"action, romance and family drama"

After being widowed, Cate Nightingale and her twin boys move to the isolated Idaho town of Trail Stop where cell phones don't work and there is only one road in and out of the place. She opens up a bed and breakfast which is moderately successful and for three years relies on the town handyman Calvin Harris to do the repairs that always arises at the worst times. She believes Cal is a shy man because he always blushes when he has to talk to her.

Her opinion of him changes when thugs arrive at the B&B demanding the luggage of a guest who snuck out the widow and disappeared. Cal somehow sneaks up behind them and gets them out of the inn after giving them the guest's luggage. They are looking for a flash drive with files from a crime lord's computer but it isn't in the suitcase. They believe that it is still on the premises. They cut off the town trying to terrorize people into giving them what they want. Cal organizes the townsfolk so that they can survive the ordeal while Cate realizes that she has fallen for him and prays he doesn't try to be a hero and get himself killed.

COVER OF NIGHT is Linda Howard at her very best. The storyline is filled with action, romance and family drama as a town bands together to fight the enemy. Ms. Howard has the magic touch when it comes to creating protagonists readers will care about. As the town plays matchmaker, the hero and heroine know what the other is feeling and respond in a manner that is so hot readers will feel the sparks flying

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 8, 2006

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Summary

In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. Though the overnight guests are few and far between—occasional hunters and lake fishermen—Cate always manages to make ends meet with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades, Calvin Harris, who can handle everything from carpentry to plumbing. But Calvin is not what he seems, and Cate's luck is about to run out.

One morning, the B&B's only guest inexplicably vanishes, leaving behind his personal effects. A few days later Cate is shocked when armed men storm the house, demanding the mystery man's belongings. Fearing for her children's lives, Cate agrees to cooperate—until Calvin saves the day, forcing the intruders to scatter into the surrounding woods.

The nightmare, however, is just beginning. Cate, Calvin, and their entire community find themselves cut off and alone with no means to call for help as the threat gathers intensity and first blood is drawn.

With their fellow residents trapped and the entire town held hostage, Cate and Calvin have no choice but to take the fight to their enemies under the cover of night. While reticent Cal becomes a fearless protector, Cate makes the most daring move of her life . . . into the very heart of danger.