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In the Thrill of the Night served as my introduction to Candice Hern. If her other books are anything like this one, I would read her again in a heartbeat. This book is full of great characters, wit, and a romantic plot that kept me smiling all afternoon.
Five women, all of them widowed, have formed a tight group, one devoted to support, friendship, and--finding lovers? The women believe they don't want to marry again, and when one among them teases them with the idea of taking a lover simply for the pleasure of it, the others cannot resist.
Marianne Nesbitt loved her late husband David, but it was a passionless marriage. She has never known the love the other Merry Widows have and she longs for it. She has an honest (and delightful) friendship with David's best friend, Adam, and asks him how to go about taking a lover. She would ask him to be her lover, but Adam is recently betrothed, and she will not ask him to break that vow.
Adam never suspected David's proper wife capable of thinking such thoughts--how can she seek a lover, and why isn't he free to be with her? While claiming to be watching out for her as he promised David, Adam thwarts Marianne's attempts at courting the ton's eligible men.
Marianne and Adam are a fun pair, and I loved that they had a strong friendship prior to the romance which develops. Marianne's friendship with her fellow widows is likewise a pleasure; it's wonderful to read about women supporting and trusting each other, sharing their deepest thoughts.
I almost wish the book had been a little longer to encompass the final hurdle for Marianne and Adam which occurs on page 272 (out of 284). But other than that very slight nitpick, In the Thrill of the Night is a pure delight. I look forward to reading the forthcoming two books which will complete the series.
