Silhouette Intimate Moments #529: Nightshade

This is the third book in the Night series. Colt Nightshade is... well, he's a lot of things, but right now he's searching for a friend's runaway daughter. And to find her, he's got to team up with police lieutenant Althea Grayson. The first thing that strikes me is that a LOT of things in this book remind me of the In Death books: The sugared almonds, Sweeney/Feeney, heck--Althea became an orphan at age 8! And of course, she's a police lieutenant who survived childhood abuse. By the way, this came out in 1993, two years before Naked in Death. And the scene where she and Colt rescue the little girl---definitely seems like a foreshadowing of the first scene in Naked in Death. In this one, Althea is upset because SHE didn't rescue the girl, and she feels like she should have been able to. The scene in Naked is similar, but with the emotion, tension, and lethality increased. In fact, I'd say this book and Night Shadow are both the precursors to In Death---Night Shadow with Roarke, Nightshade with Eve. The Night books are the In Death books tamed and softened to fit inside SIM covers. I particularly liked the respect and partnership between Althea and Colt, and that even though Colt was ready to move the relationship along sooner than Althea was, and he did push her, he wasn't patronizing or paternal, both of which traits tend to pop up among romance heroes with distressing (to me, at least) regularity. I also liked that despite their differences, and Althea not being happy about being asked to work with a civilian, that she tried to be fair (specifically thinking about the snitch who was killed at the beginning--she let Colt know she didn't blame him for that). So, all in all a nice read, and a trial run, I think, for the In Death series. Worth reading as part of the series, but not one of my favorites.

I've often referred to the small romance books as "throw away" books because you can usually finish them in a couple of hours. Nightshade is a Silhouette Intimate Moments Book and definitely a quick read. It's also the 3rd book in Nora Roberts Night Series (the other two are also the short romance type of books). The entire series could be completed in less than a weekend of reading if you're trapped indoors with nothing else to do. As with many of Nora Roberts' early books, the plot line is somewhat predictable, but still very enjoyable. It's the basic cookie-cutter romance plot: man meets woman (they are total opposites), sparks fly, romance ensues, and they live happily-ever-after. But one of Nora Roberts' best writing traits is her ability to develop characters so the reader feels they are real. Colt Nightshade is a private detective looking for a runaway teenager being held against her will. In the course of his investigations, he becomes the unwilling partner of police Lt. Althea Grayson. This case hits Grayson a little too close to home for her to be completely objective. Thus the struggles of the main female character - she struggles with the case and with the attraction to Nightshade. Colt Nightshade is the typical romantic male lead - handsome, debonair, and a bit intriguing with his bad-boy tendencies by not playing "by the book" to solve the case or win the affections of Althea. While this dynamic duo are trying to sort out their feelings for each other, they are hot on the trail of the bad guys. Ok, didn't I mention "cookie cutter" romance above in my description??? Yep, and it even has a happily-ever-after ending too (bet you didn't see that coming!). This book is typical and predictable but still an enjoyable read (as with most of Roberts' books)! The original Silhouette Intimate Moments book is out of print and is considered VERY HARD TO FIND but reprints are available!

"Nightshade" was the best of the four stories offered in "Night Tales." Thea and Colt were interesting enough as partners and as lovers. I hope to see more about them in future installments of the "Night" series.

TROUBLE IS HIS BUSINESS Colt Nightshade: Professional trouble-shooter. A damm good man to know-if you know he's on your side. Althea Grayson: That's LIEUTENANT Althea Grayson a hell of a cop, and heavon in his arms... Colt Nightshade made his living facing danger-alone. But his search for a runaway girl through the seamy side of the city was the one time he had to have help-whether he liked it or not. And if a man had to have a partner, he could do a whole lot worse than Althea Grayson. She was all business...and embodied his every pleasure. Soon, trouble became a for-letter word called LOVE.