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Nighthawk
A Woman with a Mission
Determined to earn her father's approval, Kari Solis set out to capture the commander of the rebel forces wreaking havoc on their world. But she didn't count on her plans being upset by a rogue smuggler--a handsome loner concealing a shadowy past and an even darker secret.
A Man with a Past
After he managed to turn the tables and take her hostage, Talon should have rid himself of Kari's dangerous company at the first opportunity. Instead, he found himself torn between a raging hunger to possess her and a driving need to escape a passion that jeopardized everything he strived for.
A Love For All Time
Confronted by a dark menace threatening all they held dear, the two reluctantly joined forces, igniting a firestorm of cosmic passion that took them to a final battle--putting the power of betrayal against the strength of their love.
Determined to earn her father's approval, Kari Solis set out to capture the commander of the rebel forces wreaking havoc on their world. But she didn't count on her plans being upset by a rogue smuggler--a handsome loner concealing a shadowy past and an even darker secret.
A Man with a Past
After he managed to turn the tables and take her hostage, Talon should have rid himself of Kari's dangerous company at the first opportunity. Instead, he found himself torn between a raging hunger to possess her and a driving need to escape a passion that jeopardized everything he strived for.
A Love For All Time
Confronted by a dark menace threatening all they held dear, the two reluctantly joined forces, igniting a firestorm of cosmic passion that took them to a final battle--putting the power of betrayal against the strength of their love.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 3, 2023
As a neutral, the hero is a loner, a man who appears to have no loyalties to either the federation or the rebellion but appearances are deceiving. The hero may not align himself with his brothers causes but he still is fiercely protective of the man so when a meeting is discovered by law, he tries to sacrifice himself to insure his brother is able to slip away. It fails and he himself is soon captured by the beautiful agent sent to track him down.
The heroine is the daughter of the federation leader and its direct competition with her evil brother for their fathers’ affections, she had to work twice as hard all her life to earn his praise. She eagerly tracks down and arrests rebels and she's very good at her job. No one and nothing have ever caused her to fail...until the hero. Sure, she captures him in the end but he is an arrogant male who grates on her nerves relentlessly. Despite the fact that he's the enemy, she still can stomach the idea of torture. So, when she discovers her brother has commandeered her prisoner, she plans to break him out of jail and bring him back to base where she can accept the acknowledgment of a job well done. Thing is, however don't go as planned. Instead, the moment she breaks him free, the hero turns around and captures her. He kidnaps her-well sort of.
He did in fact save her life as her brother means to see her destroyed for helping the enemy. And he promises to dump her off on a safe world the second he's free of the ships chasing them. The heroine is beyond furious and she tries everything she can to break free of her chains to wring the criminal’s neck. They fight like cats and dogs for the first few days. Either trusting a word the other says and every conversation packed with sarcasm and threats. They snap at each other, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. But slowly their relationship begins to change. Though she fights it like a beast, she does begin to respect the hero's bravery and genius-mostly reckless- escape plans. And the hero admires her strength and her beauty and he finds himself craving her in a way he has no business craving her.
Their hatred for one another is soon laced heavily with lust and passion and it seems that it's enviable what's to come. Soon those mean comment or dismissive refusal to show their true feels begins to hurt not anger the other party. When the heroine discovers that her brother intends to use a weapon to killed thousands of rebel soldiers, she knows she much stop him. But at the same time, she knows she can't allow the rebels to use that weapon to destroy her father either. So, in order to prevent mass murder, she betrays the hero. And that succeeds in hurting him far deeper and anything before. She knows that she very well having killed the man she loves and the idea almost kills her.
This was an action-packed adventure with plenty of humor and a healthy dose of romance. I loved the banter and the arguments the characters had because laced through them was a developing sense of friendship and later love. I loved the fact that the heroine could be a warrior woman and gave as good as she got with the hero but she was still vulnerable and honestly in over her head with the magnetic smuggler. He was a larger than life character with a kindness about him and an obvious soft spot for his enemy captive. The plot may not have been all that original but it was still a great read. I enjoyed the characters and the sense of adrenaline laced through the story. Over all it was a great Futuristic romance, not cheesy at all. ^_^
The heroine is the daughter of the federation leader and its direct competition with her evil brother for their fathers’ affections, she had to work twice as hard all her life to earn his praise. She eagerly tracks down and arrests rebels and she's very good at her job. No one and nothing have ever caused her to fail...until the hero. Sure, she captures him in the end but he is an arrogant male who grates on her nerves relentlessly. Despite the fact that he's the enemy, she still can stomach the idea of torture. So, when she discovers her brother has commandeered her prisoner, she plans to break him out of jail and bring him back to base where she can accept the acknowledgment of a job well done. Thing is, however don't go as planned. Instead, the moment she breaks him free, the hero turns around and captures her. He kidnaps her-well sort of.
He did in fact save her life as her brother means to see her destroyed for helping the enemy. And he promises to dump her off on a safe world the second he's free of the ships chasing them. The heroine is beyond furious and she tries everything she can to break free of her chains to wring the criminal’s neck. They fight like cats and dogs for the first few days. Either trusting a word the other says and every conversation packed with sarcasm and threats. They snap at each other, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. But slowly their relationship begins to change. Though she fights it like a beast, she does begin to respect the hero's bravery and genius-mostly reckless- escape plans. And the hero admires her strength and her beauty and he finds himself craving her in a way he has no business craving her.
Their hatred for one another is soon laced heavily with lust and passion and it seems that it's enviable what's to come. Soon those mean comment or dismissive refusal to show their true feels begins to hurt not anger the other party. When the heroine discovers that her brother intends to use a weapon to killed thousands of rebel soldiers, she knows she much stop him. But at the same time, she knows she can't allow the rebels to use that weapon to destroy her father either. So, in order to prevent mass murder, she betrays the hero. And that succeeds in hurting him far deeper and anything before. She knows that she very well having killed the man she loves and the idea almost kills her.
This was an action-packed adventure with plenty of humor and a healthy dose of romance. I loved the banter and the arguments the characters had because laced through them was a developing sense of friendship and later love. I loved the fact that the heroine could be a warrior woman and gave as good as she got with the hero but she was still vulnerable and honestly in over her head with the magnetic smuggler. He was a larger than life character with a kindness about him and an obvious soft spot for his enemy captive. The plot may not have been all that original but it was still a great read. I enjoyed the characters and the sense of adrenaline laced through the story. Over all it was a great Futuristic romance, not cheesy at all. ^_^
April 19, 2012
Synopsis:
Han Solo (Talon `the hero') the rogue smuggler saves the leader of the rebellion from Darth Vader (Kari `the heroine'). Kari takes Talon as a consolation prisoner. During a struggle for power with a political rival, Talon manages to take Kari hostage and flee in his ship the "Nighthawk". It's a romance book, so it's inevitable that despite the fact that they are sworn enemies, they will fall madly in love.
Together, they uncover a plot which will drastically change the balance of power in the on-going civil war, either in favor of Kari's evil half brother, the rebellion, or the current Dictator, (aka Kari's father).
Like Pip in the Flinx books by Alan Dean Foster, there are some delightful flying companion creatures that are sentient, and covered with scales. They ride around on their human's shoulders like parrots (see my icon? she's my Sylph). And a rather nice chunk of the book takes place on an ice planet (a la Hoth or Icerigger).
What I didn't like: Honestly, if you were Churchill during WWII, and someone offered you Hitler's 2nd in command who also happened to be his daughter, wouldn't you make use of her as a hostage? Yet, the rebellion leaders weren't interested in lining Kari up against the nearest wall facing a firing squad or as a bargaining chip with her father.
Also, if you knew there was a bounty on your head and also a large reward for your companion, the missing daughter of the Dictator, and let's say, she was your new lover, would you leave your private secluded ship for a noisy dangerous space station? Probably not? But then, there wouldn't be any interesting attacks and escapes right?
This book is a lot of fun if you like sci-fi romance. I like Kyle's writing style, it's seasoned and carefully thought out. I joke about the characters being caricatures, but they have depth and this work reads like a classic Foster book, but with realistic sex scenes. I'm glad someone recommended it in Listmania under `Sci-fi with Romance'.
Han Solo (Talon `the hero') the rogue smuggler saves the leader of the rebellion from Darth Vader (Kari `the heroine'). Kari takes Talon as a consolation prisoner. During a struggle for power with a political rival, Talon manages to take Kari hostage and flee in his ship the "Nighthawk". It's a romance book, so it's inevitable that despite the fact that they are sworn enemies, they will fall madly in love.
Together, they uncover a plot which will drastically change the balance of power in the on-going civil war, either in favor of Kari's evil half brother, the rebellion, or the current Dictator, (aka Kari's father).
Like Pip in the Flinx books by Alan Dean Foster, there are some delightful flying companion creatures that are sentient, and covered with scales. They ride around on their human's shoulders like parrots (see my icon? she's my Sylph). And a rather nice chunk of the book takes place on an ice planet (a la Hoth or Icerigger).
What I didn't like: Honestly, if you were Churchill during WWII, and someone offered you Hitler's 2nd in command who also happened to be his daughter, wouldn't you make use of her as a hostage? Yet, the rebellion leaders weren't interested in lining Kari up against the nearest wall facing a firing squad or as a bargaining chip with her father.
Also, if you knew there was a bounty on your head and also a large reward for your companion, the missing daughter of the Dictator, and let's say, she was your new lover, would you leave your private secluded ship for a noisy dangerous space station? Probably not? But then, there wouldn't be any interesting attacks and escapes right?
This book is a lot of fun if you like sci-fi romance. I like Kyle's writing style, it's seasoned and carefully thought out. I joke about the characters being caricatures, but they have depth and this work reads like a classic Foster book, but with realistic sex scenes. I'm glad someone recommended it in Listmania under `Sci-fi with Romance'.
November 14, 2017
I fell in love with this book the first time I read it and have since read it twice more.This is a beautiful love story filled with the pain of two people who only find happiness in each other, but have to struggle to overcome social boundaries in order to be together. Dare I mention that this novel has a fantastic ending? Don't worry. So many surprising and exciting things happen before you make it to that fantastic ending that you won't be able to put this one down.
April 28, 2020
I am completely biased when it comes to this enemies to lovers in space romp. I remember when I first read it eons ago, it blew my mind. It seemed like the perfect book and it sent me in search for others like it.
After this reread I must say: it still works for me. I am more aware of some small imperfections: there are quite a few repetitive descriptions, and I am usually not into lust at first sight. But you know what? I do not care.
I still am swept away by the action, the adventure (one life save per chapter, I‘d say), the fights, the inner turmoil, the impossible attraction, the betrayal, the friendships... The men are incredibly male, the women does not know how beautiful she is, the sex scenes are full of stars and explosions, and sadly the future does not seem very diverse.
But the world building, the relationships, the character development work really well for me, and the dark secret for once is a really good one. I felt deeply for Talon, whose reasons for being a loner and the best man in any fight are truly tragic.
This was a debut novel, and I had great hopes for this author. Sadly the only other book I read by her did not work for me as well as this one. And there seem to be no recent books by her. I would have loved to read more books in the same world, about Rand, and Kjell and Jhase.
After this reread I must say: it still works for me. I am more aware of some small imperfections: there are quite a few repetitive descriptions, and I am usually not into lust at first sight. But you know what? I do not care.
I still am swept away by the action, the adventure (one life save per chapter, I‘d say), the fights, the inner turmoil, the impossible attraction, the betrayal, the friendships... The men are incredibly male, the women does not know how beautiful she is, the sex scenes are full of stars and explosions, and sadly the future does not seem very diverse.
But the world building, the relationships, the character development work really well for me, and the dark secret for once is a really good one. I felt deeply for Talon, whose reasons for being a loner and the best man in any fight are truly tragic.
This was a debut novel, and I had great hopes for this author. Sadly the only other book I read by her did not work for me as well as this one. And there seem to be no recent books by her. I would have loved to read more books in the same world, about Rand, and Kjell and Jhase.
May 14, 2021
I wanted to like anything Kristen Kyle wrote, but this book, like the last one I tried, is just poorly written. To be fair, it was my first attempt to read a "space western" along the lines of "Star Wars", so I had trouble taking it seriously, but then again I wasn't expecting the actual western I first read of hers to be such an almost perfect novel. I didn't read far enough to know how she's treated the plot, but in the first little bit it seems cliche; and the writing, as I said, is clunky. Like a first draft by an unpublished novelist. Hit or miss with Kyle, I guess.
February 1, 2022
Very well done. Loved the characters.
July 11, 2010
Though I liked the TV show much better, this futuristic romance was similar to watching an episode of Farscape. Closer to 2.5 stars it was slow reading at the beginning. It took me awhile to warm up to the main characters.
Talon is a unique breed and his future is like no other. A smuggler, he fights both with his head and swords. He is trying to remain neutral while a war is raging between the Rebels and the Dynast. A selph (fairy-like creature), Beryl is his closest friend. Think of Tinker Bell with a purpose. The Nighthawk is both his ship and home.
Kari Solas is the daughter of the dictator who leads the Dynast. She is a soldier first while trying to earn her father's love. On the side line she has a no-good half-brother who taunts her every move. Secrets abound and even though Kari is intelligent she is also very naive. When she and Talon finally meet action and adventure escalate. Though they each lack trust, they need each other. Talon feels confident that with patience and determination he will break down her barriers. Sexual tension surfaces and narrow escapes abound; Ms. Kyle takes the reader on a journey in search of truth, healing and love.
I understand this was her debut novel. I would have enjoyed seeing the story of the Rebels progress. There were several secondary characters that earned their own book. Unfortunately it appears that she only wrote three more stories and none were related to the NIGHTHAWK.
Talon is a unique breed and his future is like no other. A smuggler, he fights both with his head and swords. He is trying to remain neutral while a war is raging between the Rebels and the Dynast. A selph (fairy-like creature), Beryl is his closest friend. Think of Tinker Bell with a purpose. The Nighthawk is both his ship and home.
Kari Solas is the daughter of the dictator who leads the Dynast. She is a soldier first while trying to earn her father's love. On the side line she has a no-good half-brother who taunts her every move. Secrets abound and even though Kari is intelligent she is also very naive. When she and Talon finally meet action and adventure escalate. Though they each lack trust, they need each other. Talon feels confident that with patience and determination he will break down her barriers. Sexual tension surfaces and narrow escapes abound; Ms. Kyle takes the reader on a journey in search of truth, healing and love.
I understand this was her debut novel. I would have enjoyed seeing the story of the Rebels progress. There were several secondary characters that earned their own book. Unfortunately it appears that she only wrote three more stories and none were related to the NIGHTHAWK.
Read
July 16, 2012I remember liking it a lot while disliking some aspects later on in the story, but it went on my keeper shelf, anyway. If I remember rightly, I marked Nighthawk as one of better (as in, unusual or not a barbarians-and-rebellious-for-the-sake-of-rebelling-minxes-in-space romance) futuristic romances. I'm still sorry that author Kristen Kyle quit writing in protest at the genre's then-restrictive conventions. And I must re-read this some day.
July 31, 2011
A bodice-ripper in space. Hmmm, I suppose. The use of swords because of the book's lame excuse was irritating though...good grief.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews