REVIEW: One Night More by Mandy Baxter

A contemporary suspense debut by an author who knows how to write engaging characters in an interesting political whodunit that is sensually charged!

One Night More by Mandy Baxter
Series: U.S. Marshals, Book 1
Category: Erotic Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Kensington Books Zebra (September 2, 2014)
ISBN: 9781420134797
Rated 4 out of 5
Format read: eBook

The night before he leaves for his next assignment in Paris for the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the U.S. Marshals, Galen Kelly meets the girl of his dreams. He’s out having a drink in Portland with his best friend, Landon McCabe, when Galen sees a jerk put a roofie in a beautiful woman’s drink. He can’t let that happen, so he pulls the drink from her before she can taste it, and then he handcuffs the creep with Landon’s help.

Harper Allen is out with friends when she gets rescued in a most gallant way by the type of guy she doesn’t normally attract. They immediately connect which leads them to one night of bliss without exchanging names.

Neither one of them takes this sort of thing for granted, or makes a habit of it. They’re both interested in something more than this one night afterwards, but before Harper wakes, Galen sees a text from her former boyfriend who is on his way over. Lying and cheating are two things Galen hates more than anything, so he leaves before giving Harper a chance to explain that the man texting isn’t her current boyfriend but an obsessive ex.

One year later, Harper, now a political reporter, witnesses a senator’s murder and Galen, just back from Paris, is assigned to her protective detail. What Harper doesn’t understand is why the guy she can’t forget acts as if he doesn’t remember her. How can Galen forget the woman who has haunted his dreams for the last year? He can’t, but he also can’t tell anyone he knows the witness or he’ll be removed from the team. Even though he’s not convinced that Harper means anything to him now, he can’t leave her protection to anyone else. Will either of them forget the pain of a misunderstanding for a second chance? Or will the killer get to them first?

Sexy romantic suspense lovers will enjoy this first book in Mandy Baxter’s U.S. MARSHALS series. I love this author’s urban fantasy series, written as Amanda Bonilla, so I was anxious to review her contemporary debut. This is a completely different style for this author, but her talent is evident. Not anything like her urban fantasies, this contemporary debut is sure to please contemporary fans. How she has pulled this off is beyond my understanding because I wouldn’t have guessed they’re the same author and yet, I can recognize the skills that create both styles. Fascinating.

I’m a hard-sell on the romantic suspense sub-genre because I always reach my “unbelievability factor”—that point in the story where it’s too over-the-top for me. I did have a couple mild bumps in this story, but it’s because of my bugaboo and it’s rare for any romantic suspense story to get past my inability to accept this style. Someone who loves romantic suspense won’t bat an eye because the skill of the writing is so finely honed. And that heat factor—there are few authors who do it better. You know that warning that comes with rollercoasters or 3-D movies, where those with heart problems should avoid it for their safety? That warning needs to be on this book. It burnt my eyeballs! Twice!

ONE NIGHT MORE is a uniquely-paced romantic suspense that engages the senses. Although this novel kicked off with a one-night-stand, the suspense takes off in chapter five with a sophisticated political whodunit. Galen and Harper have a lot to work through before they can act on their attraction to each other, again. Meanwhile, the suspense builds along with their relationship. I really liked this pacing because the suspense and character development got as much time as the romance, which isn’t always the case with these types of stories. I’m now really curious to read future contemporary books by this author to see what she can pull off next. Well done!

We get to know Landon a bit better toward the end of ONE NIGHT MORE, which increases the anticipation for the second book in the U.S. MARSHALS series by Mandy Baxter, ONE KISS MORE, coming in March 2015 from Zebra Books. Engaging debut!

For those who love billionaire romances, the BILLIONAIRE CLUB series of novellas by Mandy Baxter kicks off in October 2014 from St. Martin’s Griffin.

Reviewed by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies.

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