One Sizzling Night

Three Wicked Nights #2

by Jo Leigh

Mills & Boon Blaze series promises scorching hot reads...

First come lies…then comes temptation.

Former Black Ops soldier Logan McCabe is in high-tech heaven. The ‘smart’ apartment he’s staying at has it all — luxurious amenities, walls that change colour and a seductive and nearly naked woman in the living room. Now that’s everything a man can ask for. Except Kensey Roberts is no pixel pinup...and the sexual tension between them is most assuredly real.

Kensey is in way over her head. She’s undercover to expose a possible art thief and clear her absentee father’s name. She doesn’t need a distraction — especially the ex-military, crazy-sexy hot kind. ‘Captain McBabe’ is over six feet of pure, delicious temptation. But one sizzling night won’t just compromise her reputation...it could blow her cover sky-high.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

About the author

aka Samantha Beckett

Jolie Kramer began her career in 1975 as a reader in the Comedy Development department for 20th-Century Fox. She left Fox in 1977 to go on location with THE DEER HUNTER. She then worked as an auditor, associate producer and producer on such projects as WHEN SHE SAYS NO for CBS, BEULAH LAND for NBC, GREAT AMERICAN TRAFFIC JAM for NBC and CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR for Jozak Productions. In 1987 she became head of development for the McCarran Film Corp., overseeing a roster of twelve feature films. As a screen writer, she’s had a series idea purchased by Cinemax, and has worked as a script consultant on more than 50 screenplays. Currently, her screenplay APACHE TEARS was optioned by Northern Lights Productions in Canada.

Jo Leigh's first Silhouette novel, SUSPECT, was awarded BEST FIRST SERIES BOOK by Romantic Times Magazine, garnered the 1994 ROMANCE WRITER OF THE YEAR award from Pike’s Peak RWA, and was a finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL OF 1994 by Romance Writers of America. Her first Temptation novel, ONE WICKED NIGHT was a finalist for BEST SHORT CONTEMPORARY NOVEL OF 1998 by Romance Writers of America. She was invited to write one of the launch books for the Harlequin imprint, Blaze, with her book GOING FOR IT! Her 2006 Blaze RELENTLESS was a RITA finalist for BEST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE.

She also ghost-wrote GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL DOLL – THE ANNA NICOLE SMITH STORY for Barricade Books.

Jo teaches writing at workshops across the country and on-line, and is a frequent guest speaker at writing conferences. Her tape on Advanced Plotting from the Dallas Romance Writers of America conference is the best selling tape in RWA’s history.

Jo lives in an incredibly rural area of Utah where her many rescue dogs have room to run and play and her rescue cats are determined to win the International Shedding Award. She spends an inordinate amount of time reading about how the brain works, listening to music and trying not to kill the basil.

Jo's husband died of cancer on 13 June 2008, three years after they married, and whose medical bills are astronomical. Authors, editors, and bloggers have all donated a mess of items, from books to critiques to mentoring sessions to offer an item for the auction to benefit author Jo Leigh.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

See more of my reviews on my blog Thoughts At One In The Morning.

My Thoughts:

There's a reason the Harlequin Blaze line is my favorite. It's mostly the steam (because whoa nelly, talk about steam!), but it's also the storylines of perfection that accompany it. I read One Breathless Night by Jo Leigh, which was so freaking amazing I had to get my hands on One Sizzling Night no matter what. And this book didn't disappoint.

Kensey is a determined woman who will stop at nothing to prove the innocence of her father, no matter the danger. Then Logan comes into the picture and proves to be quite the distraction in all his sweet and sexiness. When some of her secrets get discovered, Logan gets involved in her covert plan. Will they be able to find out the truth together?

One Sizzling Night had both romance and intrigue, which was a great combination. I loved the side story and how it tied in with the feelings that were developing between Kensey and Logan. I'm super excited to see what else Jo Leigh has in store in the future!

My Rating: Very Good

[(Nat) Reading Romances · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Sizzling night is an entertaining and sexy book.

This was the first time I read a book by Jo Leigh. I don’t usually read romances with a spy or military theme, however, what draw me to this was how the blurb was written - I could see it had elements that may surprise the reader. Plus, the Harlequin Blaze line is one of my favorites.


Jo Leigh is a skilled writer and her experience shows, the (funny) dialogue and characterization were great, and the chemistry between this couple was off the charts! I had a really great time reading Kensey and Logan’s story. Sam was my favorite supporting character, I would love to see her HEA. Oh, and live in her apartment!

I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kensey Roberts want to clear her father's name after he becomes the prime suspect in the theft of a rare piece of art. She believes that the art piece is a forgery and has been stolen by its own owner, and that the original is in the possession of millionaire Ian Holstrom. She plans to worm her way into his circle and prove it! She stays in a high-tech apartment thanks to some help from her boss, but it turns out she has a flatmate! Logan McCabe (why are so many romance heroes called Logan?) is an ex-vet who wants Ian Holstrom to hire him on a subcontractor basis, which would net him a lot of money. Kensey's mission is bound to derail Logan's ambitions, but she doesn't know that - and they hook up!

Decent romance, and the first Blaze title I've tackled in quite some time. I know it's a racy line, but this particularly book wasn't that much more raunchy than other Mills & Boons I've read, just the language is a little more frank (they actually use words such as "clit" and "cock", as opposed to a standard Mills & Boon, which would be more likely to use "petals" and "velvet steel"!) It was good to read a sexier-than-usual story that actually had a plot, too!

I was a little annoyed by the fact the men in Kensey's life felt like they had to "protect" Kensey from herself, though Kensey kind of puts herself in that position. I was never convinced of her mission, really, considering that she was estranged from her father and he was never actually a physical presence throughout the book.

All in all, a good read, but nothing remarkable.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the first book in the series about the Hi Tech Apartment (One Breathless Night) but was disappointed in this one - did not have the heart or charm of the previous book.

2 Stars. Toasted from my Ebook Library.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Risking everything to protect a criminal

Twenty-something Kensey's father is a notorious art thief who has never been caught and prosecuted, even though, apparently, everyone who is anyone in the elite world of fine art strongly suspects he is, in fact, this famous thief. Now he's being framed for a theft he did not actually commit, of a fake painting that everyone thinks is real, and the karmic chickens have come home to roost. In spite of the fact that she hasn't seen her father since she was 18, Kensey is determined to stop him from going to jail for the one crime he did not commit. Her crazy plan is to steal the real painting, which is being held in a fortress-like estate by the real art thief. And of course, because this is romantic suspense, the only way she's going to actually pull off her impossible scheme is because a security expert, who is former special forces, is hot for her slinky bod.

This plot seems to be a sex-filled, combined homage to two famous, classic heist movies from the '60s: Charade from 1963 with Cary Grant and How To Steal a Million from 1966 with Audrey Hepburn. Unfortunately, a plot in which, out of filial loyalty, the heroine is willing to risk everything for a man, even if he is her father, who actually is a criminal who deserves to go to jail, is not a plot that I particularly enjoy unless it is done as a comedy, and I can laugh off the moral implications. Other readers who enjoy this kind of plot might enjoy it though.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan and Kensey are using the "smart house" at the same time but do not know it til Kensey comes out in a towel after Logan arrives..They are both there to see the same man but for many different reasons..Kensey is quiet about what she is doing but of course it all catches up to her and she has to spill part of the truth to Logan who is going after a big contract from this guy.. Logan ends up saving Kensey and getting her away from the bad guy!! I love this smart house and love all the things that are in it..A good book

[bookedrightmeow · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Sizzling Night was an enjoyable read and one that delved into deeper subject matter than I expected. I've come to love Harlequin Blaze titles--which makes this read bittersweet, following the recent announcement that the Blaze line will be ending in 2017. I rarely expect Blaze books to get too heavy as far as subject matter, but this one touches on PTSD at times, as well as the overall trauma of war. In addition to this, the story was pretty suspenseful, which kept things interesting.

Logan McCabe is a security specialist and former Black Ops soldier. When Logan's in town to attend a security convention--and meet with a hotshot businessman to seek funding for his company--he's staying at his old college friend's "smart" apartment.

I loved the strong inclusion of technology in the story. Logan's friend, Sam, is a computer and electronics genius. Her apartment is like something out of a sci-fi movie: sensors detect moods and turn the walls different colors, Skype calls display on the walls, and additional mood-sensors determine the type of music that plays.

When Logan arrives at the apartment, he isn't expecting someone else to be there. So he's surprised when he learns that art curator Kensey Roberts will be his roommate for the duration of his stay. Kensey is also a friend of Sam's and she's in town under the guise of attending the convention as well. In reality, she's working undercover in attempts to clear her estranged father's name. Her father is currently under investigation for some high-profile art thefts. This part of the story--the undercover work and the art references--reminded me a lot of the TV show White Collar, so I enjoyed this direction that the plot took.

It took me a while to warm up to Kensey. She comes across as very blue blood and struck me as kind of uptight, even though she's taking a huge risk by going undercover without much of a concrete plan. As the story went on, I thought she was reckless at times, all at the expense of trying to clear her father's name--despite the fact that he has rarely been in her life much. At the same time, I appreciated her strong sense of loyalty and determination.

I liked Logan from the start. A former soldier, he is fiercely passionate about fellow veterans and wants to use his company to employ others like himself who have seen combat and possess highly specialized skills, but might not find it simple to ease back into civilian life. But like Kensey, Logan has a lot of secrets. It's just second nature, given the line of work that he is in. So that makes it hard to really trust someone else.

The chemistry between Kensey and Logan is immediate and intense. I didn't have a problem with this, but like Logan, I didn't really understand Kensey's motivation whenever she would give him the cold shoulder. This is another reason why I didn’t like her much at first; I thought she gave him a lot of mixed signals.

The suspense element of the story comes to a head when Kensey meets with the ruthless businessman who also happens to be the person Logan is depending on to finance his subcontract. I was happy with the resolution of the story, but thought that the romance element was a bit rushed with the ending. Still, I enjoyed the author's writing style and will be reading her books again in the future. The next book is Sam's story, so I'm interested to read that one.

Note: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. I'm going through my NetGalley backlog and this book has since been published. My review is for the published version of the book, specifically the print edition.

[RoloPoloBookBlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Sizzling Night by Jo Leigh
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 3/5 stars
My Review:

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

One Sizzling Night falls into the category of “I don’t really know what to say about this book.” Here’s the breakdown:

Plot/Characters: Though she hasn’t seen her father in years, Kensey Roberts still feels compelled to help him when he is falsely accused of stealing a Degas. Mind you, Kensey’s father didn’t ask for her help, he abandoned her years ago, and he is a career criminal with a reputation for stealing famous works of art. Logan McCabe is an ex-military man with a growing private security business. In order to really grow his business and do some real good among the vets he hires, he needs to win a huge contract. With his presentation and sales pitch prepped and ready to go, Logan is ready to go to war for his contract.
While it doesn’t seem like these two plot lines or characters should intersect, they do in a smart apartment owned by a mutual friend. Turns out, in order to save her father, Kensey has to prove the man Logan needs to win his contract from actually illegally owns the Degas her father is accused of having stolen. When each figures out what the other is up to, it causes all kinds of crap between them. The crap is further complicated by the fact they have already slept together. . . . twice.

The Secondary Bits, Pieces, and People: Overall, I liked the second string team better than the first string players in this read. First, there is Neil, Kensey’s boss and mentor. Neil is the picture of calm, cool, and collected and a little like Bruce Wayne. Neil has the connections and money to make things happen, the sense to know when (or when not) to become involved in a situation, and a fierce loyalty to his friends. Second, there is Sam, the tech genius who tends to stay behind the scenes where she is most comfortable; tech doesn’t talk or have feelings, people do. Sam is quite literally a genius who has created some seriously cutting-edge products for the tech, security, real, etc. world. Her smart apartment is the common ground for Kensey and Logan, her super-cool gadgets save Kensey’s bacon when the sh*t hits the fan, and her friendship with Logan helps smooth the way for the HEA. Finally, there is the smart apartment. WOWSA!!! I love the apartment, wish it had a name, and totally want to live there. In all honesty, I may have liked the apartment more than any other element of this read. That’s not good, right????

The Bottom Line: One Sizzling Night is truly a middle of the road read for me; I can’t say I disliked the book though I also can’t say I completely loved it and couldn’t put it down. It took me far longer to finish this read than the page count warrants which always tells me something about my feelings for the read. I don’t have any real complaints about the book but nothing, other than the smart apartment really jumped out and screamed “I’m awesome!” either. Ultimately, I think I got my hopes up way too high (art, sexy ex-military, naughty bits!) and my expectations just weren’t met. One Sizzling Night sort of turned into Several Fizzling Nights 

[Donna Repsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review and here it is.

Kensey Roberts is an art curator and an ace at spotting art forgeries and she should be. She is the daughter of "The Houdini Burglar," who is a master art thief and who is currently under suspicion of having stolen a rare Degas painting from the home of an investment banker. Kensey, who has been estranged from her father for years, believes that her father is being set up, that the stolen painting is a forgery, and that she believes that she knows who has the original painting, billionaire Ian Holstrum, and she's planning to go to a security convention in Boston to expose the true owner and thus clear her father of this particular burglary. Her boss, Neil Patterson, tries to talk her into letting the authorities handle it, but, when Kensey cannot be swayed, he gives her the time off to attend the convention, although he can't get her an invitation to attend--she'll have to gain entry on her own.

Logan McCabe is ex-CIA Special and Covert Ops. After resigning from the military, and dealing with the after-effects of his last mission and returning to civilian life, he opened his own security company, hiring other highly-trained veterans, who, he realized, needed to put all their years of high-level training, experience and service into good and productive use once then left the military and tried to re-enter civilian life. He's been moderately successful but wants to grow his company, which would enable him to hire and help more veterans. He's needs a backer to help fund his expansion and he's planning to attend the Boston security convention and pitch his ideas to go global to Ian Holstrum. He plans to stay at the hi-tech apartment of his college friend, Sam (Samantha), a brilliant techno-wizard, but he won't be staying there alone, something he discovers when he first enters Sam's apartment and is greeted by a gorgeous blonde woman wearing only a small towel--it's Kensey, who, he soon learns, is also staying there, a last minute change that Sam had been too busy to mention to Logan. But Kensey is operating undercover, lying about why she's there, and Logan has little reason to trust her, although Sam covers for her.

From the minute Logan and Kensey meet, this novel becomes hot enough to more than live up to the word "sizzling" in its title. What follows is a very well- written, edge of your seat suspenseful espionage novel, which, combined with the heat the generated by the main characters, makes for a very entertaining read. My only criticism, if you can even call it a criticism, is that I wish that Ms. Leigh had expanded the conclusion.

[Princess Thuy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories that include other characters from other stories I've read by the same author, even if they aren't all part of the same series. It was fun to see Logan's sister, Lisa from Intrigue Me in here, as well as Sam's "smart" apartment from One Breathless Night. Logan and Kensey had a lot of chemistry but this story wasn't just about them having lots of hot sex together in an amazing apartment that I wish to see for myself in real life. There was a little bit of intrigue involved, some undercover type work, and secrets revealed that threatened their budding relationship. Would it be a spoiler to say that everything was all resolved in the end to everyone's liking? I hope not.

[Harlequin Books]

"Kensey and Logan are an intense couple, equally passionate about business and pleasure. Sexual tension and pulse-quickening intrigue make this Three Wicked Nights installment a sensual and entertaining read" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).

Miniseries: Three Wicked Nights

[Rae Latte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sizzling book is all about art and seduction. Discover what happens when Kensey attempts to uncover whether someone close to her is responsible for recent crime.

Every thing in this story is seductively delicious.

I have never read a book by Jo Leigh and I can't wait to her next release

[Jennifer Schultheis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at http://wp.me/p2F7IH-bLH

[Geraldine Sadiku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story line has you hooked from the start. Characters had superb chemistry and there was enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages.

[JK☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐