{review} Against The Night by Kat Martin

 "Johnnie Riggs was a night owl.  Tonight he sat at a table at the Kitty Cat Club on Sunset Boulevard, watching a little blonde pole dancer with the hottest body he'd ever seen and trying like hell not to get an erection.  "

Any book that mentions erection in the second sentence of the book is probably going to be my kind of escape. Against the Nightby Kat Martin was a random pick, but one of the best books I've read in it's genre in a long time.

I devoured this book.  I needed this book.  I needed Johnnie.  Tall, dark, gruff, brooding, straight forward, ex-Ranger Johnnie.  I needed a girl like Amy - sweet, and realistically innocent.  I needed their opposites attract dynamic. 

Amy's a kindegarten teacher, fresh on the L.A exotic dancer scene from small town Michigan.  She's trying to track down her stripper sister, who vanished two months ago.  While dancing at the Kitty Cat Club and trying to find some leads, she runs into Johnnie - ex Ranger turned Private Investigator. 

The heat between them is electrifying from the get go, even though there's no actual sex until later.  Their attraction was so well written, I was lost in the pages instantly, barely coming up for air. 

A lot of romances aren't very realistic, and although a few of the events or details in this book follow the same un-realistic formula, I cared so little that I can't even remember what they are now.  I'm smitten with everything about this book - the characters, the attraction, the slight suspense, the writing.   This is one of the later books in the Raines of Wind Canyon series, but I never felt like I was missing anything, and have no problems classifying Against the Night as a great stand alone read.  However, I will be promptly marking the first books in the series high on my TBR pile!

 This is what romance novels are supposed to be - perfect.

P.S  I remember one of the things that did irk me - babies.  Every woman in every romance novel wants babies, and this story is no exception.  I understand it.  I do.  But just once, I'm sure my other Child Free by Choice chickas would like to see a woman FREAK OUT when condoms in the story are forgotten because no way no hell is she gonna be a mamma.  Just a suggestion.