That was, like, magically delicious. A little creepy, but totally 100% chock-full of wtf-more-please. ( )

This book doesn't fall neatly into any romantic sub genre. It's a great love story full of passion and melodrama, old secrets, old and new affairs and murder. I loved it the first time I read it and I loved it on this reread. One of LH's best IMO. ( )

After the Night
4 Stars

12 years ago, Faith Devlin’s mother and Gray Rouillard’s father disappeared together. Struggling to make a way for herself, Faith overcomes the poverty and social censure of her childhood to become a successful business woman. When a disturbing fact about her mother comes to light, Faith returns home to the rural town of Prescott, Louisiana to face the demons of her past and the anger of the only man she has ever loved, Gray Rouillard. Can Gray and Faith overcome the obstacles and find common ground together?

Many reviewers have focused on Gray’s cruel and abusive treatment of Faith and as someone particularly sensitive to this type of hero, I had prepared myself for the worst. Surprisingly, I found myself not only disagreeing with these reviewers’ assessments, but actually sympathizing with Gray’s perspective. Howard is very skilled at presenting his point of view and given the circumstances surrounding his father’s betrayal, Gray’s reaction is definitely understandable if not quite acceptable.

Faith is a charming heroine and her spirit and strength of character comes to the fore as the story progresses. Unlike those readers who disliked Faith for her tendency toward forgiving Gray’s attitude and behavior, to me, she has tremendous backbone and stands her ground with him over and over despite her feelings for him. She is tenacious and determined to prove herself both to Gray, the town and herself.

The mystery is secondary to the romance and the villain and motivation are very obvious as there are only one or two plausible suspects. Nevertheless, there are some exciting scenes and the resolution is satisfying.

In sum, a fantastic read from an author who is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine. She sure knows how to write a steamy sex scene :0) ( )

I just re-read After the Night...sigh... one of my all time favorite books ever! I am so in love w/Gray!

He is such a bad-boy hero! I love the war (contest of wills) between Faith and Gray...
( )

When reading the back cover of the book I didn't really think it would be as good as it was. Even when after reading past the first few events I didn't think I could respect the leading man... but it all worked out well and enjoyed the story. There were a few cheesy lines... but other than that Howard knows how to weave a good tale. ( )