Night and Day - Anne Stuart / Gayle Wilson

After a few weeks without reading an Anne Stuart book I'm back to discovering her backlist. This time I read Night and day. It's actually a book with 2 novellas, one by Stuart and one by Gayle Wilson which are follow ups to other books they have written. They are also connected stories as the characters of Stuart's story appear in Wilson's story as secondary characters.

Michael Blackheart: The illegitimate son of a legendary cat burglar, Michael is going to steal the world's most valuable collection, right out from under the noses of the rich and famous - and beat the old man at it's own game!

Duncan Culhane: Ex-CIA agent and current member of the Phoenix Brotherhood, Duncan is out to help his best friend's widow. But is his willingness to go after the treasure stolen from her grandparents a product of passion or guilt?

Neither man has a clue about the horrifying world of hate and terror they are about to encounter, but these are the kind of heroes who will do what it takes to get the job done... or die trying.


The Anne Stuart story is the conclusion to her Catspaw/Blackheart series. In this one we meet Michael, Blackheart's illegitimate son whom he didn't know existed and who shows up at the same time that the art exhibition Blackheart was providing security for gets robbed. Despite Stuart's fame as the creator of some pretty dark heroes this series is very much on the light side. This one may not be as funny as Catspaw II (I haven't found Catspaw yet) but it has is humourous moments with Michael following in the family footsteps of being a cat burglar and falling in love in the process. Ferris and Blackheart still share the chemistry they found in the previous book. The story is very small and there isn't much time for character or plot development which was a pity.
Grade: B-


Wilson's story is part of her Man of Mystery series which I must confess I'm not familiar with. I did enjoy this story in which the hero is helping his best friend's widow retrieving a music box which was stolen from the exbition Blackheart was providing security for. Their's was a sweet romance between old friends who always felt attracted to each other. The story is bigger than Stuart's and takes place in a longer time frame so there's more development. I particularly liked the heroine who wasn't afraid of going after what she wanted. This story reads more like a romantic suspense novel with it's final chapters being very fast paced and full of action.
Grade: B