Customer Reviews

All Through the Night

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Since I believe the basics of the plot of this story are amply and efficiently covered by the reader reviews that precede this one, I won't attempt to go into another re-cap. What I do wish to contribute, however, is what struck me most about this darkly compelling and riveting tale; namely, that Ms. Brockway displays a writing style superior to anything else offered in this genre, something fine enough to withstand the power of time and "trends" in romantic literature. There is an artistic finesse and subtlety in the dialogue, which would indicate that the author credits her readers with a certain amount of sensibility and intelligence.

Brockway writes a true period piece - no machismo "Fabio" lords, no saucy-but-virginal maidens. Nobody is a street scamp who discovers he/she is a bluebooded, wealthy aristocrat by the end of the book. Jack and Anne are far more complex and multi-faceted. Jack is dark, driven, and sexy, yet always very controlled; meanwhile, he's in complete turmoil inside. Anne is quite likable, yet human, with an aching emotional void which she seeks to fill by her reckless behavior. The story is equal parts tenderly romantic and darkly sensual. The "scene" in which Jack requests to hear his Christian name on Anne's lips gave me goosebumps!

The secondary characters are refreshing, unique, and fascinating, rather than mere foils for hero and heroine.

In sum, a fine, full-bodied read which has probably ruined me against any others that will follow!

I have been experiencing a romance drought, in that none of the usual books can please me. Having taken to reading Lord Peter Wimsey and then Horatio Hornblower and the letters of Jane Austen simultaneously, I nevertheless picked up this book, on the recommendation of All About Romance.

This is an amazing book with very few missteps. Firstly, a warning. This is the story of two people with secrets, one with a double life, and with considerable emotional baggage. If you do not like books about troubled heroes and heroines, avoid this book. Secondly, the tone of the book is obsessive. Both hero and heroine are obsessed with each other, and at least one secondary character is obssessed with the hero. The hero has a reason to "stalk" the heroine, but if this theme and the overarching theme of obsession makes you uncomfortable, avoid this book. Lastly, this book contains some rather explicit scenes (definitely R rated) but the hero and heroine do not actually come together until relatively late in the book (and after they are married). If you like your bedroom scenes earlier and more conventional, again, this book should be avoided.

All right. Now to a quick review of the book. I cannot praise Brockway enough for coming up with these two memorable characters (to whom I can compare only David de Abyngdon in Hunter's BY ARRANGEMENT and Miss Milton in Kelly's MISS MILTON SPEAKS HER MIND, both reviewed by me). Both hero and heroine have murky backgrounds, exist on the edges of society while moving among the very elite, and possess dark secrets. Both are haunted by their past decisions and by the actions of others. The hero is Henry Seward, otherwise the Hound of Whitehall, a notably spy and intelligence officer. He is not noble, he is illegitimate, and the reputed son of a cold-hearted spymaster. The heroine Anne is the daughter of a merchant, who married a wealthy gentleman who became a war hero (of sorts) by dying in action, along with most of his crew. She has his rank, his money, her father's money, and the cachet of being a war hero's widow. Anne however is not free to spend her income as she wants, thanks to the tightfisted trustees who do not agree with her wishes. She wants to spend her late husband's wealth to aid wounded and impoverished soldiers and sailors returning from the Napoleonic Wars to a peace where they are not wanted. She tries to raise funds from the social elite, but promises of funds are not kept. Anne cannot expose the non-payers, because she is chaperoning her late husband's cousin who is of obscure if genteel birth. To do so would ruin young Sophia North. Anne, therefore, devises a method of getting the money from the deadbeats. How? Well, she becomes a master thief who steals jewels and money from the non-payers, and then from other aristocrats who can afford to lose their money and show no social conscience. With every theft, she becomes more and more reckless.

During one such theft, she is cornered by the Hound of Whitehall, aka Henry Seward, aka Jack. She manages her escape brilliantly, but leaves behing a man obsessed with catching her - firstly, because she has escaped from him, and secondly, because of the method of her escape. There is also a little promise that she had made him (under duress) and broken. Seward suspects that the master thief is a member of the social elite, and he knows the thief is a woman. So he obtains an introduction into the Prince Regent's circle, where he is looked down upon by most of the courtiers and hangers-on because of his birth and lack of wealth, but accepted because the Regent accepts him [think Brummell here]. In a series of confrontations between him and Anne, her secret is teased out by Jack and then guessed at (partially) by some others. Anne is in jeopardy, not just because of her thieving at a time when stealing a handkerchief was a serious crime, but also because she is believed to have stolen a mysterious government document.

The denouement is brilliant. A lot of surprising, and sometimes unpleasant secrets are revealed, showing up Jack's lifetime struggle with morality and ethics in a new light. [Clue: the secret lies in his birth and childhood in a Scottish orphanage, as well as in his name].

The real villains are not who you would guess. Sophia, Anne's ward, plays an ambiguous role turning from an ambitious if selfish young woman into something rather more complex (and not more likeable). At the end, we are not sure whether Jack and Anne will be able to live happily ever after, given the number of forces ranged against them. We must hope that they will have a Happily Ever After ending, bound by their love and mutual obsession, and their recognition of the emotional baggage that has so warped each of them for so long.

Some caveats: Anne's playing a companion (rather than a chaperone, the correct term) to a young relative of her late husband was not too well-explained. A companion was usually a lady without financial resources of her own. Otherwise, the period, with its political and social turmoil, was beautifully evoked - even if at times, the book sounded more Georgian (late 18th century) rather than late Regency.

Recommendation: Must read - if you like dark complex books with characters balanced between good and evil. I could not put this book down and read it (rapidly) in two hours.

After reading the review provided by Amazon books I felt compelled to submit my own review Connie Brockway's dark, riveting and utterly compelling romance ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT. Amazon must have received a proposal version of the synopsis for this book from Dell. Unfortunately that version isn't too similar to the final story. Yes, there's a female cat burglar and yes, there's a colonel committed to tracking her down, but there is no brother and while this book is filled Connie's trademark wit and fine crafted characters, it is worlds away from the light and humorous romp the Amazon review suggests.The hero, Jack Seward, one of England's most ruthless, remorseless and perfectly mannered agents, is set to on the trail of the Wrexhall Wraith whose is said to have stolen a letter potentially dangerous to the crown. In springing a trap on the masked thief he instead becomes entangled in a snare of sexual obsession when he discovers her gender and she escapes. While searching through the regency ton for clues to his thief's identity, he falls in love for the first time in his life with a haunted widow, Anne Wilder. Unknown to him, Anne Wilder is his thief, driven to flirt with death by her own past tragedies. And she, too, is held captive to the sexual magnetism that erupts between them.This is a fascinating and unique love story. Connie Brockway's regency world is unlike any you've experienced. It's a dark, intense, with riveting relationships, and rich, three-dimensional characterizations. In short, absolutely spellbinding

I have read all of Brockway's works up until the passionate series. This story is my favorite, though. I marvelled at the heroine and how she wasn't some perfect little miss. She was a widow and more than a little cynical. Her most endearing traits are traditionally bestowed upon romantic heroes. She was a jewel thief with an adrenallin addiction and a past. A past! She wasn't an eighteen year old chit, what a relief. This novel was more than a little salty, and much more wonderful for it's flavor. So many novels are sugar sweet and predictible. These characters were flawed and multi-dimensional, I truly felt the hero's pain over a decision he had made in his past. The secondary characters were just as wonderful, wonderfully complicated that is. Brockway is so exemplary because her stories alternate between sweetly funny and exciting and dangerous. If you have a taste for the exciting and sexy this is your book.

This is the first book by Connie Brockway that I have read. I am always searching for new authors to add to my collection of favorites. I really enjoyed this new author and book I found. It had an interesting plot line, not your usual main characters, lots of passion and desire and a bit of adventure to boot.

I liked that the heroine, Anne Wilder, was not your typical high ranking English miss with a title or wealthy family. She came from an average home and family with little means but, lots of heart (and quite the crafty father too). She fortunately had intelligence, wit, charm, beauty and a bit of mystery that other woman seemed to lack. So, Anne's fortune was herself, not what her family legacy brought to the table. I liked that Anne did not become a boring simpering miss after her husband died and her family was gone. Instead, she had a strong heart and sense of rightness and focused her life on helping those her husband had hurt during his poor captaining of a ship and assisting a house for those left blind, lame, ill or worse from her husband's mistakes. Those in the ton who did not come through with financial gifts as they said they would, became the victim of Anne's midnight thievery. She was a bit of a female Robin Hood if you will. She stole from the rich and gave to the poor (but, only when the rich recanted gifts they promised). Anne had a dangerous streak which was appealing for a woman and enjoyed her dual roles as lady in waiting during the day and then midnight thief of the ton at night.

Our hero Colonel Jack was equally interesting as the main leading man. He had a background in the gutters and workhouses of England and survived by his wit and brains. He took opportunities as they arose as he knew to deny them would mean death. Thus, Jack met his "father" by chance as a child and he benefited during his adult life from this man who took him in but, it was at great cost to Jack. He learned to be tough, emotionless, cold, and distant on all of his spying and networking campaigns as payment for being selected to live by this man. Life on the streets and then being raised by a devious and evil man made Jack into who he was in later life - dark, mysterious, a bit haunted and out of reach to most men and women. Jack could have been an awful hero from his past but, beneath his rock hard exterior there lurked still some gentleness, some tenderness and some possibility for love. These things might still be discovered with the help of the right woman - or women (lady in waiting/thief) in this book. He was solid and you as the reader never gave up on him.

Complete love scenes in this story were limited but, appealing when they did show up. Most of the book was a lot of sexual teasing and temptation and anticipation and that's not a bad thing - such as watching each other, dreaming of each other, kissing, touching, tormenting each other, etc. Sometimes it was Jack being stretched on the rack of desire, other times Anne and then sometimes both of them. Their coming together did not occur until late in the story and that worked just fine. All their attraction and dangerous situations provided intensity and emotion and that filled in for any missing coupling. I actually enjoy immensely books like this that show that attraction between two people is more than the final act. Instead, the desire that builds beforehand can be earth shattering in itself. This author took that to heart and it worked well in this book. It was sexy and hot and very interesting.

Many of the secondary characters in this book were appealing, even if they weren't the "good guys" - such as Jack's father "Jamison", Jack's valet Griffin, Jack's fellow spy Strand (who you were never sure until the end if he was enemy or foe), Lady Dibbs, Sophia and others on Anne's side. These characters added depth and interest to an already interesting story. I almost wish for a story on Strand as he was very intriguing for a secondary character and he seemed to deserve his own story and not end up with Sophia - she seemed wrong for him.

If you have not selected this author yet, I recommend you do. She is very talented with the pen and wove a wonderful story with memorable characters. I almost wished the book was longer so, that you could see what happens as the two finally made real lives for themselves in a new place to avoid old enemies and evil. It would have been interesting to see Jack have a normal life finally, Anne to be his partner and secure in his love and any children they might have one day. At least they had the decency to bring the cat at the end (I'm a cat lover and didn't want her left behind!).

No matter what, this was a great read. Pick it up, read it and definitely enjoy it.

Reading a book by Connie Brockway is always a treat (although not easy since English is not my mother tongue and she is the ONLY author where I actually need my dictionary at hand!...). She is so good in creating complex and therefore perfectly understandable characters (this includes the supporting cast) plus a great story. The only problem I had with this book was, that I was wishing there had been much much more of Jack and Anne, I didnt want the book to end.

Contrary to AS YOU DESIRE (which is also a good book, although I liked ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT more) this is no light read. It is very dark and there is a lot of emotion involved. I actually got scared during one scene involving a chimney. The first half of the story I thought, if that was a common thriller and not romance one or both characters would be dead at the end  no chance for a Happy Ending, never. It was such a mess and the situation so desperate that I kept reading faster and faster to find out how Ms Brockway manages to solve it. I am happy to report that she did it very well and to my satisfaction (which is not easy). See for yourself, you won't regret meeting Jack and Anne.

Connie Brockway's rich and evocative vocabulary, together with her equally rich and complex characters, is again evident here. Like all her novels, All Through the Night is a joy to read, all the more so because of the amazing smoldering sensuality between main characters Anne and Jack. My only complaint is that some of Anne's actions don't ring true, leading to some plot contrivances. However, I still highly recommend the thrilling rollercoaster ride the book sweeps the reader into.

Better than average read. She is a lady by day tormented by the mental scars left by dead husband, by night a cat burgular, stealing from the Tons richest people. He is the man sent to catch her.

I liked her well drawn characters that make you care about what is going on. Had a hard time putting this one down.

This is a wonderful book. So many romances are poorly written, poorly plotted, and poorly imagined. (I have thrown more than few against the wall mid way through the first couple of chapters.) If you want an intelligent, romantic read this is the book for you. I have enjoyed all Ms. Brockway's work, but this book, "My Dearest Enemy," "Anything for Love," and "As You Desire" rank amongst the best of romantic fiction. I know from Ms. Brockway's web site that she reads these reviews, so I have one question: "When will you write Gile's story?"

All Through the Night is an engrossing read. Jack is a compelling hero: dark, dangerous, deadly, and a perfect gentleman. Anne is a tortured heroine: smart, lovely, guilt-ridden, and hiding a shocking alter-ego. Jack is wonderful in his early openly admitted need for her. Anne, knowing more than he does, is more reticent. In fact, she eventually hurts him on purpose to push him away. In fear and anger, they each resort to using sex as a weapon--one of the dark portions of this book--but in the end, they come to terms with the dangerous, dark world of their pasts and leave it behind for a new world of light and love.

Brockway's writing is at times poetic as she decribes scenes and characters, particularly where Jack is concerned. The shadows of London are superbly portrayed and offer an interesting juxtaposition to the glowing entertainments of the ton. Exceptionally well-written.