This is my first book by this author but OMG it was awesome!

Ethan and his team come across Karly on a mission. She is struggling to help a group of hostages, as well as a new friend, to escape from a terrorist group. But she’s got to survive long enough to do so first. When she’s discovered by Ethan she is tossed into the center of a top secret reconnaissance mission that quickly turns from fact gathering to rescue. Unfortunately, they are severely outmanned. The resulting battle is intense and I felt my pulse pound along with Karly’s.

This has so many things I love in the books I read. Filled with so much suspense, action and drama as well as one sexy SEAL and I was totally sold on this series. The only downside was there was no epilogue and I really needed to know what happened to this couple in the future. I’m digging into this author’s backlist as fast as I can.

My honest review is for a special copy from NetGalley that I voluntarily read.

Dual POV
Safe
Possible triggers – it is mentioned that her friend has been gang raped while hostage. That is all it says and there is no description and nothing else said about it.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. Goldberg, J., MD. (2016, February 27). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder#1

In Laura Griffin latest book in her Alpha Crew book #3, Karly Bonham a journalist who’s covering the new United States ambassador to Thailand has witnessed the after math of a terrorist attack. With only her wits and courage would keep her from being the next casualty.
When help arrives in the form of Navy SEAL Ethan Dunn, it has become Ethan duty to keep Karly safe.
Cover of Night hits on a topic that few of us has experienced. But our men in Blue, or military knows all too well. Even though this book talks about PTSD it isn’t the main theme of the book. Cover of Night is a military adventure story full of intrigue and romance.
I love the adventure, I just hated the way the story ended. When I finally got into the story I turned the page just to find that I was at the end.
All in all Cover of Night (Alpha Crew) was fun and well written. I started this series from the beginning and each book can be read as a stand-alone title.
I would recommend this title or series for any reader into military romantic suspense

Another great story by Laura Griffin!

The Alpha Crew's new romantic couple is Ethan Dunn and Karly Bonham.

Karly is a journalist who flew to Thailand to interview the well-liked and desirable United States ambassador. She has developed a good rapport with him and his daughter. Everything changes when a group of terrorists attacks them. Karly is trying to keep herself alive when help arrives in the form of the Alpha Crew. She immediately feels a connection with Ethan, one of its members.

Ethan has one mission as part of the Alpha Crew (a special SEAL team) and it's to save the hostages. Reluctantly, he realizes he has one woman's safety as his priority. He worries about Karly and he wants her out of danger's way.

I love this series. The novel is short but packed with romance, dangerous situations, and action. Both characters were likable and I liked that Laura Griffin added PTSD to the storyline. It made sense. Not every rescue is going to go without consequences.

I'm going to wait impatiently for her next installment.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Pocket Star via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Karly writes for a magazine, and is on assignment in Thailand, writing a story about the United States ambassador to Thailand and his family. With the story almost wrapped up, Karly decides to sneak out of her hotel room and get a drink and maybe even go on a boat. She has met a few people at the resort she has connected with, and decides it might be fun to have a few hours of relaxation before heading back to the states. While out on the water, terrorists flood the resort, killing people, and taking the Ambassador and his daughter hostage. Karly jumps off the boat and flees – hiding under the cover of darkness as night falls, on the outskirts of the resort.

Ethan is a Navy SEAL on an elite team called, Alpha Crew. Him and a few others are called in to do reconnaissance on the bad guys, before the main team comes in for the full attack and rescue. He literally runs into Karly in the woods, and after they both realize they are on the same side, Karly tries to tell him all she can remember about what she saw of the bad guys. Ethan and his team win the day, and eventually Karly and Ethan make their way back to San Diego, where they reconnect and start a romance.

This book suffers from being too short. About 160 pages, it just wasn’t enough time for the romance and suspense to fully play out. The suspense starts out great, and full of terror, as Karly witness a horrific shooting and then has to hide in the woods with Ethan and his team, as they try to decide what to do. I was there for it! But then the suspense gets resolved very fast. All of a sudden we are back in the states and while Ethan and Karly have a hot one night stand, the romance just stalls out. Some of the bad guy action follows them home, but the main bad guy really needed more back story. Ethan and Karly’s romance is rushed and the declaration of love didn’t feel realistic.

If this had been a full length, I think I would have liked getting to know Ethan and his team better – and see how the romance would actually play out.

Grade: C

Available now: Cover of Night

****4/5 stars

Another great quick-reading suspense-romance from Laura Griffin.



Recommended readers:

Laura Griffin or political-terror drama plots.
Action-Adventure Romancer lovers
Looking for a book for you and your man
Here's my Rankings:

4/5 for characters
4/5 for plot
4/5 overall
2/5 steaminess
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

While doing an in-depth feature on a local congressman on-location in Thailand, Karly Bonham finds herself immersed in a terrorist plot (and a super sexy Navy Seal). You'll fly through the pages of this terror-suspense-romance - just like all her novels, Laura Griffin's Cover of Night is a sexy, fast-paced read.

Available now: Cover of Night (only $3.99)

Unable to review as book did not download and is now archived. No reviews posted.

3.5 Stars. Cover of Night is the 3rd book in Alpha Crew but could easily be read as a stand alone book. It's a quick, exciting and sexy romance with likable characters and quite a bit of action.

Karly is a journalist on her first overseas assignment to write about the US ambassador to Thailand.
She's wrapping up her trip when the resort she's staying at is attacked by terrorists. She is able to escape and gets a quick message of to her editor that they are under attack. The Alpha Crew (an elite team of Navy SEALs) are sent to the island to do some recon and set-up for a rescue attempt when the rest of the team arrives. Ethan finds Karly and the two are immediately attracted to each other and end up working together to stop the terrorists. .

I liked Karly and appreciated that she wasn't a woman in need of rescuing. In fact, I love that she rescued herself and the way it was set up was actually believable. Although I didn't buy the way she ended up working with the SEALs. <spoiler>Yes they needed the information she had but having a traumatized civilian help in a rescue op just wasn't believable</spoiler> Ethan was likable and a pretty typical Alpha Male military character. With the book being so short nothing really stood out about him but I liked him. The instant attraction turning into love so quickly wasn't all that believable but again with the shortness of the story and let's face it that's a pretty typical trope for a romance book especially with a lot of action/suspense. I liked the team dynamics and would have liked to see more interaction between Ethan and the rest of the team.

The second half of the book slows down a bit and I really liked the way the author showed the repercussions of the attack in Karly's life. It would have been nice to see some more development on the relationship side and Karly certainly had some valid concerns about a future together that were basically swept under the carpet.

I enjoyed the suspense, the fast pace and the characters. While the romance was hot it was a little less developed than I prefer but still enjoyable. The Alpha Crew is a great series if you're looking for a fast-paced, fun romance that you can read quickly!

I loved this story. It is short at about 166 pages but it doesn't feel rushed and it is actually a good thing that it is short because it is one that I just started reading late one evening and just couldn't put down.

I do highly recommend

Cover of Night by Laura Griffin is just as explosive as the first books in this Alpha Crew Series. A US Ambassador is under attack with a journalist along with others caught in the crossfire. If one is ever in danger the SEALs Alpha Unit is the group needed to help you. Besides the tough, determined, resourceful men, Karly is one female who is just as tough, just as resourceful and just as determined to help.

This is a novella that grabs your total attention, keeps you reading and when finished has you wanting more. Well-written with action, danger in a setting that you can envision; paradise turned into a nightmare. There are real, genuine characters that you are holding your breath hoping they make it out alive. Bravo!

**I received a copy of Cover of Night from Net Galley and Pocket Star in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

Cover of Night by Laura Griffin is the third book of the authors Alpha Crew series and I feel that you could read it as a stand alone without issues even though I have each successive one.

Karly Bonham is a journalist covering the US Ambassador and his daughter to Thailand who is vacation on a remote and private location. Little does anyone know that she would meet the person responsible for taking them hostage. While returning from a dive she sees guests being shot on the beach and when the terrorist see the boat they start attacking them. Karly is able to go over the side and escape but she's able to place a SOS to her editor hoping that someone will rescue them.

Ethan Dunn and his team of Alpha Crew Navy SEALs have been sent to recon the situation for rescue when he suddenly finds Karly in the jungle. He takes her knowledge of the island and hostages to use for a rescue but his team of 4 men will be outnumbered. After all the hostages are rescued and on their way for medical help, both Ethan and Karly have one night together but then the one terrorist who escapes realizes that she may have a way to ID her. Ethan wants more than one night but can he convince Karly?

There will be another rescue of her but will Ethan get there in time before Tango X silences her forever? Can Karly take a chance on Ethan to take their feelings of each other to a possible forever? I definitely would give the book 4.8 stars and hope there are more in the future.

Ethan Dunn is part of an elite Navy SEAL team, Alpha Crew, sent in to rescue an Ambassador and his daughter from terrorists. He encounters Karly Bonham, a journalist, on his mission.

This is a very short, disappointing romantic military suspense story. There is so much potential in this book that is never reached.

There’s the whole rush of the suspense that makes up most of the story, with the sudden attraction mixed in, that comes to an abrupt conclusion. Too many gaps with a rushed and what felt like an incomplete ending. If this book is any indication, we won’t see anything about previous couples, other than a quick, they’re “making it work” in the next book. So, once again, a HFN, sort of.

There is more suspense than romance. I struggled with Ethan and Karly’s connection.

This author’s Tracer series are amazing, well-developed, intriguing stories. I’ll be sticking to that series.

This book is easily read in one sitting and as a standalone.

I voluntarily read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Pocket Star for the ARC for my honest review. I am voluntarily doing this review. I rated this book 4 stars. As always full of surprises and intrigue. Another really good boil. If you like whirlwind romance and suspense this is a read fir you. This is the third in a series but they read as stand alone books. Enjoy

I enjoyed this book. Karly and Ethan meet under intense circumstances, and share a connection. And, I loved that while that connection was acknowledged, it really was never inappropriate or to such a degree where I felt that it didn't make sense that the events would occur, no sex against the wall during the gun fights or other silliness that just made no sense.

I liked their relationship, and the idea that it was a one night stand, at first. And then it was a 2 night stand, and then it was more. This followed and felt real. The way the aftermath of what Karly experienced is handled also felt authentic. While not going into any details, and not giving anything away, I felt like she acted as someone who had been in a hostage situation would. I found this to not only be realistic, but also interesting.

I liked the way the book ended, after a second or so. It is a little abrupt, and at first I found myself wanting more, an epilogue, a further story, a what happens next...something. But, I have all I needed. I decided the reason I wanted more was that I genuinely liked the story, and Ethan, and I wanted to see what happened to them and wanted more of them.

Not a bad way to leave a reader, honestly. Enjoying what they read and wanting more is definitely the way to end a book.

I recommend this title. It does function as a standalone, although there are references to characters from the previous titles referenced in this one. If you have read those (and I recommend them) this is fun...if you haven't, they function as secondary characters who don't detract from the story.

Overall, this was enjoyable and I look forward to the next in the series.

Laura Griffin is one of my top favorite romantic suspense authors. She's one of the few I've read who can write both sides of the plot well. And even when I don't connect to the story or plot, I always enjoy the book because her writing is so solid and engaging. The reason this book didn't work as well for me was likely due in part to it being a novella. It's difficult to write a romance into a novella unless the characters previously knew each other, which these two did not. And truthfully, I was right there into the story and loving the characters, but when I would stop and reflect, everything felt too fast, too convenient, and not believable. And here, the suspense angle suffers a bit as well. The previous two books of this series were also novella length, but they were about the same couple and the same plot, and this is why the story worked.

I mean, in the end, I read this book cover to cover in one sitting. Reading a book by Laura Griffin is, for me, like slipping on a comfy sweater and drinking a cup of coffee: 100% comfort. But right now, I'm just anxiously awaiting her next Tracers novel. I would highly recommend this author to anyone, but I would suggest starting with one of her full length novels.

I always love Laura Griffin and this book was no exception. Now this was an action-packed book: fast-paced and a definite page turner. I liked and connected with the characters, especially the very sweet hero, Ethan. This was everything I'm looking for in an exciting and romantic read. 4 1/2 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Cover of Night by Laura Griffin that I read and reviewed.
I really enjoyed the new novella which is the third in the Alpha Crew series and features Navy SEAL Ethan Dunn. I loved his pairing with journalists Karly Bonham who he met during an op when terrorists attacked an island that Karly was on while she was writing a story about a U.S. Ambassador.
This novella is packed with romance and a bit of intrigue for a short story. Ethan and and Karly steam up the pages.
I am giving Cover of Night five out of five stars.

Fast paced and totally H-O-T. Karly is a reporter on assignment in Thailand to interview the ambassador and his daughter when they are attacked. Her quick thinking and a few second phone call to send a message alerting of the attack sends help in the form of Alpha Crew, a SEAL team, who is only 4 members strong but they are mighty and able. Ethan comes across Karly in the jungle and is astonished at her tenacity and strength and absolutely captivated by her. She doesn't hinder their recovery of the hostages but helps them. Survival is sweet but meeting up a couple days later is soul binding. Fast forward several months and back to San Diego and will the connection remain or was it just part of the survival?

Great characters and fast paced story. I am really enjoying this series!

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

4.5 Stars!

I'm absolutely loving this series! The suspense is thrilling and the attraction between the main characters are hot. I love the writing. Very mature storyline and mature characters. The only thing I don't like is how abrupt the author ends these novellas. They feel like a full story until the very end. It's the only reason I don't give a full 5 stars. I would love it if the author gave us a few more pages once the couple make the decision to be a couple. They would be 5+ stars if we got more, however, I can't wait for the next in the series! I'm hooked! ARC provided by NetGalley.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I am so happy to see a new book in this series. SEALs. I just love SEALs, especially when they are doing in fiction what I hope they are doing in real life: kicking Tango ass and kissing the pretty girl. Hot romance and killer action/suspense give this novella has just what it needs and nothing more.

Karly Bonham is a journalist on assignment in Thailand to do a story on the new United States ambassador to Thailand. The first class resort, Sapphire, is a private island, but that doesn't stop the terrorists. Karly escapes the takeover and has to use dig deep to find the courage to try and figure out how to survive and help the other hostages until a rescue team can arrive.

The elite SEAL team, Alpha Crew, arrives and Ethan rescues Karly, but she insists on helping save the others. Ethan is blown away by her grit and determination and more than a little smitten too. When the action fades they up in Manila together. Karly is having a tough time with PTSD after her ordeal and Ethan is there to help her through the night. But one night is just not enough for him.

So, I have to admit, short stories/novellas are somewhat of a double-edged sword for me. Typically I either find myself struggling to connect with the characters because of the shortened timeline or I’m left wanting more because the author has managed to grab my heart. No shocker here, Cover of Night fell into the latter category.

Laura Griffin, or rather Ethan and Karly, will demand your attention. Like the two predecessors in the Alpha Crew series, this is a high-octane, teetering on the edge of your seat, biting your nails to the quick, unrelenting race to the conclusion. Will they or won’t they?

Ethan and Karly meet in the midst of a horrific situation, and it’s not immediately clear if they’ll even survive. Karly, a writer for a magazine based out of Southern California, has spent the last few days at a beach resort in Thailand interviewing the U.S. Ambassador and piecing together her article on the eligible bachelor. It’s on her last day in paradise when sh*t hits the fan and she ends up fighting for her life. Cue Ethan and the Alpha Crew.

If you haven’t had the chance to meet these delectable, hard-bodied, bad-asses, get on it. These are the stealth guys sent in to the handle the undercover ops, the impossible missions, the life or death situations. The last thing Ethan expected going in to this mission was to meet his match; a woman that would make him question everything.

“I feel like I’ve been struck by lightening here.”

The Alpha Crew series has a completely different feel than the Tracers series, but Laura Griffin still manages to deliver a compelling storyline, a potent dose of chemistry and irresistible characters—even with a reduced page count. If you’re anything like I was, you might find yourself pouting that your time with this couple ends so soon.