Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Do It For Me
Review: I bought this book because of the rave reviews on this site, but I have to say, I didn't find the dark complexity that others did. I found a trite, silly and implausible premise - the lady cat burglar thing, ho-hum - that was redeemed slightly by some better than average characterizations. But brilliance? Hardly. If you are a junkie and need your fix, this book ought to provide a satisfactory buzz. But if you are a connosieur, you've got to stick with Laura Kinsale.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing portrayal of two people with emotional baggage
Review: I have been experiencing a romance drought, in that none of the usual books can please me. Having taken to reading Lord Peter Wimsey and then Horatio Hornblower and the letters of Jane Austen simultaneously, I nevertheless picked up this book, on the recommendation of All About Romance. This is an amazing book with very few missteps. Firstly, a warning. This is the story of two people with secrets, one with a double life, and with considerable emotional baggage. If you do not like books about troubled heroes and heroines, avoid this book. Secondly, the tone of the book is obsessive. Both hero and heroine are obsessed with each other, and at least one secondary character is obssessed with the hero. The hero has a reason to "stalk" the heroine, but if this theme and the overarching theme of obsession makes you uncomfortable, avoid this book. Lastly, this book contains some rather explicit scenes (definitely R rated) but the hero and heroine do not actually come together until relatively late in the book (and after they are married). If you like your bedroom scenes earlier and more conventional, again, this book should be avoided. All right. Now to a quick review of the book. I cannot praise Brockway enough for coming up with these two memorable characters (to whom I can compare only David de Abyngdon in Hunter's BY ARRANGEMENT and Miss Milton in Kelly's MISS MILTON SPEAKS HER MIND, both reviewed by me). Both hero and heroine have murky backgrounds, exist on the edges of society while moving among the very elite, and possess dark secrets. Both are haunted by their past decisions and by the actions of others. The hero is Henry Seward, otherwise the Hound of Whitehall, a notably spy and intelligence officer. He is not noble, he is illegitimate, and the reputed son of a cold-hearted spymaster. The heroine Anne is the daughter of a merchant, who married a wealthy gentleman who became a war hero (of sorts) by dying in action, along with most of his crew. She has his rank, his money, her father's money, and the cachet of being a war hero's widow. Anne however is not free to spend her income as she wants, thanks to the tightfisted trustees who do not agree with her wishes. She wants to spend her late husband's wealth to aid wounded and impoverished soldiers and sailors returning from the Napoleonic Wars to a peace where they are not wanted. She tries to raise funds from the social elite, but promises of funds are not kept. Anne cannot expose the non-payers, because she is chaperoning her late husband's cousin who is of obscure if genteel birth. To do so would ruin young Sophia North. Anne, therefore, devises a method of getting the money from the deadbeats. How? Well, she becomes a master thief who steals jewels and money from the non-payers, and then from other aristocrats who can afford to lose their money and show no social conscience. With every theft, she becomes more and more reckless. During one such theft, she is cornered by the Hound of Whitehall, aka Henry Seward, aka Jack. She manages her escape brilliantly, but leaves behing a man obsessed with catching her - firstly, because she has escaped from him, and secondly, because of the method of her escape. There is also a little promise that she had made him (under duress) and broken. Seward suspects that the master thief is a member of the social elite, and he knows the thief is a woman. So he obtains an introduction into the Prince Regent's circle, where he is looked down upon by most of the courtiers and hangers-on because of his birth and lack of wealth, but accepted because the Regent accepts him [think Brummell here]. In a series of confrontations between him and Anne, her secret is teased out by Jack and then guessed at (partially) by some others. Anne is in jeopardy, not just because of her thieving at a time when stealing a handkerchief was a serious crime, but also because she is believed to have stolen a mysterious government document. The denouement is brilliant. A lot of surprising, and sometimes unpleasant secrets are revealed, showing up Jack's lifetime struggle with morality and ethics in a new light. [Clue: the secret lies in his birth and childhood in a Scottish orphanage, as well as in his name]. The real villains are not who you would guess. Sophia, Anne's ward, plays an ambiguous role turning from an ambitious if selfish young woman into something rather more complex (and not more likeable). At the end, we are not sure whether Jack and Anne will be able to live happily ever after, given the number of forces ranged against them. We must hope that they will have a Happily Ever After ending, bound by their love and mutual obsession, and their recognition of the emotional baggage that has so warped each of them for so long. Some caveats: Anne's playing a companion (rather than a chaperone, the correct term) to a young relative of her late husband was not too well-explained. A companion was usually a lady without financial resources of her own. Otherwise, the period, with its political and social turmoil, was beautifully evoked - even if at times, the book sounded more Georgian (late 18th century) rather than late Regency. Recommendation: Must read - if you like dark complex books with characters balanced between good and evil. I could not put this book down and read it (rapidly) in two hours.
Rating:
Summary: One of my All Time Favorites
Review: I have read all of Brockway's works up until the passionate series. This story is my favorite, though. I marvelled at the heroine and how she wasn't some perfect little miss. She was a widow and more than a little cynical. Her most endearing traits are traditionally bestowed upon romantic heroes. She was a jewel thief with an adrenallin addiction and a past. A past! She wasn't an eighteen year old chit, what a relief. This novel was more than a little salty, and much more wonderful for it's flavor. So many novels are sugar sweet and predictible. These characters were flawed and multi-dimensional, I truly felt the hero's pain over a decision he had made in his past. The secondary characters were just as wonderful, wonderfully complicated that is. Brockway is so exemplary because her stories alternate between sweetly funny and exciting and dangerous. If you have a taste for the exciting and sexy this is your book.
Rating:
Summary: Great storyline but...
Review: I thought this storyline was a 5+, the physical encounters were a sizzling 10, and I really liked the characters. However, much of the writing was just so stiff that I found it rather distracting. I mean, how many people "think thus"? I certainly appreciate historical accuracy and I understand that part of Jack's charm is his gentlemanly behavior juxtaposed against the dichotomy of his rough background. Nevertheless, something just didn't flow. It was still a nice story. I just see where it could have been so much more with a more fluid, poetic writing style.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I was up All Through the Night reading this. I hated turning that last page. I especially loved Jack and his insecurities. I'll definitely look for more Connie Brockway novels.
Rating:
Summary: The Gold Standard for Hot Historical Romance
Review: I won't waste time recapping the plot. READ THIS BOOK. I've read many romances and this is one of the best. It is an intense, original, and completely satisifying read. The hero is a tortured alpha type but not in the least bit cliche. You understand his past and come to believe, not only in the reality of his scars, but that he has the strength to move past them-- with the heroine's help, of course. The heroine isn't typical either. Yes, she's a thief, but she isn't one of those ridiculous "I think I'll put on trousers and live the wild life" feisty heroines. She's got honor, spirit, and her own troubled past.
You may think "Oh, I only read contemporaries" or "Oh, I only like to read about virginal heroines." I encourage anyone to forget their prejudices and just pick up this sexy, emotional, wonderful romance.
One caveat: If you like light or funny romances, this one is not that. It's intense. If you want a frothier read, check out Brockway's "As You Desire." Just as charming and original, equally wonderful characters, but a much more light-hearted read.
Rating:
Summary: WILL KEEP YOU UP ALL NIGHT READING
Review: I'm not going to say this one was original because obviously this plot has been done before. . .however, it is worth your time. An intelligent female lead character - just how intelligent isn't revealed until the end. Both characters shaped by an unhappy past. . .again not an original theme but well done. Sexy! Exciting! I don't think I've read anything else by this author, but I will certainly seek her out in the future. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Greart romance by an author whose star is on the rise
Review: In 1817 London, Jack Seward is assigned to kill the Wrexhall Wraith before the master thief can sell a letter that his superior Jamison wants returned. Jack soon learns that the thief is a female. For the first time in his lonely life he finds himself attracted to a woman. He also is attracted to Anne Wilder, a chaperon to a debutante. Jack soon learns that the two women he is lusting over are the same person. He forces Anne to marry him because he wants to protect her from his superior. Anne finally convinces Jack that she never possessed the missing document. Jack knows that he will need to utilize all his talents to keep his beloved alive from the deadly threat of his boss, who is playing his own game.
ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT is an extremely pleasant reading experience that follows the traditional rules of the sub-genre. The lead characters are both huggable sorts that readers will embrace as the pair struggles to overcome lifetimes of lessons leading to mistrust. The mystery of the letter adds an extra element of intrigue. Connie Brockway provides her fans with an intriguing Regency romance, pushing her one step closer to being one of tomorrow's superstars.
Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Tormented Passionate Couple
Review: Jack and Anne will go down in romance history as one of the most unusual couples to grace the pages of a book: the hero is not noble and the heroine is a danger junkie. There are layers of psychology going on in their complex and uneasy relationship that one does not often find between the pages of a romance novel. The heat from their mutual obsession scorches the pages before turning into a fabulous love. This story lingers in the reader's memory long after the final chapter is done. Very highly recommended for the reader that wants something a little edgy in their romances.
Rating:
Summary: Evocative and truly memorable
Review: My interest in this novel was piqued by a reviewer at another website who gave it 100 marks out of 100. Quite a triumph, I thought, as the reviewer is, I think, tough but consistent in her views. I was NOT disappointed! All Through the Night is a difficult, dark and demanding book. It is not an easy read. Sometimes I felt I was almost intruding into the private emotional dance that Mrs Wilder and Col Seward were performing. The hero is a man from an impossibly horrible background who, through sharp intelligence, profound skills of observation and self-knowledge and an almost puritanical morality has literally created himself from nothing. The heroine is also from a less than salubrious background and profoundly damaged by her first marriage to a man who nearly broke her spirit through impossible demands and relentless criticism. He is a spy; she is a thief. They are caught up in the fathomless machinations and devious plots of politicians who only think they control the puppet strings of these two strong willed people. There is hot but very believable sexual tension between the two and the build up to their ultimate coming together is exquisitely drawn. The author truly is clever in painting a picture which requires the reader to fill in the gaps. Some things are never explained (how Jack injured his hand, for example) and others are hinted at obliquely but effectively. I shall now have to organise copies of her other books for I hope to be pleased again with Ms Brockway's work. She is to be complimented on the quality of her prose, her immaculate plotting and the brilliantly developed characters. Some of the peripheral characters in this novel are very well done and added to the intricate layers of the story. Only one small criticism. As I so often find, editors let authors down repeatedly with stupid, totally preventable errors about aristocratic titles. Why, why, why does this happen?
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