Review: One More Night With You by Lisa Marie Perry
One More Night with You by Lisa Marie Perry Published by Harlequin on March 1st 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Multicultural & Interracial, Romance
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
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Loving him is a dangerous job… Former DEA agent Josephine de la Peña loved Zaf Ahmadi once—and she's got the bullet scar to prove it. No wonder she holds a grudge against her hacker ex. But now, just as Joey's preparing for a new job with the Las Vegas Slayers, Zaf reappears, insisting she's in danger. The sexual pull between them is still as intense, and liable to hurt more than any gunshot. Even if Joey could forgive him for the botched drug bust that got her injured, Zaf can't forgive himself. Obsessively hunting for the criminals who killed his cousin warped his judgment. To protect Joey, he suggests he pose as her boyfriend. As long as he can keep emotional distance, he can keep her safe. Until the case presents him with a choice: pursue the vengeance he craves—or try to turn one smoldering night into so much more…
One thing that I love about my monthly Harlequin subscription is that I am constantly introduced to new authors. No better example than my February box that had three books by authors I hadn’t read; including Lisa Marie Perry.
One More Night With You is the last installment of The Blue Dynasty and follows former DEA agent Josephine de la Pena (aka Joey) and Zaf Ahmadi. These two had loved once before but it seems that love may have been based on a lie. The bullet in her abdomen and her new constant companion, a cane, are proof of that. As she’s about to take on a new job with the Las Vegas Slayers football team, Zaf resurfaces with the news that she may be in danger. She doesn’t want to believe him. However, an old case comes back to haunt her and she realizes that he is telling her the truth, at least in regards to her safety. He promises to protect her at all costs, even if that means being closer than they have been in years.
The love is still there even though they both initially tried their best to hide it. Zaf is indeed a very rugged and attractive man so it’s hard to deny an attraction to him. While Joey has a tough persona in public, to her friends and family, she has a heart of gold. She’s everything Zaf has ever wanted and needed. This time around if they let themselves fall again and they’re not careful, a bullet wound won’t be the only injury.
One of the main reasons for the lies that tainted their past is the fact that Zaf has been hellbent on revenge for a number of years. When he reunites with Joey, he tells her that he’s let go of that bloodthirst. However, in the midst of protecting Joey, he’s faced with a tough choice. He didn’t let go of his need for revenge and he’s presented with what may be his only opportunity to avenge his loved one’s death. Is he willing to leave the love of his life seemingly unprotected while danger is lurking to do so?
I like a good romantic suspense so when I read the back cover I was intrigued. However, my main issue with this novel was that everything was wrapped up so quickly. Joey was in real danger and when the threat finally came to make his final play, it all happened in seemingly less than five minutes. The whole premise of this book was that Zaf was coming back to protect her from this enemy. When she was in real danger, Zaf wasn’t there and she was able to take care of the problem without any real mishap. If books are going to advertise danger in its premise, I need the danger to be on par with the romance or else I don’t want it.
Speaking of things being wrapped up quickly; Zaf didn’t really have to fight for Joey’s forgiveness in my opinion. He went undercover, injured her, came back into her life and she realized she was still in love with him almost instantly. Where was the groveling, and the reassurance that Zaf was finally done looking for revenge? He comes back, you take him in your arms, and all is well again? I wasn’t a fan of that scenario. Yes, you shouldn’t hold grudges and there is true power in forgiveness but he had a lot of things that he needed to make amends for.
In the end, One More Night With You by Lisa Marie Perry is a solid book. While it is a part of The Blue Dynasty series, it isn’t necessary to read the previous books as I was able to catch on pretty quickly. However, if you have the time to read those beforehand, I would recommend doing so.
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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