Trail Stop, Idaho, is a tiny isolated town connected to the outside world by a single road. Cate Nightingale is a widow with four-year-old twin boys and still mourns the loss of her husband who died three years earlier. After his death she moved to Trail Stop and bought the local bed-and-breakfast. Calvin Harris is the town handyman who helps Cate with the many problems that seem to plague the old house. Plumbing, carpentry, whatever, he can fix it. Cate thinks "Mr. Harris" is an extremely shy man who never opens his mouth. But Cal is not what he seems. He is a former marine who came to town to visit his former commanding officer. When Cate moved into town, Cal found himself very attracted to her so decided to stay and make his home there. Cate thinks that Cal is just a rather uninteresting man who gets extremely tongue tied around her and blushes uncontrollably whenever she speaks to him. The whole town is aware of Cal's attraction to her for the last three years and tries to throw them together, but Cate is oblivious.

One morning Cate discovers that Jeffrey Layton, one of the B&B guests, has disappeared out the window of his room leaving his personal possessions behind. A few days later Cate and her friend Neenah are held at gunpoint by two men who had checked in as guests. These men demand Cate give them the possessions that Layton left behind. Cal gets the jump on the two villains and ends up kicking their asses and they slink out of town.

But the trouble is just beginning. These thugs come up with plan to hold the entire town hostage until they get Layton's possessions which they believe contains one of those little flash drives (about the size of a pack of gum) with some mob secret files. They blow up the bridge leading to town, cut off their electricity, and start shooting townspeople at random. This part of the plot was rather farfetched and not realistic at all.

Amazon's review uses phrases like "breathless action", "gripping suspense", and "intense romance". Uh, no. Not quite, people. Slight exaggeration here, but it was a good book, just not her best. The first third of the book contained a lot of character setup with antics of her 4 yo twins who were not overly cutesy but acted like real boys. Cate's mother takes them away for a visit to her home so they were out of the way when the action begins. Cal was an unusual hero for Howard. He appeared to be a beta with all his blushes and stammering, but when the gunmen appear his marine training becomes evident and he starts acting more like an alpha male. The suspense was good and interesting and kept me turning the pages. The romance was a bit on the light side but still very good although it developed so quickly over the course of a couple of days. And I enjoyed the secondary romance. Many Linda Howard fans may find CoN rather dull but LH's dull is better than many author's best. She knows how to tell a story well and keeps you turning the pages. (Grade: B-) ( )

“Cover of Night” by Linda Howard was a suspense packed novel filled with laughter, romance, and drama. The beginning dragged out a bit while the author set up the characters’ back stories, although it eventually came together into a great, picturesque novel. I could relate and empathize with the characters in their struggles. I also really took great pleasure in the relationships that unfurled from the characters’ experience. Overall, it was a really excellent weekend read. I was impressed with Mrs. Howard’s style of writing, and I will positively read another one of her novels. ( )

This book had everything! Suspense, Romance, action, laughs and tears!
I loved the 4 year old twins Conner & Tanner and I wish we got to read more about them.. They had me in fits of giggles. :)

Linda Howard did extremely well telling all sides of every story! The good, the bad, women, men and of course the children. :)
I'm really looking forward to reading more from her soon. ( )

Cate Nightingale lives with her two four year old twin boys in Trail Stop, Idaho running a B & B. Calvin Harris who is the local jack of all trades is not what he seems and Cate’s luck is about to run out.

One morning at the B & B a guest disappears; leaving behind all of his personal belongs. A couple days later armed men storm the house and demand the mystery man’s belongings. Calvin forces the intruders into the surrounding woods where the nightmare begins for Cate, Calvin and the entire residents of the community. All of a sudden everyone finds themselves cut off and alone from the rest of civilization with no means to call for help as the threat intensifies and first blood is drawn.

With no way to communicate for help, both Cate and Calvin decided to fight their enemies head on under the cover of night. As Cate soon realizes it may not be only her enemies that she has to watch out for but also Calvin and the strong feelings she has for him.

This book was just ok for me. It didn’t seem very strong in the fact that when Cate and Calvin were fighting the bad guys it was like the bad guys came in hot and heavy at first and than let Cate and Calvin save the day, so that there could be a happy ending.

Now as far as love scenes go, I don’t require that the people have to do it all the time and often which is not the way with this book but when Cate and Calvin did hook up it was kind of luke warm for me.

I will check out another of Linda Howard’s books but I hope that it is better than this one. ( )

Cate Nightingale , mother of two four-year-old twin boys has been a widow for three years. When her husband died, the family had been living in Seattle but she could not afford to live there and spend time with the boys. Before the birth of the boys, Cate and her husband went on rock-climbing vacations and stayed at a bed and breakfast (B&B) in Trail Stop, Idaho. The town was isolated with only a couple of stores and less than four dozen residents. Cate had fond memories of the town and people, therefore, when the B&B became available, she and the boys moved to Trails End.

Owning and running a B&B allowed her to spend time with the twins and earn enough to live simply, The townspeople soon became fond of the family, and the B&B quickly became a gathering place for the townspeople. Cate was a good cook and was becoming known for her muffins, scones, and hospitality. The only problem she had with the B&B was the need for frequent repairs and she was forever calling on the town handyman Cal Harris. Cal was extremely shy around Cate and was constantly blushing.

One busy morning one of the guests disappears and leaves his things behind. Unknown to Cate, he had worked for a mobster in Chicago. Before she knows what’s happening, Cate and the townspeople are caught up in a life and death situation. Ms. Howard weaves a plot involving Cate, Cal, a hunting and fishing guide and an ex nun, the townspeople, and a group of mobsters. She shows how townspeople can band together in an effort to save each other using what is at hand. I was especially intrigued to learn how useful a corn chip could be. The book was a page-turner and one I couldn’t put down. An enjoyable book for someone who enjoys suspense with a touch of romance. ( )