Cover of Night by Laura Griffin (Alpha Crew #2)
Released: September 4, 2017
Romantic Suspense Novella
Pocket Star
Reviewed by Mandi
Karly writes for a magazine, and is on assignment in Thailand, writing a story about the United States ambassador to Thailand and his family. With the story almost wrapped up, Karly decides to sneak out of her hotel room and get a drink and maybe even go on a boat. She has met a few people at the resort she has connected with, and decides it might be fun to have a few hours of relaxation before heading back to the states. While out on the water, terrorists flood the resort, killing people, and taking the Ambassador and his daughter hostage. Karly jumps off the boat and flees – hiding under the cover of darkness as night falls, on the outskirts of the resort.
Ethan is a Navy SEAL on an elite team called, Alpha Crew. Him and a few others are called in to do reconnaissance on the bad guys, before the main team comes in for the full attack and rescue. He literally runs into Karly in the woods, and after they both realize they are on the same side, Karly tries to tell him all she can remember about what she saw of the bad guys. Ethan and his team win the day, and eventually Karly and Ethan make their way back to San Diego, where they reconnect and start a romance.
This book suffers from being too short. About 160 pages, it just wasn’t enough time for the romance and suspense to fully play out. The suspense starts out great, and full of terror, as Karly witness a horrific shooting and then has to hide in the woods with Ethan and his team, as they try to decide what to do. I was there for it! But then the suspense gets resolved very fast. All of a sudden we are back in the states and while Ethan and Karly have a hot one night stand, the romance just stalls out. Some of the bad guy action follows them home, but the main bad guy really needed more back story. Ethan and Karly’s romance is rushed and the declaration of love didn’t feel realistic.
If this had been a full length, I think I would have liked getting to know Ethan and his team better – and see how the romance would actually play out.
Grade: C
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