Hard Night

November 1, 2018
As Ashenden continues her 11th Hour series, following Total Control (2018), Jacob Night, leader of that secret black-ops group, pretends to be a relative to take Faith Beasley home from the hospital after she suffered a traumatic brain injury because she knows something about his brother for whom he's been searching for five years. They fall hard for each other; have amazing, explicitly described sex; and then she remembers who she really is and leaves Jacob to find his brother by herself. Jacob follows, and he goes berserk over what he discovers. The action ratchets up; Faith and Jacob need to be rescued by 11th Hour; revelations about his brother come to light, then go dark again; and Jacob insists that he doesn't deserve Faith and tries to send her away. Callie, married to an 11th Hour team member, successfully intercedes. The plot is a little convoluted, but the congruent torment of the two main characters is great, with lots of sex to match. Once again, Ashenden provides a solid military romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)