All three Gals discussed After the Night
Narrated by Natalie Ross
Melinda: Where our tastes match, we are in 100% agreement – take Linda Howard’s After the Night with Natalie Ross’ incomparable narration of one of Howard’s steamiest stories. From my review of the print version: “The sexual chemistry between them is so strong the pages in the book are practically hot to the touch. It’s a wonder the paper doesn’t just burst into flame – but Howard, devil that she is, keeps the tension high and doesn’t allow them any release til near the end of the book – leaving you panting and sweating along with them.” I love it when the author makes it sizzling without (or long before) Doing The Deed, and Ross keeps the story moving forward with just the right tone. Gray is one of Howard’s iconic uber-alphas – every time I listen, there are moments I think he’s just about gone too far – don’t you find yourself wanting to reach through your iPod and snatch him by the ear? I think it speaks highly of the author’s skills when you feel strongly about a character like that. But hey – that rainy-day alcove kiss in New Orleans… Oh yeah…
Lea: After the Night is one of my print favorites made even better by Natalie Ross. Gray is so…difficult yet, so delicious – a Howard specialty. But meeting that uber-alpha head on is Faith – a strong yet totally confident lady. At times in the past, I have wondered how I could cheer for such a pushy hero but I can only answer that he is Gray – the rich small town boy turned powerful man. Yeah, I wanted to stomp on him more than once but the romance works.
Brenda: Yes, Natalie Ross did the near impossible by taking After The Night, already on the top of my keeper shelf, and boosting it up another level. She gives Faith an added level of determination making her the Steel Magnolia she needs to be to stand up to both Gray and the treatment dished out when she returns to her hometown. As the listener, we are privy to Gray’s frustrated yearning when it comes to Faith even when he is acting like a complete ass. The depth of his internal battle to do right by his family and still end up happy himself comes through loud and clear with Ross’ interpretation. In the end what makes Gray my kind of alpha hero, the kind you want to kick but ultimately love, is that when he finally gives in he does it all the way. He doesn’t open a small corner of himself but expresses his feelings in both words and deed which allows you to see why Faith falls for him despite his being such a jerk on several occasions.
Melinda: Truthfully, I forget that After the Night is romantic suspense. After all, it’s really a cold case until Faith starts nosing around. I see the relationship as truly front and center for this book, and the suspense as just a plot device.
Lea: Melinda, I agree. If you were to ask me my contemporary romance audio favorites, I wouldn’t think twice about including After the Night on that list. And neither would I consider adding it to my romantic suspense favorite list. Originally published in 1995, I consider this one of Howard’s light romantic suspenses. In fact, FictionDB lists it as contemporary romance with two sub-genres – contemporary and suspense. When I think of romantic suspense these days, I think Howard’s Death Angel, Cry No More, and even Kill and Tell. I think Sandra Brown, Pamela Clare’s I-Team series, and Anne Stuart’s Ice series.
Narration: A
Book Content: A
Steam Factor: Glad I had my ear buds in
Violence: Minimal
Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
I love the book in print and on audio! I’ve read the book once and listened to it twice over the past few years.