ashbats99's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
spiringvenus's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Jacquelyn was smart, funny, and attractive. She wasn't outstandingly beautiful or annoying stupid. She got irritated without being completely insane. It was an enjoyable read.
renpuspita's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Baca Veil of Night emang mau ga mau ngingetin sama masa jayanya Linda Howard. Terutama kalau kamu baca buku - buku dia yang lama, kayak Dream Man, Mr Perfect ataupun Open Season. Lucunya, tiga judul itu favorit gue banget hahaha. Veil of Night ini emang formulanya mirip - mirip tiga judul itu. Ceweknya orang biasa sementara cowoknya polisi yang bikin klepek2. Walau ya, untuk yang Veil of Night ini, si Eric Wilder ga bisa menyaingi Dane Hollister, Sam Donovan dan Jack Russo. Tuh kan, gue masih inget lho nama para pakpol detektif ini XD. Bisa dibilang tante Linda emang make formula yang sama dengan judul - judul terbaiknya, karena setelah Open Season dan duologi Blair - Wyatt (To Die For dan Drop Dead Dangerous), judul - judul romansusnya lebih bervariasi cuma belum ada yang bisa menyaingi chemistry pasangan cowo detektif - cewe masy biasa.
Tapi bukan lantas Veil of Night juga jadi sebagus the Holy Trinity (ini istilah gue aja). Bahkan kualitas tulisannya udah semakin turun rasanya tante Linda ini. Walau secara karakter, gue jauh lebih suka Jaclyn Wilde ketimbang Blair yang histeric. Lucunya (lagi), si Jaclyn ini kan wedding planner ya, dan klien terakhirnya si Cassie Edward ini persis Blair. Sama - sama bridezillanya walau Blair masih lebih mendingan. Gue sih ga akan bahas ceritanya gimana, karena dari blurb novelnya aja udah jelas banget. Yang gue cukup suka adalah personalitynya Jaclyn yang serba teratur dan hampir mendekati ice-queen. Jadinya cukup kontras dengan Eric. Apalagi nama keluarga mereka itu pun banget. Wilde dan Wilder, kayak si Jaclyn tuh liar tapi Eric jauh lebih liar lagi, rawwwr XD. Untuk chemistrynya gue akuin cukup oke lah, walau ya banternya ga sebagus buku - buku Linda Howard yang dulu, tapi minimal interaksi Jaclyn & Eric itu lumayan bisa dinikmati. Terutama dua orang ini juga sama - sama janda/duda di usia 35an, jadi jauh lebih matang dan ga ada tingkah yang kekanak - kanakan, walau Jaclyn sempat kesel sama Eric yang investigasi dia karena Jaclyn jadi tersangka. Padahal yak, Eric hanya menyelesaikan tugasnya dan kasusnya jadi kompleks karena sebelum Carrie dibunuh, Eric sama Jaclyn terlibat cinta satu malam. Awkward.
Nilai plus novel ini ada di pelaksanaan pernikahan yang diurus Jaclyn dan kantornya, Premier. Premier ini juga keren banget, mereka isinya cuma 4 orang, Jaclyn, ibunya Jaclyn yaitu Madelyn, dan dua rekan mereka bernama Peach dan Deirdra. Bagusnya lagi, hubungan Jaclyn dan Madelyn itu solid banget, walau Jaclyn punya daddy issue (ga lengkap rasanya kalau ga ada daddy issue). Apalagi, Madelyn, Peach dan Deirdra ngedukung Jaclyn waktu dia ditetapkan jadi tersangka dan musuhin Eric XD. Disini tante Linda emang lebih banyak deskripsi pelaksanaan pernikahan, dan menurut gue cukup menarik. Apalagi pernikahan itu temanya macem - macem, dan Jaclyn itu harus bisa bikin pernikahan berjalan dengan lancar. Ada bagian dimana Jaclyn sempat khawatir pernikahan dengan tema koboi yang dia urus bakal kacau, tapi ternyata malah jadi pernikahan yang meninggalkan kesan mendalam.
Lalu salah satu bagian yang gue suka adalah Eric yang entah sial (atau malah beruntung?) tiap kali mau beli kopi, entah itu di toko atau drive thru dan ternyata tokonya dirampok sehingga Eric mau ga mau mesti nangkap perampoknya dengan cara yang ga biasa. Lucu banget lah bagian ini xixxii. Beberapa dialog emang cukup catchy dan mengundang senyum. Terjemahannya cukup oke dan enak dibaca. Konten seksualnya pun cukup "jinak", mungkin karena terjemahan, biasanya emang adegan sexnya bakal ditone-down (ini alasan kenapa gue baca romance suka dalam bahasa aslinya :P).
Sayangnya, endingnya emang agak keburu - buru. Apalagi ketika kasus udah terungkap tapi motif pembunuhan Carrie ga dijelaskan secara gamblang. Sebenarnya kalau jeli, motifnya sederhana banget dan bisa ditebak karena kayak, aduh tipikal sih alasan kenapa Carrie ini dibunuh sama pembunuhnya, dimana .
Bukan salah satu karya terbaik tante Linda Howard, tapi Veil of Night tetap menarik sih buat dibaca. Apalagi kalau kamu suka genre romantic suspense. Tapi kalau fans Linda Howard kayak gue, buku ini emang agak kurang dalam bbrp aspek. Sepertinya keajaiban tante Linda sudah berhenti di Open Season :')
Tapi bukan lantas Veil of Night juga jadi sebagus the Holy Trinity (ini istilah gue aja). Bahkan kualitas tulisannya udah semakin turun rasanya tante Linda ini. Walau secara karakter, gue jauh lebih suka Jaclyn Wilde ketimbang Blair yang histeric. Lucunya (lagi), si Jaclyn ini kan wedding planner ya, dan klien terakhirnya si Cassie Edward ini persis Blair. Sama - sama bridezillanya walau Blair masih lebih mendingan. Gue sih ga akan bahas ceritanya gimana, karena dari blurb novelnya aja udah jelas banget. Yang gue cukup suka adalah personalitynya Jaclyn yang serba teratur dan hampir mendekati ice-queen. Jadinya cukup kontras dengan Eric. Apalagi nama keluarga mereka itu pun banget. Wilde dan Wilder, kayak si Jaclyn tuh liar tapi Eric jauh lebih liar lagi, rawwwr XD. Untuk chemistrynya gue akuin cukup oke lah, walau ya banternya ga sebagus buku - buku Linda Howard yang dulu, tapi minimal interaksi Jaclyn & Eric itu lumayan bisa dinikmati. Terutama dua orang ini juga sama - sama janda/duda di usia 35an, jadi jauh lebih matang dan ga ada tingkah yang kekanak - kanakan, walau Jaclyn sempat kesel sama Eric yang investigasi dia karena Jaclyn jadi tersangka. Padahal yak, Eric hanya menyelesaikan tugasnya dan kasusnya jadi kompleks karena sebelum Carrie dibunuh, Eric sama Jaclyn terlibat cinta satu malam. Awkward.
Nilai plus novel ini ada di pelaksanaan pernikahan yang diurus Jaclyn dan kantornya, Premier. Premier ini juga keren banget, mereka isinya cuma 4 orang, Jaclyn, ibunya Jaclyn yaitu Madelyn, dan dua rekan mereka bernama Peach dan Deirdra. Bagusnya lagi, hubungan Jaclyn dan Madelyn itu solid banget, walau Jaclyn punya daddy issue (ga lengkap rasanya kalau ga ada daddy issue). Apalagi, Madelyn, Peach dan Deirdra ngedukung Jaclyn waktu dia ditetapkan jadi tersangka dan musuhin Eric XD. Disini tante Linda emang lebih banyak deskripsi pelaksanaan pernikahan, dan menurut gue cukup menarik. Apalagi pernikahan itu temanya macem - macem, dan Jaclyn itu harus bisa bikin pernikahan berjalan dengan lancar. Ada bagian dimana Jaclyn sempat khawatir pernikahan dengan tema koboi yang dia urus bakal kacau, tapi ternyata malah jadi pernikahan yang meninggalkan kesan mendalam.
Lalu salah satu bagian yang gue suka adalah Eric yang entah sial (atau malah beruntung?) tiap kali mau beli kopi, entah itu di toko atau drive thru dan ternyata tokonya dirampok sehingga Eric mau ga mau mesti nangkap perampoknya dengan cara yang ga biasa. Lucu banget lah bagian ini xixxii. Beberapa dialog emang cukup catchy dan mengundang senyum. Terjemahannya cukup oke dan enak dibaca. Konten seksualnya pun cukup "jinak", mungkin karena terjemahan, biasanya emang adegan sexnya bakal ditone-down (ini alasan kenapa gue baca romance suka dalam bahasa aslinya :P).
Sayangnya, endingnya emang agak keburu - buru. Apalagi ketika kasus udah terungkap tapi motif pembunuhan Carrie ga dijelaskan secara gamblang. Sebenarnya kalau jeli, motifnya sederhana banget dan bisa ditebak karena kayak, aduh tipikal sih alasan kenapa Carrie ini dibunuh sama pembunuhnya, dimana
Spoiler
jelas - jelas ini tipe pembunuhan gegara Carrie blackmail pembunuhnya. Carrie tahu si pembunuh selingkuh sama orang yang Carrie kenal, dan kemungkinan besar Carrie ngancem bakal ngebeberin itu semua. Pembunuhnya yang kesal, langsung bunuh Carrie, apalagi Carrie itu gampang bikin orang emosi dengan tingkahnya yang bak diva. See, not that hard to predict, wkwkwk. Cuma emang sayang banget ga dijelasin dan kayak dibiarkan mengambangBukan salah satu karya terbaik tante Linda Howard, tapi Veil of Night tetap menarik sih buat dibaca. Apalagi kalau kamu suka genre romantic suspense. Tapi kalau fans Linda Howard kayak gue, buku ini emang agak kurang dalam bbrp aspek. Sepertinya keajaiban tante Linda sudah berhenti di Open Season :')
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol
salene27's review against another edition
4.0
Really fun and fast read. Linda Howard has a special way of making any topic fun and readable.
smmoe1997's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book, don't know why I put off reading it for so long. In some ways it reminded me of Ms. Howard's Blair Mallory series, although not told from a first person perspective. A quick fun read.
tasha_fullybooked's review against another edition
5.0
Jaclyn is a wedding planner and her most difficult client is found dead right after she has an altercation with her. The detective that shows up on her doorstep to work the case is none other than the hot detective she spent a very steamy night with the night before the murder. This devastates Jaclyn because she thinks Det. Eric Wilder believes she’s a murderer.
Eric knows that Jaclyn Wilde is innocent, but he also knows that because of his intimate knowledge of her he has to look at her harder than any other suspect.
Veil of Night started out on point from page one. There was no great lag in the beginning of the story before getting to the point of the story. Linda Howard provided lots of details of the weddings Jaclyn and her mother planned, that it gave the feel of just that being a story in and of itself.
I loved the chemistry between Jaclyn and Eric, but more than that I enjoyed them as characters standing alone. I immediately liked them both.
I never have any complaints when it comes to a Linda Howard novel and this one is no different. Watching the scenes unfold in her novels is like watching a great movie. This is definitely one to keep and read and re-read.
Eric knows that Jaclyn Wilde is innocent, but he also knows that because of his intimate knowledge of her he has to look at her harder than any other suspect.
Veil of Night started out on point from page one. There was no great lag in the beginning of the story before getting to the point of the story. Linda Howard provided lots of details of the weddings Jaclyn and her mother planned, that it gave the feel of just that being a story in and of itself.
I loved the chemistry between Jaclyn and Eric, but more than that I enjoyed them as characters standing alone. I immediately liked them both.
I never have any complaints when it comes to a Linda Howard novel and this one is no different. Watching the scenes unfold in her novels is like watching a great movie. This is definitely one to keep and read and re-read.
sblyon's review against another edition
4.0
3.75⭐️ Veil of Night was an unexpectedly fun, intense, and entertaining story. There was good banter, enough suspense and intrigue to keep you entertained, and a sprinkle of spice to keep to add some intrigue.
mees_grows's review against another edition
3.0
Fairly interesting and kept my attention for the day or so that it took to finish it. Quick read without a lot of thinking.
brandiwyne4018's review against another edition
3.0
By far, the best (or worst) Bridezilla ever. Jaclyn Wilde is a Atlanta events planner who has the worst client in history and on top of that, she has an unpaid parking ticket. Her day gets slightly better when she runs into Dective Eric Wilder coming out of an elevator...[insert interesting dialouge, sex, and murder investigation].
So, I liked this book. A lot. The dialouge was awesome and so were the characters, especially those involved in the Hee Haw Hell wedding. But the whole murder investigation? WTH? Did I miss something because I'm not sure how Eric was able to come up witha murder suspect and the murderer never gave a reason why he/she did it. I'm confused.
The book was still quite entertaining but it was like reading a Silhouette Desire novel in hardback form. It just wasn't as well developed as you could excpect fom Linda Howard but it's worth reading. Just knowing that someone silenced that bitchy bride, Carrie was enough to make it all worth it.
So, I liked this book. A lot. The dialouge was awesome and so were the characters, especially those involved in the Hee Haw Hell wedding. But the whole murder investigation? WTH? Did I miss something because I'm not sure how Eric was able to come up witha murder suspect and the murderer never gave a reason why he/she did it. I'm confused.
The book was still quite entertaining but it was like reading a Silhouette Desire novel in hardback form. It just wasn't as well developed as you could excpect fom Linda Howard but it's worth reading. Just knowing that someone silenced that bitchy bride, Carrie was enough to make it all worth it.
stephs_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome book! A wonderful and quick read that made me laugh