Night Shield, by Nora Roberts

Night Shield, is an add-on to Nora Roberts' Night Tale series. It features Allison, the daughter of Boyd and Cilla, from Night Shift, the first in the series.

Successful businessman Jonah Blackhawk owns a string of popular nightclubs. He knows that he wouldn't have survived his childhood spent on city streets without the intervention of Boyd Fletcher, the cop who refused to give up on him. When Boyd asks for Jonah's help in solving a series of high-ticket burglaries, Jonah can't refuse. What Jonah isn't prepared for is the detective assigned to the case. Strong-willed, blond, and beautiful, Detective Allison Fletcher is Boyd's daughter--she's also the woman who just might shatter Jonah's determination to remain heart-whole and single.

Undercover at the nightclub, Allison works closely with Jonah and it isn't long before the chemistry between them explodes. Given his past and the fact that she is Boyd's daughter, Jonah is convinced that he should leave her alone. But Allison has other plans--ones that propinquity and mutual passion are likely to bring to fruition if she and Jonah can only stay alive.

This was a book I wasn't expecting very much from, just a nice, pleasant story. I got that, but I also got a bit more zing than that. A B+.

Superficially, there's a resemblance to the In Death series... the tough cop heroine, the self-made, wealthy hero, with a history of dislike for cops. But beyond that, these are very different characters. Unlike Eve, Ally comes from a very loving family and has a very healthy self-esteem. She pretty much goes after Jonah herself and has no problem allowing people to come close to her. Jonah is a bit more similar to Roarke, but having Ally's father as a father figure is one difference.

Strangely enough, Roarke was much more confident when it came to what he had to offer to a woman. In spite of Boyd's influence, some part of Jonah believes he's not good enough for Ally. Actually, it's the fact that he owes so much to Boyd that makes him resist getting involved with Ally, believing someone of his background has no business approaching someone like Ally. That tension was what made me enjoy the big scene showing what everyone from the previous books in the series was up to. Those scenes are usually a big yawn, but Jonah's nerves at facing Boyd and Boyd's reactions made it interesting.

The plot was pretty interesting, too. The thing abot the burglary ring was something a bit different from all those insane killers (though one of them ended up in there, after all), and I liked reading about Ally's undercover experiences at Jonah's club.

The Night Tales series so far is my favourite of Nora's Silhouette series, and Night Shield is a good end to it.