REVIEW: Light Up The Night by M. L. Buchanan

In Light Up The Night (The Night Stalkers #5) by M. L. Buchanan, Trisha is part of an army special forces team “SOAR”, flying the Little Bird helicopter. Part of her current mission while their team is fighting pirates, is to rescue undercover SEAL William Bruce in Somalia. Even if he doesn’t want to be rescued. Billy has his own reasons for being where he is…but soon finds himself temporarily part of Trisha’s team.

An unexpected attraction and mutual respect between Trisha and Billy soon starts to evolve into more. Neither of them was looking for a relationship, but they start to spend more time together and the chemistry between them is palpable, whether they are pushing each others buttons or working to rescue hostages and stop pirating.

Both of them have trust issues, and don’t let other people close. They both have secrets and scars from the past. When each of them is suddenly in crisis separately, they find themselves coming together; finding comfort and strength in one another. Strength to confront the past, and to move to the future. But with their careers and the danger they face daily can they have a future together?

Light Up The Night is a fast paced, action packed romance. M. L. Buchanan is vivid with his descriptions, and takes you with the characters on their journey. Most of Light Up The Night takes place on the mission of Trisha’s team, with a brief time out in Vermont. I really liked this side trip in Light Up The Night…it was meaningful, took Trisha and Billy out of their comfort zones but brought them closer together, and really made them seem even more realistic. It was an integral part of the story to help understand the characters. Billy has so much in his past he’s never shared with anyone, but for some reason is able to share with Trisha. I liked that he doesn’t treat her any differently because she is in the army, and special forces at that. He accepts her and her skills. Trisha is driven, and has worked hard to get where she is on her own merit. She hides her past and her family but can’t hide everything from Billy for long. She tries, but when he does find out her secrets, I liked that there was no judgment, just support from him. Both of them are highly skilled in their areas, and as a couple are able to understand each other and the life they lead. They are not perfect by any means, but their flaws make them believable and very likable. They have definite heat together, but it is not explicit and this works perfectly with the plot.

M. L. Buchanan also paints a realistic portrait of military action, and it’s obvious he has done his research well. I liked how he included all of the team at some point in Light Up The Night.

Light Up The Night is part of a series, but I read it as a stand alone and did not feel I was missing anything. Light Up The Night is intriguing, kept my interest, and made me want to know Trisha and Billy. I’d recommend Light Up The Night to any romance reader who is a fan of action packed military romance.

Book Info:

Published September 2nd 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca | (The Night Stalkers #5)

Name: Trisha O’Malley
Rank: Second Lieutenant and AH-6M “Little Bird” Pilot
Mission : Take down Somali pirates, and deny her past

Name: William Bruce
Rank: Navy SEAL Lieutenant
Mission : Rescue hostages, and protect his past-against all comers

They both have something to hide

When hotshot SOAR helicopter pilot Trisha O’Malley rescues Navy SEAL Bill Bruce from his undercover mission in Somalia, it ignites his fury. Everything about Trisha triggers his mistrust: her elusive past, her wild energy, and her proclivity for flying past safety’s edge. Even as the heat between them turns into passion’s fire, Bill and Trisha must team up to confront their pasts and survive Somalia’s pirate lords.