mb_booklady's review
5.0
This first book in the series is wonderful!
Emily Beale is the first and only female in the elite helicopter regiment, SOAR. Working her way up through the ranks, she has had to combat bias and guys who think they can show her a woman's place in the kitchen. She has learned to hit first, fast, and hard. Emily has earned the respect of her troop.
She has even earned one compliment from her heartless commanding officer, Mark "Viper" Henderson. In his reflective sunglasses that prevents anyone from seeing his eyes, he has become legendary as a scowling, butt-chewing major.
Ironically, after a news spot shows Emily cooking steaks on the nose of her Blackhawk, she ends up in the kitchen. She is called back from her squadron to serve as personal chef and bodyguard to the First Lady. The First Lady happens to be married to Emily's childhood best friend and the only guy she loved through her teenage years, who never saw Emily as anything more than "Squirt."
Meanwhile, Mark is almost crazy trying to figure out where Emily has been called to. When he finally finds out, he lies his way into the White House as Emily's crazy boyfriend. As they work to figure out who is behind the attempts on the First Lady, sparks ignite between them.
The action is non-stop. I enjoyed the suspense, action, and mystery. Mark is conflicted because he can't have a romance with Emily as her commanding officer, but wants to give her the opportunity to fly in his company again. A strong heroine and a strong, but thoughtful hero who are both smart, witty, ambitious, and know what they want is always a winning combination for me.
One of the few books I've read that I give 5 stars to, although it didn't make me cry. I can't wait to read the rest of Buchman's series.
Emily Beale is the first and only female in the elite helicopter regiment, SOAR. Working her way up through the ranks, she has had to combat bias and guys who think they can show her a woman's place in the kitchen. She has learned to hit first, fast, and hard. Emily has earned the respect of her troop.
She has even earned one compliment from her heartless commanding officer, Mark "Viper" Henderson. In his reflective sunglasses that prevents anyone from seeing his eyes, he has become legendary as a scowling, butt-chewing major.
Ironically, after a news spot shows Emily cooking steaks on the nose of her Blackhawk, she ends up in the kitchen. She is called back from her squadron to serve as personal chef and bodyguard to the First Lady. The First Lady happens to be married to Emily's childhood best friend and the only guy she loved through her teenage years, who never saw Emily as anything more than "Squirt."
Meanwhile, Mark is almost crazy trying to figure out where Emily has been called to. When he finally finds out, he lies his way into the White House as Emily's crazy boyfriend. As they work to figure out who is behind the attempts on the First Lady, sparks ignite between them.
The action is non-stop. I enjoyed the suspense, action, and mystery. Mark is conflicted because he can't have a romance with Emily as her commanding officer, but wants to give her the opportunity to fly in his company again. A strong heroine and a strong, but thoughtful hero who are both smart, witty, ambitious, and know what they want is always a winning combination for me.
One of the few books I've read that I give 5 stars to, although it didn't make me cry. I can't wait to read the rest of Buchman's series.
renpuspita's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This is the first time I'm reading romance book written by man (yep, M.L. Buchman is a man). I will said The Night is Mine more like military novel with romance aspect, not vice versa. The heroine, Captain Emily Beale is bad ass but imo, too perfect and superwoman. And why all men love her, huh? Do that make her like Mary Sue? I think not, but I hope the author make her with more flaws and not too high class. Emily is a daughter of FBI's director also the USA President's childhood. She also the only woman in Night Stalker (kinda like Air Force secret service, maybe). Too. Much. Maybe if she born as ordinary woman, I'll more appreciate her strenght.
BTW, I love the hero, Major Mark Henderson. He is so sexy and dangerous. M.L hit the mark here. He sure can write about heroes that will make you heart beat, or there's butterfly on your stomach (you know what I mean). Even I feel Mark is kinda shadowed by Emily. I really like his first impression. Thought as the baddest man with he always put his shades and might chew bullet as his breakfast, he struck me (and Emily) when he pulled out the shades, show his gray eyes and smile. That, what I call as impression! His romance with Emily is not too rush, and being a romance avid reader, not off the chart. Not "I love you" till the end. There's a hint of love triangle here, between Emily, Mark and the US President, Peter Matthews (which still young and have cheating wife. Uh, huh), but in the end its clear whose man that Emily choose.
The story Its a mix of Air Force (SOAR), politic (White House and President), a scandal by the First Lady, suspense, love triangle, etc. Add it with so many military terms and military talks that I'm not familiar with. Make my head spinning, lol! :P As for the sex scenes, its mostly fade to black scene. So if you like your book steamy (like me,haha) you will mostly disappointed. Overall, The Night is Mine is not bad for a debut. But, I don't know if I want to read the next book.
This is the first time I'm reading romance book written by man (yep, M.L. Buchman is a man). I will said The Night is Mine more like military novel with romance aspect, not vice versa. The heroine, Captain Emily Beale is bad ass but imo, too perfect and superwoman. And why all men love her, huh? Do that make her like Mary Sue? I think not, but I hope the author make her with more flaws and not too high class. Emily is a daughter of FBI's director also the USA President's childhood. She also the only woman in Night Stalker (kinda like Air Force secret service, maybe). Too. Much. Maybe if she born as ordinary woman, I'll more appreciate her strenght.
BTW, I love the hero, Major Mark Henderson. He is so sexy and dangerous. M.L hit the mark here. He sure can write about heroes that will make you heart beat, or there's butterfly on your stomach (you know what I mean). Even I feel Mark is kinda shadowed by Emily. I really like his first impression. Thought as the baddest man with he always put his shades and might chew bullet as his breakfast, he struck me (and Emily) when he pulled out the shades, show his gray eyes and smile. That, what I call as impression! His romance with Emily is not too rush, and being a romance avid reader, not off the chart. Not "I love you" till the end. There's a hint of love triangle here, between Emily, Mark and the US President, Peter Matthews (which still young and have cheating wife. Uh, huh), but in the end its clear whose man that Emily choose.
The story Its a mix of Air Force (SOAR), politic (White House and President), a scandal by the First Lady, suspense, love triangle, etc. Add it with so many military terms and military talks that I'm not familiar with. Make my head spinning, lol! :P As for the sex scenes, its mostly fade to black scene. So if you like your book steamy (like me,haha) you will mostly disappointed. Overall, The Night is Mine is not bad for a debut. But, I don't know if I want to read the next book.
loverofromance's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Emily Beale is the first woman to fly for the SOAR, which is some of the best black hawk pilots in the coutrny or even the world. Over the past couple months, she has been ordered to go on dangerous missions, so she has been working her tail off to prove herself. But she is shocked when CNN does a feature on her, which didn't exactly point out her flying talents, more of her cooking techniques and her being a woman...not what she needed at all. Makes Emily pretty pissed to be portrayed as a sex object. So she shoots the computer that is relaying the feature. Nothing wrong with displaying her true feelings. Major Mark Henderson, her CO, has called her up on a dangerous mission. She performs a miracle which saves on the black op members and puts the focus even more on herself. When there have been some threats made against the first lady, the first lady is insistent that Emily gets hired on as her pilot and her personal chef. Really?? Emily is not happy about this new assignment especially when it takes her away from flying, and from the one man that is untouchable but his kisses breath a spark she never imagined she would find. As she comes to the White House, she comes face to face with a childhood friend and crush she had for years, none other than the President himself. Soon Mark is joining up with her to discovering who is really after the first lady, there is a threat and it may not be toward the first lady at all, but someone else and only Emily will be able to discover the real threat before its too late.
Mark Henderson, is a military man and one of the best when it comes to flying Black Hawks. He is proud to be the leader of the SOAR. Mark takes after his father, who is a retired military officer and went on many dangerous missions. Mark unfortunately refuses to get married, because he saw the hell his mother was put through every time his father was called away and refuses to do that to someone he loved. What he doesn't expect is to be drawn to one of the best pilots under his command, and giving into his desires for her could cost him his whole career. Mark is quite the hero and boy was he hot in this book. I love heroes that are badass, and he fits the picture.
He is military, but has a sense of humor, one of the best pilots and knows how to fight. What I found most likeable about his character, was how driven he is and I really liked the reason behind him not having settled down yet. You see how much he would like that, but he is more concerned about the wife he would have and how much grief and pain he would put her through. It has shaped him to be the best of the best. And despite his toughness on the surface, he is sweet and tender on the inside. Love the mix in a hero.
Emily Beale is a Captain, and even though she has always loved cooking and is pretty talented at it, her true love is flying in the skies. Ever since her father took her up in a helicopter, she knew that was what she wanted to be. She has fought hard to make a good name for herself and become the first woman to be part of SOAR, an elite band of military pilots. And it wasn't easy to prove to everyone on the team including her CO that she is dang good at what she does. We see how flying is natural to her as breathing, and giving it up would practically be a death sentence for her. In the beginning, we see how good Emily really is, and she has pure talent when it comes to flying in dangerous situations and bringing everyone home. "never leaving anyone behind" is her personal motto. She is quite the entertaiining character. I love how sassy she is, can bring a guy to his knees on the mat in seconds, and can cook like a professional chef. She has this tough side that is vital because she is a woman serving in the military, but she has passion and dreams too. She craves love and to be accepted for who she is, but is more than willing to wait for the right man to come along who will encourage her to pursue her dreams. I quite loved Emily, because despite how tough she is, she has a soft side to her character that shines through in this book. Seriously, though, reading this makes me want to learn to fly Black Hawks.
I just want to say WOW...this story was so phenomenal, and boy I can't wait to read more of this author. I love that this author is male and writes romantic suspense. That is so amazing to me, I don't get a chance to read too many male romance authors, but now he is one of my favorite when it comes to this genre. M.L. Buchman has a way of bring intense and action filled books to life, and boy did I feel it in The Night Is Mine I absoultely couldn't get enough of this one. The plot was so surreal and kept me on my toes from beginning to end. What I liked the most is how there is so much more to the story than the blurb reveals to us. Much of the book is about Mark and Emily at the White House and on their undercover mission. But we see how well they fly together, and how talented each of them are and Emily really pulls a few moves on Mark that just livened up the story even more. I could believe how much I got sucked into this story, but it did. Normally I never know with Military themed romances, but this one had me hooked from the first page. What was also fun was seeing a old friendship between Emily and Pete (the President) at first its a bit awkward because of how long they haven't seen each other, and it might seem like a love triangle, but it really isn't. Emily may have had a crush on Peter when they were younger, but one Peter is married, and Emily is totally attracted to Mark in a very real way. Now Mark was so fantastic and quite works his way into, working undercover. Technically he isn't even suppose to be undercover, but when Emily gets hurt, he comforts her and thus begins their secret and forbidden love affair and ends up helping her and posing as her beach bum boyfriend. The romance was pretty different but I quite had a ball with it. It had its edgy moments, but there was so much sweet and tender scenes it just made me fall for Mark and Emily even more.
They have so much in common in the important aspects, and where they are different just adds more to their relationship. There were so many fun elements that made this book become a winning story for me. Can't wait to read more of these "Night Stalkers" and I am so ready for more Emily and Mark and more badass military pilots.
Quite a great cover, love the male yumminess, and those abs, just perfect. Love the White House imagery in the background, and the "night" background...very mysterious yet a danger appeal to it as well.
The Night Is Mine is a crazy adventure that takes us from the desert into the danger zones of America's capitol. Who said flying was never dangerous or fun? Well we get both, a story that takes us to the edge, with kick ass characters, vivid details, and some stunning action that will make you feel like you have literally jumped right into the suspsense of it all. One Hell Of A Rollercoaster that takes the reader to the edge!!
Summary
Emily Beale is the first woman to fly for the SOAR, which is some of the best black hawk pilots in the coutrny or even the world. Over the past couple months, she has been ordered to go on dangerous missions, so she has been working her tail off to prove herself. But she is shocked when CNN does a feature on her, which didn't exactly point out her flying talents, more of her cooking techniques and her being a woman...not what she needed at all. Makes Emily pretty pissed to be portrayed as a sex object. So she shoots the computer that is relaying the feature. Nothing wrong with displaying her true feelings. Major Mark Henderson, her CO, has called her up on a dangerous mission. She performs a miracle which saves on the black op members and puts the focus even more on herself. When there have been some threats made against the first lady, the first lady is insistent that Emily gets hired on as her pilot and her personal chef. Really?? Emily is not happy about this new assignment especially when it takes her away from flying, and from the one man that is untouchable but his kisses breath a spark she never imagined she would find. As she comes to the White House, she comes face to face with a childhood friend and crush she had for years, none other than the President himself. Soon Mark is joining up with her to discovering who is really after the first lady, there is a threat and it may not be toward the first lady at all, but someone else and only Emily will be able to discover the real threat before its too late.
The Hero
Mark Henderson, is a military man and one of the best when it comes to flying Black Hawks. He is proud to be the leader of the SOAR. Mark takes after his father, who is a retired military officer and went on many dangerous missions. Mark unfortunately refuses to get married, because he saw the hell his mother was put through every time his father was called away and refuses to do that to someone he loved. What he doesn't expect is to be drawn to one of the best pilots under his command, and giving into his desires for her could cost him his whole career. Mark is quite the hero and boy was he hot in this book. I love heroes that are badass, and he fits the picture.
Major Mark "The Viper" Henderson stood two paces inside the rolled-back flap of the tent, one foot still buried in the machine. Six feet of clichéd soldier. Broad shoulders, raw muscle, and the most dangerous-looking man Emily had ever met.
He is military, but has a sense of humor, one of the best pilots and knows how to fight. What I found most likeable about his character, was how driven he is and I really liked the reason behind him not having settled down yet. You see how much he would like that, but he is more concerned about the wife he would have and how much grief and pain he would put her through. It has shaped him to be the best of the best. And despite his toughness on the surface, he is sweet and tender on the inside. Love the mix in a hero.
The Heroine
Emily Beale is a Captain, and even though she has always loved cooking and is pretty talented at it, her true love is flying in the skies. Ever since her father took her up in a helicopter, she knew that was what she wanted to be. She has fought hard to make a good name for herself and become the first woman to be part of SOAR, an elite band of military pilots. And it wasn't easy to prove to everyone on the team including her CO that she is dang good at what she does. We see how flying is natural to her as breathing, and giving it up would practically be a death sentence for her. In the beginning, we see how good Emily really is, and she has pure talent when it comes to flying in dangerous situations and bringing everyone home. "never leaving anyone behind" is her personal motto. She is quite the entertaiining character. I love how sassy she is, can bring a guy to his knees on the mat in seconds, and can cook like a professional chef. She has this tough side that is vital because she is a woman serving in the military, but she has passion and dreams too. She craves love and to be accepted for who she is, but is more than willing to wait for the right man to come along who will encourage her to pursue her dreams. I quite loved Emily, because despite how tough she is, she has a soft side to her character that shines through in this book. Seriously, though, reading this makes me want to learn to fly Black Hawks.
Plot and Story Line
I just want to say WOW...this story was so phenomenal, and boy I can't wait to read more of this author. I love that this author is male and writes romantic suspense. That is so amazing to me, I don't get a chance to read too many male romance authors, but now he is one of my favorite when it comes to this genre. M.L. Buchman has a way of bring intense and action filled books to life, and boy did I feel it in The Night Is Mine I absoultely couldn't get enough of this one. The plot was so surreal and kept me on my toes from beginning to end. What I liked the most is how there is so much more to the story than the blurb reveals to us. Much of the book is about Mark and Emily at the White House and on their undercover mission. But we see how well they fly together, and how talented each of them are and Emily really pulls a few moves on Mark that just livened up the story even more. I could believe how much I got sucked into this story, but it did. Normally I never know with Military themed romances, but this one had me hooked from the first page. What was also fun was seeing a old friendship between Emily and Pete (the President) at first its a bit awkward because of how long they haven't seen each other, and it might seem like a love triangle, but it really isn't. Emily may have had a crush on Peter when they were younger, but one Peter is married, and Emily is totally attracted to Mark in a very real way. Now Mark was so fantastic and quite works his way into, working undercover. Technically he isn't even suppose to be undercover, but when Emily gets hurt, he comforts her and thus begins their secret and forbidden love affair and ends up helping her and posing as her beach bum boyfriend. The romance was pretty different but I quite had a ball with it. It had its edgy moments, but there was so much sweet and tender scenes it just made me fall for Mark and Emily even more.
He slid a hand around her waist and pulled her across the tile until he could tuck her under his arm. Until she leaned her head on his shoulder. He leaned his cheek on the top of her head and just let her breathing ease as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
She wasn't a wreck; she was a miracle.
And the President was an idiot for ever letting her slip through his fingers.
Those eyes inspected him. Looked at him until he wanted to look away to preserve his soul. They saw through him, inside him. No secrets were safe from those eyes.
They have so much in common in the important aspects, and where they are different just adds more to their relationship. There were so many fun elements that made this book become a winning story for me. Can't wait to read more of these "Night Stalkers" and I am so ready for more Emily and Mark and more badass military pilots.
The Cover
Quite a great cover, love the male yumminess, and those abs, just perfect. Love the White House imagery in the background, and the "night" background...very mysterious yet a danger appeal to it as well.
Overall View
The Night Is Mine is a crazy adventure that takes us from the desert into the danger zones of America's capitol. Who said flying was never dangerous or fun? Well we get both, a story that takes us to the edge, with kick ass characters, vivid details, and some stunning action that will make you feel like you have literally jumped right into the suspsense of it all. One Hell Of A Rollercoaster that takes the reader to the edge!!
The Night Is Mine (1)
I Own The Dawn (2)
Wait Until Dark (3)
Take Over At Midnight (4)
Light Up The Night (5)
Bring On The Dusk (6)
By Break Of Day (7)
sac3098's review
4.0
The introductory part or you could say the first couple of chapters were so well written that it had me instantly on the edge. The lead character Emma was a delight! It was so well written in the beginning that I was sure it would be the best book that I read this year.
But.... Yes! there's a but and I'm extremely miffed about this! But as soon as the plot changes setting the book starts losing the thrill and the grip. You start questioning the reasoning behind some of the changes. It gets more frustrating after you get to know about the potentials of the characters revealed over a period of time.
One other thing was that though you get to know a basic overview of Emma's childhood and upbringing there's a lot more you yearn to know and a lot more that the author could have given to you there as a part of the story. You never get to know that part though there are hints of it through out the book. It would have made for a great background and shed light on how the character developed.
Then there's Mack, the character development was okay-ish. Could have been a lot better.. We don't get to know a lot of the back story but he fits right into the story and I could never find anything amiss so I'd say he was fluidly written.
Apart from all this, the ending was just as thrilling as the beginning was! I'd say that the ending completely redeemed this book for me and made it a worthy read! The chemistry between the characters is great. The side characters are well-written.
But what takes the cake is the lead character Emma. The way the author has portrayed her is remarkable.
But.... Yes! there's a but and I'm extremely miffed about this! But as soon as the plot changes setting the book starts losing the thrill and the grip. You start questioning the reasoning behind some of the changes. It gets more frustrating after you get to know about the potentials of the characters revealed over a period of time.
One other thing was that though you get to know a basic overview of Emma's childhood and upbringing there's a lot more you yearn to know and a lot more that the author could have given to you there as a part of the story. You never get to know that part though there are hints of it through out the book. It would have made for a great background and shed light on how the character developed.
Then there's Mack, the character development was okay-ish. Could have been a lot better.. We don't get to know a lot of the back story but he fits right into the story and I could never find anything amiss so I'd say he was fluidly written.
Apart from all this, the ending was just as thrilling as the beginning was! I'd say that the ending completely redeemed this book for me and made it a worthy read! The chemistry between the characters is great. The side characters are well-written.
But what takes the cake is the lead character Emma. The way the author has portrayed her is remarkable.
schreckjo's review
2.0
Meh. I really wanted to like this book. I've been hearing great things about M.L. Buchman and his writing style. In grad school there were a half-dozen people in my class saying he writes in a way that really hits home with women. Something about him being the best male author of romance novels.
That being said, maybe I had too-high expectations. Unfortunately, after reading one of his books, I would have to disagree with the rave reviews. I definitely felt the guy-vibe, which isn't a bad thing!, but I was yawning throughout this book.
Every plot point, every interaction between characters, and even the overall idea for the novel itself was just... wacky. From a birds eye view the idea for this book was cool, but the execution was severely lacking.
That being said, maybe I had too-high expectations. Unfortunately, after reading one of his books, I would have to disagree with the rave reviews. I definitely felt the guy-vibe, which isn't a bad thing!, but I was yawning throughout this book.
Every plot point, every interaction between characters, and even the overall idea for the novel itself was just... wacky. From a birds eye view the idea for this book was cool, but the execution was severely lacking.
clak5686's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book which I saw on a list of the 20 best romantic suspense novels by Booklist Reader. It did not disappoint. Major Mark Henderson is one of the best heroes I've read. His respect for women and belief that they are equal is great to see in a military romance. Captain Emily Beale is the best helicopter pilot anyone has flown with including Mark. When she's reassigned stateside, Mark is upset and wonders what is really going on. Emily is assigned as chef to the first lady. There are a lot of moving parts to the story. One is what is going on in the White House. Two is what is going on with Mark and Emily. They were a great together. The story was engaging. The romance was perfect.
More...