Dusk Before Dawn by Mickee Madden is the second novel in Ms Madden's Baird House series which began with Everlastin'.

Unusually this novel begins before the place the first book concluded.  As such we see the final chapters of Everlastin' from the point of view of two of the secondary characters of that book. 

Dusk before Dawn is the story of Roan Ingliss and Laura Bennett.

Those who have read Everlastin' will recall that Roan Ingliss was the man who was determined to rid Baird House of its vengeful ghost Lachlan Baird.  Instead he now finds himself staying at the house and caring for American tourist Laura Bennett who had crashed her car nearby. 

With her three nephews they bring life back to the house, together with the usual problems caused by mischievous young boys.

Laura Bennett had found herself in charge of her nephews when their young and irresponsible step-mother left without a word and Laura found herself in the position of responsibility.  Having been cut off from her brother, the children's father, some years before Laura had had nothing to do with the children and knows nothing about looking after them. But fate finds them in her hands and a run of bad luck leaves her crashing her car outside of Baird house and dependant on the charity of the owners as the harsh winter traps her in the isolated and mysterious house.

The boys are quick to tell her that the house is haunted but Laura does not believe in ghosts, besides which she is more concerned with getting them all back to America and away from the haunted Roan Ingliss.

Roan finds himself attracted to the lovely Laura but he had been hurt in the past by his ex-wife and he cannot bring himself to risk losing another family.  Unfortunately for him history seems about to repeat itself when a second fire threatens to destroy his newfound happiness.

Dusk Before Dawn seemlessly passes where Everlastin' left off and continues the story and leaves it set up for the third novel in the series. 

However this book left me disappointed in that there was a lot less to be seen of Beth and Lachlan.  As the ghostly spirits of the house they are sadly much missing in this novel.  Although of course for the first part we are aware of what they were doing from the previous book I was sad to see that their appearances are rather lacking in the rest of the book too.

In its favour however there was a good strong plot and a few new ghosts to take their places.  There is also a reincarnation theme to the novel which is well played out.

There is still a little humour although not as much as in the first novel.  Dusk before Dawn rather darker.

The book ends by setting up the next book in the series Love Everlastin'
 

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Also by Mickee Madden: Everlastin', Love Everlastin' and Hope Everlastin'.