One Night

by Debbie Macomber

A Debbie Macomber classic, One Night is a funny, warm, truly unforgettable story of two mismatched people—rival workaholic radio broadcasters—who discover there’s much more to life than air time.


Carrie Jamison has the success part of "having it all" down pat—but "love/marriage/family" seem just out of reach. Still, she enjoys the admiration of everyone at KUTE radio . . . well, almost everyone. Serious, straight-laced newscaster Kyle Harris disapproves of Carrie, which leads to tension, confrontation . . . and then, inexplicably, to one extraordinary night!

Now Kyle's determined to make an honest woman out of her! But though her dreams seem merely an "I do" away, Carrie needs to really know if love or guilt is inflaming Kyle's ardor. Because if it isn't true love, this happily-ever-after is never going to happen.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Chick Lit, Enemies To Lovers

356 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.

Reviews

[Addie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 63 on my shelf (and counting). This is book 56.

(Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Unstarched (him)

This is how my 56th re-read held up.



Another book I read early on in my romance journey. I think it was the first enemies to lovers trope, which is one of my favorite, but it pales in comparison to most out there. Also, a clear product of its’ time, which makes it very very cringy at times.



Changed from 5 stars to 2 stars.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty horrible. Clearly it's predictable in the sense that you know that Carrie and Kyle are going to fall in love even though they hate each other. But it seemed like there wasn't much of a thought out storyline. Like she just made up stuff as she went. Now, I'm not a professional writer, but I always thought that you had to have some ideas as to what you wanted to put in the story. Usually her books are like that. This one wasn't. The only resoniable character in the book was Kyle. What he saw in Carrie is beyond me. So skip it and go read the Blossom Street series.

[Kathy Gange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice love story.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

One Night by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I regret opening this one up. I did not finish this. Nope. I couldn't force myself to finish no matter how hard I tried to convince myself it would get better.

I give this 1 star and 4 mehs because I had to give it something.

Did I say I regret opening this?

I really do. I don't know how far I got but I found myself rolling my eyes, skimming the pages for key words, and wondering WTF?

And, let me tell you, I never skim WHOLE pages. Nope not really.

The story started out good and then I felt like I was being taken by a tornado Wizard of Oz style to a spanish soap opera. One novela I thought of was "Cuidado con el Angel" (Be Careful with the angel). This soap in particular was one of the most over the top storyline I have ever seen where everything got overblown so much that getting hit by a car would take ten minutes in slow motion to complete.

That's how I felt after their car stops working and they're thrown into some money forgery crap and the heroine has absolutely no idea what contraception is meant for. I just couldn't believe it. The whole hating part of the story, I understand, but the way they dealt with each other after the convention they attended was just stupid.

Yes, it was ridiculous the whole way through. I couldn't invest myself in this after they find out the heroine is pregnant. See? I can't even remember their names and I barely read this last night. It was a HUGE MISTAKE to pick this up. This was my first DB book, I'm not sure if I would pick up another one of her creations, buuut who knows?

View all my reviews

[Brianna (The Book Vixen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I Read this Book: I had only read one other book by this author, Hannah's List , and I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the developing love story. It was a heart felt read and I knew I wanted to read more by this author.

What I Liked: One Night was a fun and humorous read. I love reading romance novels where the romance starts of with tension between the hero and heroine. There was definitely some thick tension between Carrie and Kyle. They’re constantly bumping heads and just can’t seem to get along. But then it starts causing problems at the station they both work at so now they need to learn to get along or find new jobs.

Debbie Macomber totally caught me off guard and surprised the hell out of me with the steamy love scenes in this book! I’ve only read one other book by her and let me just say that the loves scenes, they were pretty much non-existent. I thought, okay, it’s not the author’s style to write steamy love scenes and I can appreciate that. After all, I read Nicholas Sparks’ novels and we know he doesn’t write out heated love scenes. But in One Night, Debbie Macomber spiced it up! I had to check the author of the book a few times to make sure that I was indeed reading a Debbie Macomber novel. No complaints, believe you me, just a bit surprising. Which makes me wonder, how many of her other novels also have steamy scenes? If you know of any, please let me know.

What I Didn’t Like: During an certain situation in the book, I thought to myself how do these people NOT have cell phones? I didn’t get it. I didn’t realize until I was typing up this review that this book was originally released in 1994 – before cell phones hit the population in the masses. Makes sense but it’s something I wish I had realized while I was reading the book because I just couldn’t get over it. I had thought this book was a newer release because I recently saw it at Target. The storyline definitely would have been different if there were cell phones in the picture.

You can’t tell by just reading the blurb but there’s a bit of mystery and suspense going on in this book. In a case like this, I wish there would have been at least a little bit of a hint of the mystery/suspense element in the blurb so I know what to expect because it felt like it came out of no where.

Overall Impression: One Night was a fun, light read that goes by fast. The book didn’t completely meet my expectations but I’m definitely intrigued enough to read more by Debbie Macomber.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would I recommend this book, it depends on how you look at it.  It was like a bad late 80's movie where it was so bad it is good because of how bad it was.  If Mystery Science Theater 3,000 had a book club, I think this would be high on their list.

I love Hallmark movies and the couple movies I have seen based on Debbie Maycomber books I have enjoyed.  Sometimes I just need an easy read with a predictable plot and a guaranteed happy ending. 

While this book checked all those boxes, it was originally written in 1994 and you could tell based on the relationship and characters it was a 90's book.  The main lead male is misogynistic which made me dislike him the entire book and the female was annoying, which was funny as I was not really rooting for them get together in the end.

It was a romance and mystery which the cheesyness of the mystery I actually enjoyed.  I was able to skim most of the book and not miss much plot-wise so at least I didn't waste a lot of time on the book.

As long as you don't take it too seriously you should be able to get through it. 

[Cayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this story at all. It felt scattered and lacked a cohesive narrative, making it hard to stay engaged. Its 1994 origin is evident, not just in style but in the outdated gender dynamics. The portrayal of men consistently getting what they want, with little regard for the female perspective, is quite annoying to read.

[Robert Cohen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Debbie. You write excellent romance novels, numerous of which I have read and enjoyed. They are witty, charming, boy meets girl, boy hates girl, boy and girl fall in love, happily-ever-after. But please, don’t write suspense/thriller/crime fiction. One Night has too many cringeworthy holes and embarrassing implausible twists. The good guys and bad guys in the suspense part of the plot couldn’t be more two-dimensional and dull. Elmore Leonard you are not.

You get 4 stars for the romance part, 1 star for the suspense. Hence the 2 star rating. Don’t worry, I do plan to read more of your romances, which I very much enjoy.

[Anne Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing enough for the most part, and I am generally a Macomber fan, but a bit lacking in realism. The relationship is okay, for a romance, but the whole story is hinged on some pretty impossible coincidences, and I remain horrified at stories requiring grown adults to forget there is such a thing as reproductive consequences simply because they get wrapped up in "The Moment". These two had no excuse for their silliness, so I kind of stopped following them after that.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3.5 stars because it was cheesy and predictable but i still liked it.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, I love Debbie Macomber and happy endings

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is pretty kooky. Carrie Jamison and Kyle Harris are complete opposites. Carrie is quirky and fun, her personality is bubbly and bright. Kyle is serious and stubborn, and often shows no emotion whatsoever. They’re rival radio hosts at a local broadcasting station. However their rivalry has everyone fed up with their behavior. Their boss offers them an ultimatum, to fix their relationship or they’re both fired. Carrie and Kyle then plan to drive to a radio convention in Dallas, Texas to try and amend their opinions if one another. But their simple road trip takes a turn when their become involved in a FBI case and find themselves working with the secret service to catch a criminal. And within the chaos love ensues.

Not at all what I thought this book was going to be, and that’s a little disappointing. The radio host thing had nothing to do with the book at all. I thought it was gonna be a cute work rivalry with fun office tension… it was not. They literally could’ve worked anywhere and it would not have effected the plot. Which sucks because it is such a cute idea to go off of. The beginning was my favorite because you got a taste of how they didn’t like each other and how the road trip was meant to bring them together. What is confusing is 50 pages in the main plot becomes catching a criminal counterfeiting license plates??? They get held at gun point while their car is broken down, and then the police throw Kyle in the local jail because they think they’re involved with the criminal. Carrie has to bail him out and the two of them struggle to make it to the radio convention. They immediately realize BAM they’re actually attracted to each other and two weeks later Carrie is pregnant. Somehow the only option is to marry immediately. But then they find out not only is the counterfeiting criminal after them, but also a murderer. So they have to leave town and stay in Kyle’s lake house. Oh and the counterfeiting criminal is actually Kyle’s estranged father. So yea… listen it wasn’t horrible. It just really wasn’t good hahaha, writing wise I mean. There is great tension and it has cute moments. This plot was just constant whiplash and almost nonsensical. But goddamn it if I wasn’t entertained. No I wouldn’t read this again or recommend you to read it, but I don’t regret it. Debbie Macomber has MUCHHHH BETTER books I swear I love her other stuff this was just a bit odd.

[Emma Inman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There was just enough mystery and love story to keep you coming back for more. Perfect length. Amazing as always

[Hannah Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random book left in this Florida house. Good to pass time I guess

[Gaven VanDyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book really Great

[Jasnica Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an enemies-to-lovers trope but sadly it felt as if the male protagonist didn't have any changes on his attitude except for the fact that he "fell in love" with the female protagonist. I honestly felt doubtful regarding for his feelings for her because it seems like it's only lust that draws him towards her. He wasn't even an "understanding man" for the woman he loves, if that is. There are also questions left unanswered towards the end that left the readers wonder on their own in the dark.

[Patt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story of Carrie Jamison and Kyle Harris, who work for radio station KUTE. They can't stand each other and then they are sent to a convention. They decide to drive together, and Carrie insists they take the scenic route. This leads to an encounter with an FBI most wanted felon. Complications after complications ensue, and , in the midst of the chaos, an unlikely romance develops. This is one Debbie Macomber's early books and I'm so glad I found it.

[DougWa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Macomber is terrific, but this one fell flat. Myself being a radio DJ, I was excited to pick this up, but it has none of the flavor of life on the airwaves. Instead I found two unlikable main characters.
Ewww! lol

[Dawn aka wolfinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, a real page turner and was hard to put down until I finished it!

[Sandy Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fast read and I fell in love with the characters. I could not put it down.

[Anne Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I read another book by Debbie Macomber that is very similar to this story, in that we have a couple who takes having a pre-marital relations lightly, takes the vows of marriage lightly, and just act too happy go lucky for me. This was a haphazard “love story” and even though I love most of Debbie Macomber’s books, this was a disappointment.
Carrie, a DJ, and Kyle, a newscaster, both work at the same radio station and can’t get along. Their boss threatens to fire them unless they start to like each other. They both agree to drive to a Broadcaster’s convention and that’s when their adventure begins. Kyle’s car breaks down, some outlaw who turns out to be Kyle’s long lost father picks them up, and when they get to town, Kyle is arrested and put in jail for jaywalking. He gets out of jail because Carrie posts bail by selling a family heirloom ring (which I don’t think she ever got back). On their way again, they get stopped for speeding but the police officer just tells them a sob story about his life. They drive on but get lost, get stuck in a marsh, and wind up falling in love. Bad guys are after them because a key was left in Kyle’s car that they want. The bad guys get caught with Carrie and Kyle’s mother Lillian staying at a secluded cabin. Lillian gave them sleeping pills. Thank goodness it’s over!

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie Jamison is a morning deejay who did not get along with Kyle Harris, a newscaster who also worked at KUTE radio. They were going to be fired but had two weeks to try to get along. The boss was still going to let them go but they convinced him that they had decided to drive to a Broadcaster's Convention in Dallas together. The mystery comes in when a farmer picks them up after the car they are riding in becomes disabled. Carrie thinks she saw the driver on "America's Most Wanted." They are lucky when the man throws them out of the truck and leaves with their luggage. The police and Secret Service are there and say that the farmer was making counterfeit money.

There is much more to the farmer's story. Though, since this book is a romance, you know that they will become more than friends by the end to the book because as the title says they get together for "One Night." Carrie becomes pregnant and Kyle wants to get married. Read the book to find out what happens.

I have not read a lot of her books, but I enjoyed the mystery element of this one since I like cozy mysteries.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out slow and boring so I almost gave up on it. It got better but all the action occurred in the last 40 or so pages. Some reviewers wondered why they weren't using their cell phones. I wasn't bothered by that since I read that the book was originally published in the 90's. It was refreshing to read a book where the main characters weren't texting or worried about their social media profiles.

Some of the story seemed farfetched. Carrie and Kyle were too calm in the face of bad guys chasing them. The fact that one the guys that turned out to be a good guy and was Kyle's long lost father didn't seem plausible. If I think about the story too much I wondered if you are on a business trip why would you leave the highway to take an alternate route that took you through the middle of no where. Kyle should not have listened to Carrie on this. But of course if they had stayed on the highway they would have never ended up being involved with bad guys and the story would have remained boring.

[Sue Negrillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carrie and Kyle work at a radio station and don’t get along. Their boss has them go to this convention together so they can work through their problems. They go on the trip and Carrie wants to stop a lot and then wants to take back roads to see stuff. Driving Kyle crazy. Then he runs over a rock car breaks down they get pick up by a criminal that’s hold them at fun point. He lets them go but the guy is still after them cause he put a key in his car. While they are on the run they start to be attracted to each other. They go to his family’s cabin he’s mother comes there to help they guys shows up..he is Kyle’s dad. He never knew and he’s not the bad guy he’s under cover.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I generally like Debbie Macomber's books, I can't say I liked this one. Usually her books are relatively tame, heartwarming stories. I suppose there were heartwarming moments, but the characters weren't consistent, and it was far from tame. Normally I can tolerate the steam, though, if I get a good story to go along with it. I just didn't believe the premise. I found it funny too when I read a Facebook article listing Macomber's 2017 novel picks. One she recommended was "steamier than [she] normally reads." That's why I didn't think I'd find the sexy descriptions in one of her novels!

[Barbi Huhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, you meet Carrie and Kyle, two radio deejays who can’t seem to get along and are sent off on a business trip and told that they won’t have a job waiting for them when they get back unless they can get along.
They start out on the trip bickering and arguing. They end up getting off the interstate per Carrie’s request and things start to go wrong.
Add in a night in jail, the FBI, some alcohol and well meaning family members, and a little bit of chemistry and you’re off for a wild and crazy read.

[Alexis Wylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was parts of this story I could enjoy and a plot twist I didn’t see coming, but it was also very far fetched. I didn’t understand the animosity at the beginning between the characters. They didn’t even really know each other despite working together. I just was not feeling the emotion. Once their relationship took of, the chemistry was more believable.
It’s got to be tough coming up with different ways to make two people fall in love…I kind of live for it though as a romance novel junkie. This one was one of those good not great deals for me.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a different genre to my last read! I like Debbie Macomber books because they are formulaic, sweet and easy to read. Sometimes you just need a cheesy romance to relax your brain. This one had a bit of thriller espionage too, and a very strong beginning. These books are not for everyone admittedly, but Debbie Macomber is one of my go to authors when I feel like a happy ending and a bit of fluff. Cute and cosy.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of Debbie Macomber’s earlier books and it shows. Carrie Jamison was a deejay on radio station KUTE and Kyle Harris was a news anchor but these two could not get along at all. The radio station manager decided to fire them both if they could not settle their differences but it seemed nothing was going to help until she suggested their driving to Dallas from Kansas City for a convention. The trip took a mind of it’s own and that is what this story is about. Kind of cute but childish.

[Glenys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance, antagonism and intrigue; good story about Carrie and Kyle who work together on a radio program, unfortunately they do not seem to be able to get along and are threatened with being sacked... given time to try and work out their differences and to attend a conference in the meantime. Plans go awry when they are stranded on a back road with car problems, get kidnapped, and the plot just gets worse by the minute. All turns out OK in the end.