Bring On the Dusk

The sixth installment in Buchman’s Night Stalkers military romance series (after Light Up the Night) hits all the Buchman beats: superskilled heroes save the world and each other while falling in love. Capt. Claudia Jean Casperson, a helicopter pilot newly assigned to the Special Operations Aviation Regiment, extracts Col. Michael Gibson and his Delta Force team from a messy situation. The connection is instant, and romantic interest follows swiftly. Claudia and Michael must balance their newfound relationship with the rigors of military life, juggling intense feelings and the adrenaline rush of combat on a top-secret mission. Buchman writes with unusual sensitivity and delicacy for such a hard-edged genre; his characters are full of deep silences and deeper insights, and their lovemaking is profound, tantalizing, and poetic. Claudia and Michael are perhaps too perfect for each other, as the only real challenge they face (besides constant mortal danger) stems from easily overcome internal reservations. But the chemistry is genuine and the action heart-pounding, making this a satisfying offering for fans of the series and its many recurring characters. (Mar.)