"A must read for fans of military romantic suspense."
Reviewed by Maria Munoz
Posted January 11, 2013
Romance Suspense
When I turned the last page of WAIT UNTIL DARK, I was left
with a profound sense of gratitude to the men and women of
the military. In the midst of heart stopping action and
tender romance, Mr. Buchman brings to life the risks and
sacrifices faced by those who serve and protect this
country. His particular focus is a regiment of the U.S. Army
Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) known as the
Nightstalkers. Led by Major Beale and Major Henderson (see
The Night Is Mine), they are the best and the
bravest; taking dangerous but calculated risks as they
provide vital helicopter support for general and special
forces.
Sergeant Connie Davis jumped a number of difficult hurdles
to become only the third woman assigned to SOAR and the
Flight Engineer assigned to Major Beale's Black Hawk. A
mechanical genius and an introvert, Connie has never felt
like she belonged anywhere. She sees no point in even trying
to find a place among the tight knit Nightstalkers. Connie
pretty much does her job and sticks to herself. Staff
Sergeant John Wallace, Chief Mechanic and Gunner, is
intrigued by this beautiful and quiet woman who seems to
understand his helicopter better than anyone. In the air,
they work in sync to keep the helicopter flying and get the
team safely home. They will need to depend on all their
skills to survive a dangerous black-in-black mission that
comes from an unexpected source. They bravely face the
challenges they encounter in the air, will they have the
courage to face the risks that come with being friends and
lovers?
M.L. Buchman's Nightsalkers series is a must read for fans
of military romantic suspense. With WAIT UNTIL DARK, the
third book in the series, Mr. Buchman again maintains just
the right balance between military action and budding
romance. Being an introvert, I could relate to Connie and
her social concerns and awkwardness which I thought
accurately captured aspects of how an introvert might
experience the world. Both Connie and John must find a way
to let go of past hurts to accept the love that's waiting
for them, not just with each other but with their family and
friends. I was completely captivated by the emotions and
difficult truths they had to face to find their way to each
other.
SUMMARY
Name: Big John Wallace
Rank: Staff Sergeant, Chief Mechanic and Gunner
Mission: To serve and protect his crew and country.
Name: Connie Davis
Rank: Sergeant, Flight Engineer, Mechanical Wizard
Mission: To be the best...and survive.
Two Crack Mechanics, One Impossible Mission
Being in The Night Stalkers is Connie Davis\'s way of facing
her demons head-on, but mountain-strong John Wallace is a
threat on all fronts. Their passion is explosive, but their
conflicts are insurmountable. When duty calls them to a
mission no one else could survive, they\'ll fly into the
night together—ready or not.
Excerpt
Big John Wallace pulled off his helmet and scrubbed his
fingers through his sweaty hair, reveling in the sensation.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched Sergeant Connie
Davis as they and their broken Black Hawk were lowered into
their position at the airbase. The moment they cleared
possible enemy sightlines, she began stripping the
equipment.
Not her helmet, not the hot flightsuit, not her harness.
Always first things first by the book with Sergeant Connie
Davis. Her mini–gun\'s ammunition belt slotted back
into its case, her last round hand–cleared from the
mini–gun\'s chamber, caught in the air and stowed in
the loose–round bag.
Every move in U.S. Army official order. Every bit of
maintenance done as if she were a walking, talking training
manual. An attempt to alter any of her actions were met
with page and paragraph quoted from memory. He\'d stopped
checking her on that, mostly. He hadn\'t tripped her up yet,
but he still had hopes.
He\'d flown with her on a couple of training missions,
but Kee Smith was his usual gunner. Except now she was Kee
Stevenson and off having her honeymoon. Go Archie.
Before Kee, he\'d thought no one would ever replace Crazy
Tim, but even Tim bowed to Kee\'s marksmanship. And Kee
ranked damned cute. Not his type, but real easy on the eye,
assuming you didn\'t tick her off and get a punch in one.
Sergeant Connie Davis on the other hand, while awesomely
nice to look at... He had no idea what to think of her. The
woman never laughed, never smiled. Built at the U.S. Army
factory and shipped to the front with all parts in
certified working order.
Not his type at all. Sure she looked like the sitcom
dream girl next door, the quiet, smart one. The Kate
Jackson of the original Charlie\'s Angels. Connie stood tall
enough to rest her head right on his shoulder. Her long
hair would fall in its soft waves across...
Connie stared at him square on. From three feet away
across the Black Hawk\'s cargo bay.
\"Sir?\" Her helmet was off and her cascade of brunette
hair flowed around her face almost exactly as he\'d just
imagined it, looking as if she hadn\'t spent the last six
hours flying hot and sweaty under heavy gunfire. Her
mirrored Ray Bans in place against the sharp light of a
desert dawn.
\"Sergeant, not sir.\" He responded automatically. He
wasn\'t a commissioned officer. He knew he sounded rude,
inconsiderate. Though her eyes were covered, he knew they
were a soft hazel and set wide across the bridge of her
nose. He also knew that they were the only part of her that
indicated someone was home.
Meeting Connie Davis, you wanted to dismiss her as some
cute Connie Homemaker. The girl next door brought to life
right out of the television screen.
But he\'d run into the wrong end of her very keen
mechanic\'s mind more than once. Now she sat there,
expressionless and unreadable, waiting for what he needed
of her.
Those eyes. Even through sunglasses they pinned his
brain somewhere he couldn\'t readily access. He cleared his
throat to make it work. \"Nice catch on the rotor failure.\"
Nice catch? She\'d just saved all their lives. He turned
back to clear his own weapon.
He barely heard her quiet reply of, \"Thank you,
Sergeant,\" before she exited the chopper.
He cleared the chamber round and stowed the belt. Time
to get moving. Connie would probably complete the damage
inspection by the time he\'d made sure his weapon was
cleared and locked. She\'d probably have it analyzed and
half repaired by the time he even had a chance to look it
over.
He was either going to kill the woman with his bare
hands or... He had no idea what lay on the other side of
the equation.
And he didn\'t want to know.
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