After the Night | 
| Author: Linda Howard
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $3.11
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Avg. Customer Rating:  142 reviews
Sales Rank: 21397
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0671019708
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780671019709
ASIN: 0671019708
Publication Date: November 1, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: BRAND NEW!!!, edgeware
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Amazon.com
Faith Devlin grew up knowing that Gray Rouillard thought she was trash because his rich father ran away with her pretty, sexy mother. She almost hates him for it, but she can't, because every time he looks at her she wants him more. Gray controls the tiny Louisiana town, but he finds can't control Faith -- until he gets close to her. And underneath the passion, there's a mystery to be solved. Steamy and compelling!
Product Description
FAITH DEVLIN: A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard...not to feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel.GRAY ROUILLARD: Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott -- and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To care for her was impossible, unthinkable...because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 137 more reviews...
 You'll either love it or hate it--I loved it June 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A family of unkempt alcoholics and troublemakers, the Devlins are the scourge of Prescott, Louisiana. The mother, Renee, is a bombshell who happens to be having an affair with one of the richest men in the city, Guy Rouillard. The father, Amos, is a drunk who beats his children if dinner isn't on the table when he gets home. The two oldest sons go out causing trouble every night. The youngest son has Down's syndrome and a heart ailment to boot. The oldest daughter is fast trailing in her mother's footsteps, willing to open her legs to anyone for a good time. And then there's the exception to the rule. Faith Devlin. A carbon copy of her mother with rich red hair and a body that doesn't belong on a 14-year-old girl. Faith takes on the role of mother, taking care of her younger brother, making sure dinner's on the table, and keeping their rundown home somewhat presentable. Faith has her sights set on more than what her parents have achieved. She has a crush on Guy Rouillard's son, Gray, and wants nothing more than for him to know that being a Devlin doesn't mean that she sleeps around, drinks a lot, or steals things. But when her mother runs away with Gray's father, her chance at winning him is lost. Gray's anger is all-encompassing, and in the dark of night, he kicks her family out of their home, sending them scurrying into the darkness. He has a mother and a sister to protect from his father's infidelities, and knows that the presence of the Devlins in town will only serve as a reminder. But 8 years later, Faith Devlin returns to Prescott, Louisiana. Because her mother did not run away with Guy Rouillard, and she's determined to find out what really happened...
After the Night is, in a word, fantastic. Guy Rouillard can be an insensitive hero, which is the only thing keeping me from giving this book five stars, but I can see where he's coming from. His mother is more concerned with social status and keeping up appearances than in taking care of her children. Her husband's disappearance is a slap in the face, and she becomes a recluse because of it. And Guy's sister attempted suicide when she learned that her father wasn't coming home. So I'll say that Guy has some right to anger. But Faith didn't deserve to be the brunt of that anger. Faith was a good person. This is a girl who, at 14 years old, ran her home, took care of her little brother, and made sure that things ran smoothly. She stayed up late at night to make sure that everyone got home okay. She also had to live under constant scrutiny and embarrassment because of her last name, but she still managed to make something of herself. She starts a successful business, doesn't drink, and only sleeps with her husband. Besides her appearance, this girl is in no way reminiscent of Renee Devlin.
But then, in small towns, it's appearances that matter. So, of course, she struggles through the townspeople treating her with disdain, being refused service in stores, or being watched like a hawk when she shops. And all the while she's trying to find out what happened to Gray's father so that he can sleep easy at night. She's a saint with putting up for him, and I loved her enough to forgive Gray for being so difficult. Which isn't to say that Gray was all bad. The way Howard describes him is sinful, and I can understand why Faith was infatuated with him.
After the Night is one of those books that you're going to love or hate. If you like heroes who will do anything to protect their families, whose pride is of utmost importance, and who are ruthless in their efforts to get what they want, Gray will appeal to you. And if you like heroines who know how to take charge, fight back, and stand up for themselves, Faith is everything you need. This book isn't a traditional romance, but it is a great one, and I'll probably reread it again.
 After the Night by Linda Howard May 2, 2008
One of the most beautiful romances and most poignant. I read it twice. Such a keeper. Together with Howard's All the Queen's Men. Wonderful.
 Just lust, not love here April 30, 2008
I was very disappointed by this book. After seeing over a hundred positive reviews I expected a masterpiece, and the two Howards I've read before (Son of the Morning & White Lies) had prepared me for such. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book at all. I admit that I read it for the romance and not the mystery plot, but in the end it was just the mystery that had me turning the pages. I will agree with the few others, that the way Gray treats Faith is despicable. Also, there is not a mention of why or how he fell in love with her; he just sees her and the hot blood that existed even between their parents starts to boil. He lusts Faith, loved and idolised his father and is protective of his family; that's more or less all we learn about him. Faith is more thoroughly prortraited but the fact that she wants Gray like crazy and it's mostly attributed to genes (her mother feeling the same attraction for Gray's father in the past) is not something I can stomach.
I would probably categorize this book as erotica rather than romance, because of the epidermic description of the heroes feelings and hot and mindless love scenes. Failed to touch me or move me in anyway and I couldn't wait for it to end.
Ms. Howard Strikes Gold AGAIN April 9, 2008
After 140 reviews and counting there is not much else I can say that hasn't already been said. Although the book was written over a decade ago the hero Gray is still HOT HOT HOT!!! the heroine Faith is no slouch herself. Although the tragedies that befall Faith as well as Gray shapes there lives in shades of gray, confusion, sorrow and mystery. Its a story that travels the road of human complexity of the heart and mind when faced with when the unimaginable, becomes reality. Faith was a mixture of young, old, wise and naive even at the age of 11 yrs old when the story first opens up. You see that she views the world through the eyes of a child when she describes in her minds eye the colors and smells that represent the people that make up her world. But with this mixture of child like innocence there is a wise spirit that is maturing underneath the surface, which becomes more evident when you see how she is the "stability" for her younger brother Scottie and even for her dejected, alcoholic father and brothers as well as her promiscuous mother and older sister Jodie.
I read this book in less than 24 hours I couldnt put it down I started it at about 6pm and finished at 2:30am. Regrettably I am sitting here wishing for my bed while at work, but it w as worth it. This is the second book of Linda Howards Ive read the first was Shades of Twilight I thought that her main character Webb was the sexiest character I could have imaginedK..I was wrong Grayson aka Gray well lets just say he did it for me ). I also loved the fact that Faith was a mixture of strong, dependable, but also vulnerable and forgiving and understanding in the face of people who judged her on guilt by association and the fact that she resembled her mom. The love scenes between Faith and Gray were just hands down WOW erotic as one reviewer put it, but sensual and more realistic than some hazy, keyed up cotton candy love scene. But by far my favorite few lines in the book were when Faith reveals to Gray the fact that his dad was dead and had not abandon the family but was killed, and the fact that a big manly man like Gray laid in Faiths arms and cried his heart out in mourning, disillusionment and grief.
I am an avid reader and this book is definitely a keeper and one that I will no doubt rediscover again one day. If this is the first Linda Howard book you have read and you enjoyed it as much as me and the other reviewers, I recommend Shades of Twilight also by Ms. Howard.
Happy Reading All
Why did it have to end? March 25, 2008
One of my absolute favorite books of all time-Linda Howard had me hooked from the first page. I am a HUGE Linda Howard fan, and for me, After the Night satisfies all that I'm looking for in a Book. It has a great plot, vibrant setting, and most importantly (in my opinion), fantastic characters. While I realize some readers found Gray to be a bit too much of a 'bad boy', I have to disagree; Gray was a man. He was a Man, not a gentleman, not a nice guy, not a charming boyish man, but a man-that's how I would characterize him-so, of course, he had faults and he made mistakes, but that actually gave him a dimension that a great deal of leading men lack. I enjoyed the slightly primal nature of Gray and Faiths' attraction, it added a relatable quality to their romance and a higher intensity level to the book as a whole. Bottom Line: Linda Howard offers a refreshing change to the more tepid romances out there with bold characters, a colorful setting, and a well-paced plot. My only problem with the book was that I wasn't ready for it to end.
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