Connie Brockway: All Through the Night

All Through the Night: A
Anne Wilder & Colonel Jack Seward

My goodness, Ms. Brockway! Bravo!

It is believed that the thief known as Wrexhall's Wraith has stolen a jewel box containing a damaging letter that has to do with a murder, and the king. It is Jack Seward's job to apprehend the thief and recover the letter before it falls into the wrong hands.

The danger and thrill of stealing intoxicates the thief, yet there is a purpose behind this dangerous madness. Though well trained and an expert, the thief is caught unaware when the Whitehall Hound makes his presence known. The thief thinks it is rather extreme that the Hound was set on Wrexhall's Wraith just because some aristocrat's jewels and treasures are being stolen. The only thing the Wraith has going is the element of surprise - the thief is a 'she.'

Everyone knows Jack by his reputation as Whitehall's Hound; he is feared and respected. And they know the circumstances of his low birth and deprived childhood, yet he is tolerated by the ton as he circulates in their social circle looking for the thief. He has narrowed the suspects down to four women and when he crosses paths with one woman in particular, he feels the same sexual excitement that he felt when he surprised the thief and she kissed him.

Jack is told to get the letter and kill the thief, but his suspicion about her identity will not allow him to carry out his orders because he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. And later, when he confronts her, she tells him there was no letter in the box. He believes her, but knowing she will be killed regardless, he marries her to protect her. Unless or until the letter is found, her life is in danger.

And it takes the old king himself, George III, to put an end to this madness.

Though there is no secret as to the thief's identity, the cat and mouse games played are titillating and delicious. The missing letter, the question of it's contents, who has it and the hunt for it make this book quite a thriller... (amazon)

Reading All Through the Night was a gem and a wonderful journey. It was a little difficult for me at first because of Brockway’s style of writing – complex, realistic (how the British ton would have truly spoken among themselves), and advanced – therefore, making it more than a light and easy read.

However, once you get into the rhythm of the characters’ dialogue and her fluid descriptions, you notice that the characterization of both Anna Wilder and Colonel Jack Seward is beautiful. Brockway takes the reader deep inside both characters’ minds and their struggles, which are also complex and original. (Moreso than problems other fictional characters deal with.)

The obsession and attraction that Anne and Jack feel for each other is so thick, you can almost taste it. The want is so strong, you sometimes wonder if either character has a problem with obsession. But quickly, you learn that the initial attraction and obsession (continued desire of wanting to be with the other person) leads to something substantial and deep.

Jack’s task of trying to find his thief is also engaging and equally amusing, since the reader is aware that Anne is in fact the thief. And you fear for her when Jack discovers her covert identity.

This story was psychological and emotional – something that I cannot say for many of the books in the romance genre.