s capable assistant. Well-loved by the locals for her gentle bedside manner, Mary is unprepared to discover Adam’s time away has left him somewhat less than the healthy young man who left for war.
Can she help him cope with a mysterious ailment, let go of the past and move forward to a new normal? Readers will quickly grow to both love Mary and have compassion for Adam.
While the book is thoroughly enjoyable, the ending seems a bit abrupt, and for this reader, left a few unanswered or incomplete storylines.
***The author provided a free copy. All opinions included in this review are entirely my own.