In the Thrill of the Night

by Candice Hern

Book Overview

An award-winning author kicks off a new series featuring the Merry Widows, a secret society of respectable ladies with some scandalous ideas. A delicious and irresistible concoction, one part simple friendships, one part wicked delights, and all parts wonderful '--Connie Brockway. Original.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451217845
• ISBN13: 9780451217844
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 295 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Merry Widows - INDEED!!!

IN THE THRILL OF THE NIGHT you will find the most deliciously sublime romance that will leave you with an afterglow, long after the last page is turned. Ms. Hern has concocted a lovely tale full of lively secondary characters as well as the perfectly matched duo of Marianne and Adam. The basis of this tale was five widowed friends pledging a pact to support each other in not letting family railroad them back into marriage. It was taken one step further when one very satisfied widow proposed that each consider taking a lover - just for pure physical pleasure of it! Marianne, who had been deeply in love with her husband David, was, after listening to the descriptive confessions of what physical pleasure could be, feeling that just possibly she'd been missing something in her marriage. Enlisting the aid of her and her husband's best friend Adam, she asked that he be her guide in finding a suitable candidate for a lover. Her timing could not have been worse, for Adam had just announced his own betrothal. Adam was convinced that Marianne would never re-marry and the thought of her taking anyone to her bed, especially now that he could not accommodate her himself, was tragic beyond belief! Wickedly good fun, this first book in Hern's Merry Widow series had me smiling from the very first page. Adam's manipulations in heading off Marianne's suitors were a pure pleasure and this author has certainly whetted my appetite for whatever new delights await the rest of the `merry widows'. With witty dialogs and an abundance of characters you can love, I most heartily recommend this for a perfectly lovely reading experience.

In the Thrill of the Night

This is my first Candice Hern, but definitely not my last. Hern is an articulate author who doesn't waste pages with the old "I really shouldn't, he's a rake and not right for me but I really want to" ploy. Her plot--5 widows who have decided to have affairs rather than marry again and give over their lives and finances to a husband, is provocative, to say the last. I found Adam, the protagonist in this first story in the Merry Widows series, to be an especially appealing character, although I became very frustrated at times with his determination to do the honorable thing even after admitting his betrothed was all wrong for him and that he had always been in love with Marianne, even while her husband, and his best friend, was alive. Hern has written a most tender, appealing yet erotic love scenes in this novel. It will be interesting to see if she can even come close when she writes about Beatrice and Grace.

Sex in the "Regency" City

I just loved this newest Candice Hern book. Thank you Candice for writing such a wonderful novel. Marianne Nesbitt is a trustee of the Benevolent Widows Fund, she and her fellow widows; Penelope, Wilhelmina, Grace, and Beatrice support each other in maintaining their wealth and independence. Well they also dish and gossip during their meetings. During one of these meetings Penelope shares her experiences in taking a lover and wisely suggests the importance of being a complete woman, one who is not only intelligent, financially independent, but confident enough to know she also needs physical fulfillment. So begins the Merry Widows Pact. The search for a suitable lover... Marianne compiles a list and asks the advice of her best friend, Adam Cazenove. Adam has long admired Marianne, but does not realize he loves her until she launches on this search. I won't spoil the rest of the story by continuing; you'll have to read it for yourselves. I love the relationships not only between Adam and Marianne, but also between all the Merry Widows. Relationships that start out as friendship are always the best and the portrayal of Adam and Marianne's Love quite realistically. I especially loved how Adam schemed to get rid of the 'list' prospects at his hangouts. I also love that all the Merry Widows are strong and independent women. I really liked the first chapter, where all the widows make the pact. Penelope and Wilhelmina are really interesting and I look forward to seeing whom they end up with.

My Favorite Candace Hern!

This is an extremely emotionally charged read. It employs one of my favorite premises: love from afar. The heroine, Marianne, is a young widow looking for a lover, not love. The hero, Adam, her late husband's best friend, has been in love with Marianne for years and not realized it. Not until he betrothes himself to another and Marianne wants to experience true passion. Though she loved her husband, she comes to understand her sex life was lacking. Adam is extremely jealous of all her "candidates", but has no say in Marianne's life. He is to be wed and she is free to live and love whomever she wants. "ITTOTN" is packed with sexual tension, spicy love scenes, and strong emotion. There is no mystery sub-plot to bog down the romance. Another addition to my keeper shelf.

The must read of 2006

Candice Hern has been a long favorite of mine but this book is one of the best. Marianne Nesbitt is a very innocent woman for a widow. She has tons to learn and who else to help her along the way than her late husband's best friend Adam Cazenove. What Marianne doesn't know is Adam has always held a secret crush on his best friends wife but refused to take advantage. Now she is asking him for help in the art of seduction and to help her pick just the right guy to work her new found magic on. Adam thinking she has lost her mind for wanting just a lover and should be looking for a husband but agrees to help her. Only each time he is confronted with one of the men on her list, he tells stories to mess up any type of connection. Marianne also has a small secret. She has had a crush on the her late husband's best friend from the moment she met him. Pushing her feelings aside she always gave her whole heart to the man she married. Just when she decides it's time to put her late husband's memory to rest and move on in her life she finds it's a bit harder than she thought. Who better to help her than the notorious rake, Adam. Only he is giving up his status as a rake and has decided to marry, much to Marianne horror. After blocking the feelings they've had for eachother for so long will they be able to admit that they only have eyes for eachother? This is an awesome read with great humor, steamy passion and the best of all, a happy ending. This is not only a must read but one to keep on your shelves.