Customer Reviews

Night Watch (Tall, Dark & Dangerous, Book 11)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Girls, if you're the saving type - you know, stray kittens, kicked puppies, men with low self-esteem so afraid of their emotions that they choose not to feel them - then Wes Skelly is the hero for you! He's so emotionally closed down that he only allows himself to feel much of anything when he's drunk (not a pretty sight!). This guy's going to need the mother of all savers!

And Brittany Evans is a saver if ever there was one! A woman who adopted a thirteen-year-old "juvie" to save him from foster care (he's now nineteen and a baseball prodigy) she's also a nurse and a very nurturing sort. But she's not nauseatingly sweet or annoyingly good. She's smart, sassy and on occasion a smart aleck and I liked her a lot. She fully recognizes her weakness for guys like Wes and so she tries to keep things light and casual when they are set up on a blind date. A sweet friendship results and it is clear that these are two people that truly like each other. All's well until she tries to help this intense emotional cripple to see the good and the positive in himself. Well she's really got her work cut out for her as we hear all about (she's a "talk it out" kinda gal) every issue Wes has: low self-esteem, height sensitivity, the death of a sibling, a cold, distant father, his possible drinking problem and his unrequited love for the wife of a friend. Phew! This guy either needs some serious therapy or an abundance of friendship and support from the most patient, understanding woman in the world! Lucky for him he meets Britt.

Don't get me wrong, I did like this story. But if you've got little patience for this particular brand of tortured hero, consider yourself warned. I'm a bit of a sucker for them myself on occasion, even though at times his problems seemed over the top. But Wes is a very likeable guy and worth the effort, though it seems Britt is doomed to a life of reassuring him (it seems she wouldn't have it any other way). And though I like Britt's character, we find out little about her other than what I've described above, that she's a great mom, that she's divorced from a guy who cheated on her and that she's jealous of Lana, Wes's unrequited love. Contrasted with the mountain of stuff we learn about Wes, she seems a bit short-changed (a chronic problem of almost all Brockmann heroines). But their friendship is sweet and their passion is hot! The background story of Lana's TV star sister's stalker, mainly serves to provide the expected, exciting SEAL Team Ten climax of the story.

If you are a fan of the Tall Dark & Dangerous series, I think you'll like this book. It's a quick and enjoyable read and it pretty much wraps up all the guys from Alpha Squad, though we are briefly introduced to "the new guy" Rio Rosetti. Could book 12 be in the works? A recommended read!

This is a super addition to Suzanne Brockmann's Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series and here's hoping it won't be the last! I'd miss this series too much!
What a beautiful story! Navy Seal Wesley Skelly has got to be my favorite and I loved all heroes of TDD! It's been a long time time since a story has made me cry, but this one did! I just finished and then started reading it again.
Brittany Evans is the best heroine I've come across in stories! She and Wes are pefect together!
Quick plot- Wes and Brit are set up on a date by her sister and his fellow Alpha Squad teammate(husband and wife)Melody and Cowboy Jones(TDD story- Everyday, Average Jones). Neither expects much to come of it, and are they both in for a shock when they discover how much of a match they really are! They are both falling hard for each other and don't say it but can't stop feeling all of the effects! Wow! Brit gets Wes to finally open up about the tragedy in his family's past and I swear Ms. Brockkmann's got a gift! I cried as I read it. Wow!
And I love how this couple fell in love. It was really sweet and very romantic! Great love scenes!
Ladies, Wes will just steal your heart and you'll cheer for this couple. I know I did!
I LOVED this one!! I could read it tons of times! It just made me go back and get out the other books of TDD and read them again, too!I can't wait for the next book in the series! Bravo, Ms. Brockmann!

I've been reading Suzanne Brockmann for a while now, and I think she does the humor thing well (but not as well as Jennifer Crusie), the sex thing in a way that's really quite extremely very (I can't think of another intensifier, but you get the idea) hot, and that usually doesn't make me cringe (sorry, I start laughing when sensitive things get laved and suckled), and the testosterone-blessed alpha-male thing like nobody else, but this is her first book that I don't have ANY quibbles with. And I really fell for Wes--maybe because he WASN'T tall, dark and handsome, he was short, fair, and his face was "...a face. Not stunningly handsome...but not Frankenstein's monster, either." When the two of them begin feeling the attraction, they start describing each other as beautiful/handsome, but this feels quite appropriate. The inner dialogue of both characters seems very authentic, and the conversations always read very smoothly--none of the jarring turns of phrase that can take you right out of a storyline. And it was a compelling story, because they were easy characters to care about. Only after reading it again did I start having any 'wait a minute' moments--like, why did Wes bring along a dress uniform to LA in the first place? How can he reach into his pocket for his wallet and the condom in it when...maybe this one should be left to the imagination. But I couldn't really even call those quibbles, I just had to admire how smoothly such details were slipped by me the first time. In fact, I just had to admire it by rereading it over and over again.

Where to start? In my home, there is a box made to spec/acid free, etc. In it are all the best Suzanne Brockmann books - and into it this one will go! Chief Wes Skelly, who was a minor SEAL character as I recall, is on a short leave. Man, these guys do more with a two-week leave.... Wes has been in love - secretly, of course - with a fellow SEAL's wife, Lana Quinn. Now it gets kind of convoluted here so bear with me. There are members of my immediate family who are or were SEALs. They are as tight as Ms. Brockmann portrays, so familiar names crop up in each new TD&D. We met Brittany Evans, Britt for short, in Brockmann's Everyday, Average Jones. She is the sister of the premier romance heroine, Melody Evans, of that particular gem. Britt is a self-sufficient single mom of an adopted troubled teen, a nurse - Britt is the independent one of the sisters. But Melody knows her sister's deepest desire; to have a happily-ever-after with kids that she raises from babies. So little sister and SEAL hubby Cowboy Jones conspire with Wes Skelly's swim buddy/best friend Bobby Taylor (who had just married Wes's sister Colleen - convoluted) in setting up Wes & Britt on a blind date. Now if you're not confused here you're either a devoted Brockmann fan or haven't read this carefully! During the blind date the couple set up the ground rules. I just loved how they vehemently agreed that they were to simply meet and tell all their meddling family members they had. But as circumstances will out with this series, Wes & Britt kind of drifted into a closer friendship while he was in L.A. to help his 'unrequited' love, Lana Quinn's famous actress sister. He sure seemed to spend a lot more time with Britt than he did working on the famous sister's security problems. Wes shows his rather mouthy sense of humor, to which Britt tosses zingers right back. That's it! These guys are funny and have all the thoughts and feelings you will recall from your own romantic experiences. The story is very real; Wes, Britt & her son Andy have become some of my favorite, memorable Brockmann characters. It's a keeper, a one-nighter, an outright laugher. The one where you don't care who is in the room looking at you like you're nuts, you just belly-laugh. I'm not talking any more about the Lana-or-Britt scenario, that's a resolution you'll have to read yourself, after you order this book immediately.

I'll start by saying this is the story of SEAL member Wes Skelly and his relationship with Brittney Evans, another SEAL-mates sister-in-law. It starts as a blind date and progresses through their relationship. One of the other reviewers sums up the whole plot so I'll skip that part and delve into why I loved the book.

First, I absolutely fell for Wes. He has problems, like the rest of us, and is trying to deal with them. I loved the way he felt comfortable enough to open up to Brittney about his fears and problems. Brockman gave these characters such emotions it was almost like they were real. Like the time that Wes confessed to Brittney that he thought he was an alcoholic and that the only time he thought he could say his feelings was when he was drunk.

Second, I really liked Brittney. She was funny, sensitive and mature. This was a surprise, since I had been having problems liking the heroines of Brockman's most recent books, which I found very annoying. Brittney was different. She wasn't stuck on why her and Wes should not be together. She had small insecurities but nothing overwhelming.

I have been reading all of Brockmans "Tall, Dark and Dangerous" books and this has to be the best one yet. I even liked it more that the first one "Prince Joe" and thats saying alot.

Wes Skelly and Brittany Evans both agreed to a blind date after much pestering by their well-meaning relatives. They both thought they could have this one date and be done with it. Neither was counting on this red-hot attraction. Wes has been a favorite of mine in the Team Ten series and its great to see him have his own story. Wes has a lot of personal issues to work through but none of them scare Brittany away from him. Brittany is the perfect match for Wes. Instead of letting Wes stay at a hotel while he is in town, Brittany offers Wes her couch, this adds to the sexual tension between them. It was wonderful watching their story unfold. Night Watch has laughter, tears, suspense and sizzle, everything you want in a Suzanne Brockmann book.

More like 3.5 stars

Wes Skelly is a Navy SEAL on leave in LA. He is there for two reasons. 1) He has gone to LA at the request of a good friend, Lana Quinn. Her sister is a big time actress who has a stalker. Lana has asked Wes to go and help her sister set up security for her home and 2) Wes himself is set up on a blind date with Brittany Evans, the sister-in-law of one of his SEAL buddies.

When Britt and Wes meet they hit it off as great friends. Brittany is pretty sure they are aren't suited and is pretty frank about it. Wes is pretty sure they aren't suited because he's been nursing a years-long unrequited love for Lana, who is married to yet another SEAL. Brittany is aware of Wes' love for Lana and is sympathetic and offers him lots of good advice.

But in the meantime they spend a lot of time together until they begin to become sexually interested in each other and give into the inevitable. And then Brittany does the unthinkable, she falls in love with an emotionally unavailable guy.

I liked how SB handled the two main conflicts of the relationship. The biggest conflict, especially from Brittany's end, was Wes' love for Lana. She knew about it and still couldn't help herself. This made for some nicely nuanced romantic angst. The other conflict, mostly from Wes' end was his inability to allow himself to really connect with someone. He has major abandonment and guilt issues when it comes to people he loves because of the death of his younger brother.

The reader can tell he is falling in love with Brittany, but both of them are blind. Brittany because she believes he is so in love with Lana and Wes because he is in denial and still believes that Britt just thinks of him as a great guy.

I also thought SB gave wonderful texture to Wes' character, his height issues, how he uses crutches such as smoking and sometimes alcohol to allow himself to say what he wants or feel what he wants. He had so many inner pockets to his personality it made for a great, fascinating character.

Brittany was more straightforward. She was disarmingly honest and a straight shooter. One thing we'd never have to worry about with this character was some stupid misunderstanding. She tells it like she sees it and insists on honesty. I enjoyed the small subplot with her son and his girlfriend. It added absolutely nothing to the main plot but was a nice additive to the story to give Brittany's life a little depth.

Good book. Reminds me again what a natural storyteller SB is.

Carrying an unrequited torch for the wife of one of his teammates, short and stoic Navy SEAL Wes Skelly is on leave in LA and reluctantly agrees to a blind date with the sister-in-law a friend. He doesn't count on anything coming of it; after all he's in love with Lana. Single mom Brittany takes his breath away. They immediately have a rapport and he soon finds himself sharing far more with her than any other woman, including details about his love for Lana. Brittany is so different from any woman he's ever met - a total Earth mother, she adopted a troubled boy who was in and out of foster care. Lana's sister, Hollywood "It girl" Amber Tierney has an amorous fan on the brink of stalking; at Lana's request, Wes agrees to look into her security. Of course, Amber has eyes for Wes; Wes suddenly has eyes for Brittany; Brittany has eyes for Wes but thinks he is hopelessly devoted to Lana...

Brittany and Wes suddenly find themselves in close quarters and fighting their growing attraction to each other. When their relationship takes a physical turn, Brittany is just waiting for the floor to drop, and for him to leave her for Lana since the casual agreement they have is suddenly turning more permanent for her. Wes is not sure of his feelings for Brit, but when her safety is in question, all his years of building walls come tumbling down.

Brockmann's 11th in the TDD series has a great tortured duo with so much chemistry dripping off the page you cannot help but hope for a happily ever after. Her heroine is not a wallflower that waits on the sidelines. The only complaint I had was the dialogue was a bit juvenile for two 30-something adults. Like I'm not like sure they'd like talk like that. Despite the dialogue and the constant mentions of Wes's stature, I really liked the story and found myself engaged to the very end.

One of my favorites in the series. Some in the series have had some real corny scenes but this one didn't. The main characters got along great and there was some good rapport between them. If you like the series then you will also like this one.

Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann
Silhouette Intimate Moments # 1243 - September 2003

Wes has been in love with a married woman for the past five years. He can't seem to get her out of his system. So when she asks a favour he can't refuse and he agrees to help her sister while he's in LA on leave. Also while he's there he agrees to go on a blind date with team mates sister-in-law. Brittany can't believe she's agreed to this blind date with a SEAL. But surprisingly Wes and Brit hit it off in spades. Wes is amazed that someone like Brit can actually like him. For years he's been battling guilt and honestly believed he was unworthy of someone of Brit's caliber. Slowly as Wes and Brit get to know one another, Wes learns that he's been fooling himself about that married woman, and that Brit has alot to offer him.

It's wonderful to see how Wes evolves. Brittany forces him to deal with past losses and teaches him how to move forward with joy. This is a very touching story and a fitting finale to the series.

There's not a weak story in the 11 book series. Each book can stand on it's own, but I urge those wanting to read them, to read them in order. Each hero is strong but with a true heart. The heroines are loving women who aren't afraid to fight for what they want and believe in. Bravo to Ms. Brockmann! Her awards for her writing excellence are with out a doubt well earned. I'm going to miss these remarkable men of SEAL Team Ten and the remarkable women who love them.