Into the Night by Janelle Denison (The Reliance Group #1)
Romantic Suspense
March 29, 2011
Paperback
St. Martin’s

Reviewed by May

TRG (the reliance group) is a group that works tricky cases like this where the law can’t quite go, but men and women with experience   and skill are needed. Their cover is working at the Onyx Casino – it’s clear that throughout this Las Vegas hotel and casino they are scattered and are able to drop their job responsibilities as needed to go and do their true life’s work.

I really like the idea of a group like this hiding in plain sight in Las Vegas, and I think it could have been a really great set up for a series. The problem is, this book just doesn’t deliver anything exciting or special. The book progressed along as expected, the characters felt like ones I’ve seen before many times, and there just wasn’t a special spark that made me jump up and love (or hate) it. Here’s the deal:

Las Vegas has a rich, middle aged, super skeevy dude snatching up under aged girls (mostly run-aways) for his perverted use and to share with his friends at parties. It is believed that he has one particular family’s daughter, but in a search of his home the police did not find her and there is nothing more that they can do to help. In need of help – and knowing that this pig has their daughter they turn to TRG.

The hero in this tale is Nathan Fox. He is a former Marine and Las Vegas cop, who’s experiences in vice led him to a drinking problem, broken engagement, and finally working for the Onyx Casino and TRG. He gets put on the case, but before he really gets started Nate has to attend a speed dating event at a swanky restaurant. He promised a friend he would go, and it’s for charity after all.

“How amazing would it be to find the woman of your dreams there? What a great story that would be, huh?”

Nathan cringed. Things were quickly going from bad to worse. His mind filled with images of women frantic to find a husband and ready to sink their claws into the next victim.”

Would his TRG friend’s words come true? Why of course! The one other person in the room not there for the speed dating, but rather on assignment reporting about it is super sexy reporter Nicole Hutton.

“Though she enjoyed the intimacy of being with a man, she insisted on a friends-with-benefits arrangement, one specific go-to guy for hot but uncomplicated sex. No strings attached, and especially no messy emotions involved. Just mutual, physical pleasure, and no obligations to mess with her head or her heart.”

She is a woman who avoids relationships because of a bad experience as an 18 year old girl. Now at the ripe ‘ol age of 25 she’s focused on her career and doesn’t want any man to interfere with her life. She is also unsatisfied with the fluffy pieces she’s being forced to write when she wants to be a serious journalist.

You can see what we have here – sleazy Las Vegas rich dude + former military/cop who’s damaged + ball busting career gal with bad relationship in her past. In reading this book I felt like it was all just very convenient. It all played out just so- because that was the only way it could have been given the clichéd characters and lack of twists to the plot.

The two lead characters do have a bad case of lust for each other right away, and as Nicole doesn’t do relationships they happily spend a few hours getting it on back at Nate’s place. On her way out Nicole she stumbles across the folder (aka Nate’s case file) of confidential information on the missing girl and slimy dude who allegedly has her. Nicole takes some photos of the pages, then goes home and sets up her own agenda to expose this man. She’s finally got her chance to find a story that will make her career be more than just fashion and dating!

You can imagine the shock and calamity that happens when they both meet up again at an event hosted by the sleazy man. They end up moving in together to maintain a cover story and work together to find the missing girl (yada yada) and fall in love.

The book is standard romantic suspense. Lots of sexy time, that element of the clock ticking/time running out, and the “oh I can’t be with you because I just can’t” classic argument before the bad guy/near death experience and the “you’re the one” realization a few pages later. The characters acted predictably and they fell flat- there was nobody I’d like to re-visit in a future book. As flat as I found this book, I think could really enjoy this author’s style in a different book. 

This is the first book in this “TRG” series, so I would have expected some great supporting characters and scenes with them. The rest of TRG was almost invisible except for a clichéd annual BBQ get together– and even then I got no real sense of who they are, or if I’d want to read their novels in the future.

Bottom line? A predictable, not especially memorable read.

Grade: C-

Recent Reviews:
All About Romance – B-
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