Rating: 
Summary: Good, but I expected more
Review: After falling in love with Nathaniel and Elizabeth in Into the Wilderness, I was thrilled to continue on with the series. Much to my dismay, this book did not live up to my expectations. Is it a coincidence that Gabaldon's Voyager and this book, both set mainly upon the high seas, were my least favorite out of each author's series? Hmmm. The only thing that kept me going was the promise of the third book Lake in The Clouds. The book is worth reading, don't get me wrong. Especially for those who continue on with a series. The Scotland thing seemed unnecessary to me. I would have been happier if they'd stayed in North America. Oh well. Artistic license.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS SHORE WAS TOO "DISTANT" FOR ME
Review: When I read Into The Wilderness last year, it ended up being one of the top ten books I had read in 2002. Naturally, I was really looking forward to this second book in the series to continue where I left off with Nathaniel and Elizabeth.In addition to loving the relationship between these two characters, I was also drawn to the setting of Hidden Wolf Mountain at the edge of the New York wilderness. Sometimes I wonder why an author chooses to change the setting of a book when that locale was obviously so successful in the first place. In Dawn on a Distant Shore, Sare Donati forces the reader to accompany the main characters first to Montreal and then on a ship across the ocean to Scotland. This took away from my enjoyment of the book. If I wanted to be in Scotland, I'd be reading Gabaldon's Outlander series and not this one. With all that said, the main crux of this story is for Donati to get across to the reader how persecuted Catholics were in Scotland in the late eighteenth century and how important it was for them to keep their lands away from the Protestants. To this end, she has Nathaniel finding out that his father, Hawkeye, is a descendant of the Scott's of Carryckcastle in Scotland and the Earl of Carryck is very eager to have Hawkeye come to Scotland to claim his line in the family tree. In doing so, the lands of Carryck would pass on to Hawkeye's son Nathaniel upon the death of the Earl and would consequently remain in the hands of the family....Catholic hands. Needless to say, Hawkeye and Nathaniel have no desire to reside in Scotland so the Earl has no choice but to kidnap Nathaniel's children forcing him to come to Scotland to be reunited with his family. Have I bored you enough yet??? A major part of this story takes place on various ships getting to and from Scotland. Ever since I read Moby Dick, there's nothing I like less than reading about ocean voyages. The other major section of this book takes place in Scotland and I like that even less because you have to try to decipher the Scottish accent when reading. Instead of having a cast of characters and some maps at the beginning of the book, I'd much rather have a dictionary explaining what some of the Scottish words mean. It took me forever to figure out that "ken" means know, "na" means not and "tae" means to. The good news is that the next book in this series, Lake In The Clouds, actually has Nathaniel and Elizabeth back on the land they know and love. It also brings back many of the characters Donati's readers enjoyed in her first book, Into The Wilderness. Based on this, I look forward to this next adventure and only hope that Donati has no plans to return her characters to Scotland...they don't want to go there and neither do I with this series.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: What happened to the great adventures of the Endless Forests? It is hard to believe that the same author who wrote the extraordinary book INTO THE WILDERNESS wrote this nonsensical sequal. I am still asking my self why the author thought it would be a good idea to have the characters go on a high seas adventure. The plot line was-oh wait a minute there was no real plot line. The characters are kidnapped and spend most of the book on one boat or another trying to escape from being forced to be heirs to a catholic scottish laird? This is the most bizarre attempt to relate the turmoil of the catholic and protestant conflict I have ever read. I found myself thumbing through the pages trying to find "the good parts" but they never materialized.
Since INTO THE WILDERNESS was such a great read I will buy LAKE IN THE CLOUDS. Aside from getting a little more perspective on why and how Hannah becomes interested in medicine one could easily go straight from INTO THE WILDERNESS to LAKE IN THE CLOUDS without losing too much back ground information.
Rating: 
Summary: Great beginning...slow ending
Review: I thought this book started off with a bang, however, it seemed to slow considerably once the Bonner's finally reached Scotland. Then it seemed to drag and I found myself skimming through pages. Also, I found a few too many similarities with the Outlander series...the "civilized" lady falling in love with the "savage" ,long haired man...the Scottish dialogue...the endless amount of adventure...All in all, I liked this book, however, I think I'll read a few other books before I move on to "Lake in the Clouds".
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting Action and Adventure
Review: I came upon this book by chance, and was overwhelmingly surprised. It's been years since I read a historical novel that was so well written. But do yourself a favor, read Into the Wilderness first. I found myself wondering so much about references to things that happened in the first book that I just had to search for it to read. And I wasn't disappointed. But I do actually think Dawn on a Distant Shore is better written. There's so much action, every time you think a matter is resolved, another one pops up right on its heels. It's like Elizabeth can never catch a break. I am now eagerly awaiting the paperback printing of Lake in The Clouds. I plan to pass these books on as a set, to anyone I know who is into historical novels.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing sequel to my favorite book.
Review: I was depressed after I finished reading DoaDS. Sara Donati, a rising star in fiction (and in my heart) disappointed me severely in this book. If you fell in love with Into the Wilderness (her first book) because of the town of Paradise, the romance between Nathaniel and Elizabeth, and the rich settings of the frontier, you won't care for this book. It's not about that. Elizabeth and Nathaniel seem less concerned with growing together as a couple, and more concerned with solving some Scottish mystery that seems to have been thrown in purely to churn out a sequel. The majority of this novel deals with the Bonner's adventures in Scotland, where a peer of the realm involves them in the warped history of his family that's somehow magically tied in to Hawkeye's past. Some of my favorite characters from Into the Wilderness, (Many-Doves, Runs-From-Bears, Liam Kirby) factor into this book very little. I still finished the book, but I found that it did not leave me satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Dawn on a Distant Shore
Review: I found "Dawn on a Distant Shore" to be colorful and also a look into how life was in the late 1700's in America and Ireland. It continued with the lifes of the Bonner family and close friends and brought back some characters from the past that added more intrigue. I read through it quickly because I couldn't put it down. Start reading yours and you'll see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: Sara Donati did not disappoint with the second book in the series. DAWN ON A DISTANT SHORE picks up where INTO THE WILDERNESS ended. As the reader expects, a peaceful calm life is not in store for Elizabeth and Nathanal. Their family has grown with the birth of the twins, plus early into the story, we learn that Nathanal has a son he didn't know about living in Canada. Hannah was given more exposure and it's a pleasure to watch this young girl grow. Watching her start to reconcile her Indian and white halves is an added bonus. Once again, Ms. Donati presents the reader with a story filled with historical detail, plenty of action, adventure and romance.
Rating:
Summary: Sara has done it again...
Review: Sara has done it again. She's brought back the same chemistry of Elizabeth and Nathaniel from "Into the Wilderness." Against the backdrop of new places and new adventures, the story is wonderful. Sara has a wonderful way with words, making it feel as if we were right there along for the ride.
The love and passion of Elizabeth and Nathaniel is once again alive and full. As they are separated, you can feel your heart pulling for their safety and reunion right along with them. I am anxiously waiting for the next release in this wonderful series, and wish to see Sara recieve a place on the bestseller's list for her masterpieces.
Rating:
Summary: A Strong 4.5 Stars
Review: This is a great sequel to Into The Wilderness, just slightly weaker. Being with these characters is delightful. Sara Donati writes smooth and forms great visuals with her choice of words. I highly recommend this book.
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