YOURS FOR THE NIGHT – Samantha Hunter
The Berringers
Harlequin Blaze #720
ISBN: 978-0-373-79724-0
November 2012
Series Romance

San Francisco, California - Present Day

Widower Garrett Berringer is in San Francisco to attend a friend's wedding.  It's the first vacation he's taken from the security company, Berringer Bodyguards, owned by him and his brothers.  It's the first time he's taken time away from business at all since the death of his wife, and he's not sure it's such a good idea.  It's been years since he has been in the City and Garrett is not sure how he'll fill his entire vacation once the wedding festivities are over.  The last minute illness of one of the groomsmen has Garrett filling in for the wedding party.

Jewelry salesperson for her family's store, Jarvis Jewels, by day, and private eye by night, Tiffany Walker doesn't have time to be in a wedding.  If she could just get her P.I. business off the ground she could quit working at the store, not that she minds helping her parents, and the paycheck comes in handy, but it's just not what she wants to do with her life.  Rushing from the store to a seedy hotel across town to get a picture of a cheating husband, Tiffany worries she is going to be late for the rehearsal dinner for her friend Isabel's wedding.  Discouraged when she cannot get a clear shot of the woman in the room, she leaves the stakeout and heads for the rehearsal dinner.  Tiffany is not looking forward to the wedding, since she is paired up with the bride's younger brother with wandering hands.  Tiffany is pleasantly surprised when she learns the wandering hands brother has been replaced by Garret Berringer.  And though Tiffany has sworn off men, she might just have to make an exception for a wedding weekend fling.

Garrett's enthusiasm for the wedding goes up a lot when he meets the woman he will be escorting. Tiffany is beautiful, fun, and sinfully hot.  For the first time since his wife's death, Garrett feels his libido kick into over drive.

Garrett and Tiffany hook-up for the wedding weekend, both sure this will be an enjoyable fling, and when the weekend is over they will go their separate ways.  But the more time they spend together, the more time they want to spend together.  But Tiffany has a secret, her activities as a private eye, and Garrett is a man not willing to let a woman go into danger alone.  When Jarvis Jewels is robbed and it appears it is part of a string of robberies in the Bay Area, Tiffany is determined to find clues to help catch the crooks.  Garrett is just as determined to keep Tiffany safe.  As they investigate the robberies, and the relationship between them heats up, each wonders if what they have can be more than just a simple fling.

YOURS FOR THE NIGHT combines red-hot passion and mystery into a well written, fast paced, and highly enjoyable read.  Garrett is a man who buried his heart with his wife, and it's hard for him to let go of the past and fully embrace his feelings for Tiffany.  Tiffany is a woman who was burned in the past and has a bad habit of leaping before looking, and she works hard at keeping Garrett in the box of “just a fling.”  While Tiffany sometimes acts rashly, her intentions are always good; unfortunately the results are not always what she expects.  Garrett is used to being in charge, and it is hard for him to step back and let Tiffany do what she needs to do to prove to herself that becoming a P.I. is not just another career mistake in a long line of them.

Lively dialogue and well defined and likable characters draw the reader in.  The mystery is well executed, though it is only a small part of the story, as the relationship between Tiffany and Garrett is the focus.  Secondary characters play only a small role in the book, and other than the “villain” none really stands out.

This is the second book in the Berringer series, the first book MINE UNTIL MORNING was released in 2011.  Book three will be released in December (HERS FOR THE HOLIDAY), and book four will be out in January 2013.  I highly recommend the entertaining YOURS FOR THE NIGHT, and look forward to the next two books in the series.

YOURS FOR THE NIGHT is a Harlequin Blaze Special Edition and includes VIRTUALLY YOURS by Samantha Hunter.  This book is not related to the Berringer series but I have to say I loved it!  It's a story of a relationship that begins on the internet and becomes a real life romance.  I love the characters; I loved the story, and the suspense element thrown in was an absolute treat.  So do get your copy of YOURS FOR THE NIGHT, and once you finish and are waiting for the next book to be released delve into VIRTUALLY YOURS; it's a virtual delight!

Terrie Figueroa