What do you think?
Rate this book
When Night Falls
If you're seeking sensuous, compelling and emotional romance and suspense then you won't want to miss this latest romance from one of Avon's most popular contemporary storytellers. Mitchell Warren has retrned to Madrid, Oklahoma––a town he'd once left, vowing never to return to. But, never say never. In his youth, he was known as wild and sexy...now, he's still very sexy. Uma Thornton has never left Madrid, though her syndicated newspaper column, "The Smooth Moves List" has been turned into a popular self–help book. She never expected to see Mitchell again, so when he returns all the old feelings she'd once held for him come flooding back. But not all is quiet in Madrid. For one thing, a series of mysterious events seem to occur around Mitchell––is he to blame for the trouble that seems to have come to town with him? And when Uma and Mitchell's childhood friend is mysteriously killed, they both realize that the circle of danger that seems to surround them is becoming tighter.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
8 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 16, 2025
OOPS - missed the sensual part of the description before I read it. Not my style of book but the worst part is that the 'sensual' overrode the story. The mystery/thriller part was interesting and could have been more compelling - take out the overly descriptive sexual tension - between two couples, no less - and the book would be a lot shorter.
August 20, 2020
I enjoyed the story and the characters. I did not go into this thinking it would be a romance, so I was a little put off by all the sex. That's my fault for not paying attention.
June 17, 2024
Picked this up to read on a very long plane flight. If not for the fact that I had nothing else to read, I would have trashed it - actually it was a pretty trashy story.
July 13, 2016
It starts with the death of Uma's friend in a drive-by shooting in a small town. A year later, the killer still hasn't been found, but the Warren brothers, Mitchell and Roman, have come back and trouble follows. The killer adds Mitchell to the "kill list," along with Uma and Shelley, a single Mom who refused to name the father of her baby when she was 17 . Uma is divorced and has always wanted a simple life, but with Mitchell and the excitement of there being a killer, she soon learns that she was settling and maybe wants more. Mitchell, who has always been closed off and bitter, realizes he wants more as well.
First off, I'll start with that, as a mystery, the greatest thing about the story is that I had NO IDEA who the killer was. And it was a surprise to me. That being said, there wasn't a whole lot of evidence that would point toward who the killer was either...at least none to make a reader really suspect. As a mystery, this story wasn't half-bad at all. But the problem for me had to do with the fact that 60% into the story and I still wasn't all that invested. And only at that point did I start to pick up interest.
The characters, minus the Warren brothers, fell flat. The women in this story just made no sense to me. Uma was kinda boring, but then turns feisty and boy was she nosy. What woman, after sleeping with a guy for the second time, thinks it's now okay to meddle in his life and bring back people he wants nothing to do with? I thought his "Get Out" was perfectly justified. I really struggled to forgive Shelly, who kept her daughter a secret from her father for 17 years. He had a right to know. Okay, maybe she was a scared little teenager and thought he wouldn't want to know. When he comes back into town demanding to be a part of his daughter's life, she has her answer. But does she allow it? No. She argues that he has no right...Bull. Shit. I hated Shelly's actions and her cowardice. . I struggled to understand how any of these women could have continued in friendship with Pearl...really. Maybe this was the author's fault in not fully explaining Pearl's high points. And finally there was the issue with Grace and the Warren brothers' forgiveness. I could totally understand Mitchell and Roman's POVs. From my perspective, the women here were wrong for siding with a woman who did abandon her children...no doubt about it. So she loved them and continued to write to them. But if it had been me and my kids, no amount of pride would have kept me from charging into that house and demanding a place in their life. I get the message - let the past go, but Uma was talking about how she saw both sides of the issue - Grace's and the husband's. But there was a third side she didn't see...the one from the kids who were abandoned by their mother. This book had a lot of irritating moments - primarily having to do with the women.
First off, I'll start with that, as a mystery, the greatest thing about the story is that I had NO IDEA who the killer was. And it was a surprise to me. That being said, there wasn't a whole lot of evidence that would point toward who the killer was either...at least none to make a reader really suspect. As a mystery, this story wasn't half-bad at all. But the problem for me had to do with the fact that 60% into the story and I still wasn't all that invested. And only at that point did I start to pick up interest.
The characters, minus the Warren brothers, fell flat. The women in this story just made no sense to me. Uma was kinda boring, but then turns feisty and boy was she nosy. What woman, after sleeping with a guy for the second time, thinks it's now okay to meddle in his life and bring back people he wants nothing to do with? I thought his "Get Out" was perfectly justified. I really struggled to forgive Shelly, who kept her daughter a secret from her father for 17 years. He had a right to know. Okay, maybe she was a scared little teenager and thought he wouldn't want to know. When he comes back into town demanding to be a part of his daughter's life, she has her answer. But does she allow it? No. She argues that he has no right...Bull. Shit. I hated Shelly's actions and her cowardice. . I struggled to understand how any of these women could have continued in friendship with Pearl...really. Maybe this was the author's fault in not fully explaining Pearl's high points. And finally there was the issue with Grace and the Warren brothers' forgiveness. I could totally understand Mitchell and Roman's POVs. From my perspective, the women here were wrong for siding with a woman who did abandon her children...no doubt about it. So she loved them and continued to write to them. But if it had been me and my kids, no amount of pride would have kept me from charging into that house and demanding a place in their life. I get the message - let the past go, but Uma was talking about how she saw both sides of the issue - Grace's and the husband's. But there was a third side she didn't see...the one from the kids who were abandoned by their mother. This book had a lot of irritating moments - primarily having to do with the women.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2018
"Er passte nicht in ihre Küche oder in ihre Stadt, doch er passte perfekt in ihre Arme und ausgesprochen perfekt in ihren Körper. " S. 286 - das sagt doch schon einiges über den Stil des Romans.
Es handelt sich hierbei um ein Buch, das mir zufällig in die Hände fiel und jetzt auf meinem “Lese ich noch bevor ich die Bücher weggebe”-Stapel lag. Ich kannte die Autorin zuvor noch nicht, was aber bei meiner recht willkürlichen Leseauswahl kein Wunder ist.
Der Klappentext klang vielversprechend und spannend, ich erwartete mir eine Art Kleinstadtthriller. Je länger man jedoch liest, desto eher überwiegt die Beschreibung der sexuellen Anziehungskräfte zwischen den Protagonisten und das Ausleben dieser Gefühle. Die Hauptgeschehnisse – nämlich dass im amerikanischen Kleinstädtchen Madrid ein Mörder herumschleicht und sich diverse Unfälle als gezielte Anschläge herausstellen - werden dadurch immer wieder sehr in den Hintergrund gedrängt. Es geht zuweilen soweit, dass kaum drei Worte miteinander gesprochen, das Liebespärchen sich schon wieder körperlichen Dingen zuwendet. So dauert es eine Ewigkeit - meiner Meinung nach mindestens 4 Geschlechtsakte und 2 Tage - bis Mitchell Uma sagen kann, dass sie in Gefahr ist.
Ja, die Männer Ende 30/Anfang 40 sind noch so sexy wie in ihrer Jugend als sie das Städtchen verlassen haben, aber auch im heißesten Sommer müssen Männer nicht immer mit nackten Oberkörper herumrennen – egal ob sie im Garten oder in der Werkstatt arbeiten, in einem Gewitter Motorrad fahren oder einfach nur ein Gespräch führen wollen. Dass erwachsene Menschen, die auf die eine oder andere Weise schon viel Lebenserfahrung sammeln konnten, auf einmal nur mehr durch sexuelle Begierden getrieben werden ist für mich reichlich unrealistisch.
Auch dass es als schlimmes Geheimnis angesehen wird, dass Mitchell einmal der Manager einer großen Firma war, finde ich eigenartig. Was ist daran verkehrt, dass man beruflich erfolgreich war, sich jetzt aber anderen Dingen zuwenden möchte?
Generell war der Stil des Romans für mich etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, was jedoch an der deutschen Übersetzung bzw. der Taschenbuchedition liegen kann. Die Dialoge der Protagonisten sind spontan, sprunghaft und oft unzusammenhängend und haben mit dem zwischen den gesagten Zeilen niedergeschriebenen Gedanken oft wenig zu tun. Zeitliche Sprünge innerhalb einer Szene (wenn die Protagonisten zum Beispiel wieder einmal Sex hatten) werden nicht durch besondere Absätze gekennzeichnet und sind so nicht immer zu erkennen – mich haben sie jedenfalls öfter stutzen lassen. Das war dem Lesefluss nicht sonderlich förderlich.
Zum Schluss möchte ich doch noch Positives anmerken. Den Haupthandlungsstrang mit den Anschlägen auf die vier Freundinnen und die Rückkehr zweier ehemaliger Söhne der Kleinstadt und die damit zu bewältigende Aufarbeitung der alten Probleme fand ich gelungen, spannend und vielversprechend – er kommt meiner Meinung nach aber durch die Beschreibung der Liebesszenen jedoch viel zu kurz. Das gehört aber anscheinend zum Stil der Autorin – ich werde mir eine genauere Einschätzung erst nach der Lektüre eines zweiten Romans erlauben.
Es handelt sich hierbei um ein Buch, das mir zufällig in die Hände fiel und jetzt auf meinem “Lese ich noch bevor ich die Bücher weggebe”-Stapel lag. Ich kannte die Autorin zuvor noch nicht, was aber bei meiner recht willkürlichen Leseauswahl kein Wunder ist.
Der Klappentext klang vielversprechend und spannend, ich erwartete mir eine Art Kleinstadtthriller. Je länger man jedoch liest, desto eher überwiegt die Beschreibung der sexuellen Anziehungskräfte zwischen den Protagonisten und das Ausleben dieser Gefühle. Die Hauptgeschehnisse – nämlich dass im amerikanischen Kleinstädtchen Madrid ein Mörder herumschleicht und sich diverse Unfälle als gezielte Anschläge herausstellen - werden dadurch immer wieder sehr in den Hintergrund gedrängt. Es geht zuweilen soweit, dass kaum drei Worte miteinander gesprochen, das Liebespärchen sich schon wieder körperlichen Dingen zuwendet. So dauert es eine Ewigkeit - meiner Meinung nach mindestens 4 Geschlechtsakte und 2 Tage - bis Mitchell Uma sagen kann, dass sie in Gefahr ist.
Ja, die Männer Ende 30/Anfang 40 sind noch so sexy wie in ihrer Jugend als sie das Städtchen verlassen haben, aber auch im heißesten Sommer müssen Männer nicht immer mit nackten Oberkörper herumrennen – egal ob sie im Garten oder in der Werkstatt arbeiten, in einem Gewitter Motorrad fahren oder einfach nur ein Gespräch führen wollen. Dass erwachsene Menschen, die auf die eine oder andere Weise schon viel Lebenserfahrung sammeln konnten, auf einmal nur mehr durch sexuelle Begierden getrieben werden ist für mich reichlich unrealistisch.
Auch dass es als schlimmes Geheimnis angesehen wird, dass Mitchell einmal der Manager einer großen Firma war, finde ich eigenartig. Was ist daran verkehrt, dass man beruflich erfolgreich war, sich jetzt aber anderen Dingen zuwenden möchte?
Generell war der Stil des Romans für mich etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, was jedoch an der deutschen Übersetzung bzw. der Taschenbuchedition liegen kann. Die Dialoge der Protagonisten sind spontan, sprunghaft und oft unzusammenhängend und haben mit dem zwischen den gesagten Zeilen niedergeschriebenen Gedanken oft wenig zu tun. Zeitliche Sprünge innerhalb einer Szene (wenn die Protagonisten zum Beispiel wieder einmal Sex hatten) werden nicht durch besondere Absätze gekennzeichnet und sind so nicht immer zu erkennen – mich haben sie jedenfalls öfter stutzen lassen. Das war dem Lesefluss nicht sonderlich förderlich.
Zum Schluss möchte ich doch noch Positives anmerken. Den Haupthandlungsstrang mit den Anschlägen auf die vier Freundinnen und die Rückkehr zweier ehemaliger Söhne der Kleinstadt und die damit zu bewältigende Aufarbeitung der alten Probleme fand ich gelungen, spannend und vielversprechend – er kommt meiner Meinung nach aber durch die Beschreibung der Liebesszenen jedoch viel zu kurz. Das gehört aber anscheinend zum Stil der Autorin – ich werde mir eine genauere Einschätzung erst nach der Lektüre eines zweiten Romans erlauben.
February 28, 2016
This was an interesting book. It's about two brothers who are victims of childhood trauma and their journey to come back to their home town and make peace with the past. It's about the two women who love them. It's about a crazed killer with an axe to grind. It's about the ghost of a woman who watches over them all. All of that is pretty well-written. The characters are drawn well, and the suspense is engrossing enough that I wanted to continue reading. I liked that the author was able to write well enough to leave out foul language and explicit violence.
Those are the good parts.
On the "minus" side: The so-called romance was really about the sexual heat. It was straight out of the pages of a cheap romance, where all the men are bare-chested, with broad shoulders and rippling muscles. Thanks to the search feature on the Kindle, I know there are 16 references to muscles, 51 references to chest, 31 to his shoulders, and 44 to "his arms." Talk about overkill, and come rain or shine, these men are frequently described as wearing nothing but jeans or boxers. Even in a blinding rainstorm. On a motorcycle. Because then we get to swoon over his gleaming wet shoulders. And the sex! Don't even get me started on that. While the sex scenes were written with restraint, The whole part about middle-aged people going at it hammer and tong with the intensity of a bunch of sex addicts just ruined the rest of the story for me. The man is sexy, but he can't keep his hands out of her pants long enough to try to find the killer? Really? Gag me with a spoon! So I had to knock a few points off for that.
So while it held good promise and the basic plot was pretty good, the "romance" that came straight out of a dime-store Harlequin Romance really brought it down.
Those are the good parts.
On the "minus" side: The so-called romance was really about the sexual heat. It was straight out of the pages of a cheap romance, where all the men are bare-chested, with broad shoulders and rippling muscles. Thanks to the search feature on the Kindle, I know there are 16 references to muscles, 51 references to chest, 31 to his shoulders, and 44 to "his arms." Talk about overkill, and come rain or shine, these men are frequently described as wearing nothing but jeans or boxers. Even in a blinding rainstorm. On a motorcycle. Because then we get to swoon over his gleaming wet shoulders. And the sex! Don't even get me started on that. While the sex scenes were written with restraint, The whole part about middle-aged people going at it hammer and tong with the intensity of a bunch of sex addicts just ruined the rest of the story for me. The man is sexy, but he can't keep his hands out of her pants long enough to try to find the killer? Really? Gag me with a spoon! So I had to knock a few points off for that.
So while it held good promise and the basic plot was pretty good, the "romance" that came straight out of a dime-store Harlequin Romance really brought it down.
Read
November 5, 2012If you're seeking sensuous, compelling and emotional romance and suspense then you won't want to miss this latest romance from one of Avon's most popular contemporary storytellers. Mitchell Warren has retrned to Madrid, Oklahoma--a town he'd once left, vowing never to return to. But, never say never. In his youth, he was known as wild and sexy...now, he's still very sexy. Uma Thornton has never left Madrid, though her syndicated newspaper column, "The Smooth Moves List" has been turned into a popular self-help book. She never expected to see Mitchell again, so when he returns all the old feelings she'd once held for him come flooding back.
But not all is quiet in Madrid. For one thing, a series of mysterious events seem to occur around Mitchell--is he to blame for the trouble that seems to have come to town with him? And when Uma and Mitchell's childhood friend is mysteriously killed, they both realize that the circle of danger that seems to surround them is becoming tighter.
Mitchell Warren and his brother, Roman, love their two high school friends. Mitchell and Uma get together and Roman and Shelley get together. Roman discovers he is Dani's father; Dani is Shelly's daughter.
The killer is Pearl, Uma and Shelley's friend, who dressed as Clyde, of Bonnie & Clyde, and killed people who had offended her. (Her husband lied to her about what other people said.) Uma is The Keeper of the town, who remembers and knows about everyone. Passed down from her grandmother to the mother and then to her.
All end happily when Mitchell and Roman's mother returns and Shelley's mother accepts Dani.
September 5, 2025
Wish we could use half stars. Too much convoluted introspection and editing errors (I counted 3 on names alone) made it more of a chore to follow the story. Conversely, I did like the characters, snippets of standout writing, and subplots. Decided on the 3 versus 2 since I enjoyed more than the last book I gave 2 stars.
Read
April 22, 2011I finished this one this week. I liked it. Was a good story but with a predictable ending. I would read another of this authors books.
January 30, 2013
Suspense was good, but the characters' inner monologues and even some dialogs were a bit clunky.
Want to read
November 18, 2013i love it
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews