After The Night

By Linda Howard

FAITH DEVILIN: A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard...not to feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel.

GRAY ROUILLARD: Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott -- and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To care for her was impossible, unthinkable...because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781471105319

Linda Howard

Linda S. Howington is a bestselling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. She has written many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 was awarded their Career Achievement Award. Linda lives in Gadsden, Alabama, with her husband and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.

Reviews for After The Night

[myab-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When reading the back cover of the book I didn't really think it would be as good as it was. Even when after reading past the first few events I didn't think I could respect the leading man... but it all worked out well and enjoyed the story. There were a few cheesy lines... but other than that Howard knows how to weave a good tale.

[kaetrin_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I tried, I really did but I didn't like the story. I don't think I loved it all that much when I read it - this is the sort of family saga story which I don't usually like - I'd put it in the same category as Shades of Twilight, also by LH or Honey Moon and Hot Shot by SEP - they're just not my favourite thing and I have so much good stuff to listen to, I just couldn't force myself to continue. I don't think its very likely I'll get back to this one. The narrator was fine, it was the story that I wasn't enjoying.

[dawn772 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This romantic suspense had an intense beginning but I didn't care for the main characters. I didn't believe the hero's transition into a good guy or why the heroine would put herself in a position with so much animosity. I did finish but I skimmed a lot. Rich Gray threw poor Faith and family out of their home after his father ran away with her mother.

[blingtastic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

couldn't put it down, involved everything i love about modern romance--struggles, the pain of the past, vivid descriptions, family loyalties, gritty and sexy. Howards best book. will re-read

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After the Night
4 Stars

12 years ago, Faith Devlin’s mother and Gray Rouillard’s father disappeared together. Struggling to make a way for herself, Faith overcomes the poverty and social censure of her childhood to become a successful business woman. When a disturbing fact about her mother comes to light, Faith returns home to the rural town of Prescott, Louisiana to face the demons of her past and the anger of the only man she has ever loved, Gray Rouillard. Can Gray and Faith overcome the obstacles and find common ground together?

Many reviewers have focused on Gray’s cruel and abusive treatment of Faith and as someone particularly sensitive to this type of hero, I had prepared myself for the worst. Surprisingly, I found myself not only disagreeing with these reviewers’ assessments, but actually sympathizing with Gray’s perspective. Howard is very skilled at presenting his point of view and given the circumstances surrounding his father’s betrayal, Gray’s reaction is definitely understandable if not quite acceptable.

Faith is a charming heroine and her spirit and strength of character comes to the fore as the story progresses. Unlike those readers who disliked Faith for her tendency toward forgiving Gray’s attitude and behavior, to me, she has tremendous backbone and stands her ground with him over and over despite her feelings for him. She is tenacious and determined to prove herself both to Gray, the town and herself.

The mystery is secondary to the romance and the villain and motivation are very obvious as there are only one or two plausible suspects. Nevertheless, there are some exciting scenes and the resolution is satisfying.

In sum, a fantastic read from an author who is rapidly becoming a favorite of mine. She sure knows how to write a steamy sex scene :0)

[cranberrytarts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that guts me every time I read it. Faith is such a strong heroine, she really pulls the book together. Gray can be a complete jerk, but I end up loving him every single time I re-read this.

The night Faith gets thrown out of her house just slays me. I always end up in tears reading that scene. This is such a powerful story. One of Howard's best.

[lina_em · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HOT! gray is the southern man you wish you never laid eyes on because he will sweep you off.

[utoeid1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great plot, great characters, great sex scenes.Loved Gray Rouillard and Faith Devlin

[vivferro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

loved guy and faith excellent book re-readable

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Faith Devlin will never forget the night Gray Rouillard ordered her family thrown out of their home. The scandal - her mother's carrying on with his father, and the pair's mysterious disappearance - looms large in small town of Prescott, Louisiana, even years later. Especially now that Faith's returned, apparently determined to stir up old trouble and Gray wants her gone. But she's stirring something in Gray, as well, and he's determined to have her before he runs her out of town. Sultry southern heat, a strong heroine, an alpha male, and an old mystery - a good read.

[Mubu M · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A pleasant surprise of a book. I didn't know what to expect with each page but I enjoyed it all.

[Mariam 88 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it so much ??? it was very good ??

[cmlloyd67 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

After you read enough of these contemporary romances, you begin to understand why 50 Shades of Grey has done as well as it has. I've come to the conclusion that there aren't any well written contemporary romance novels available on the Kindle. 50 Shades is actually the best of the bunch - sad, but true.

This book was poorly written. The story in of itself is not bad, it was actually interesting. But the execution was amateurish to say the least. Poor grammatical structure in places, various misspellings and typos. It is possible this is due to the electronic code transfer, but in some cases the prose was so shoddy and poorly constructed, that I think it was the writer.

Sex Scenes? Unintentionally funny in places and jarring in others. Odd blend of hyperbole and reality.

Characterization? Under-developed. And disappointing. So much wasted potential. The sister, Monica, and the mother, Noelle are annoying and never get past standard southern gothic cliche. Too much time is spent repeating the UST between the hero and heroine. And the hero more often than not comes across as a jerk. His actions make little sense and seem to come out of nowhere.

I don't understand how this got published. Is it the genre? Are publishers just more forgiving of blatant grammatical errors and structural errors in the romance genre than in other genres? If so, no wonder the contemporary romance genre gets such a bad rap.