It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Suzanne Brockmann’s SEAL books. I thought the Tall Dark and Dangerous series got stale with Identity Unknown and Get Lucky, both of which I struggled to finish, and I never got into her single title Troubleshooters series. Night Watch may have been the perfect way for me to get back on board. While it doesn’t come close to the best in this series, it is a solidly entertaining, light little read.

A request from a woman sends Wes Skelly to Los Angeles, where a stalker menaces her actress sister. The actress doesn’t take the threats too seriously, but Wes can’t refuse the favor, not when it comes from a woman he’s secretly loved for years. The problem is, not only is she married, she’s married to one of his fellow Navy SEALs.

When Wes arrives in L.A., it’s another woman who grabs his attention. Brittany Evans is the sister-in-law of yet another SEAL, and when her sister sets them up on a date, neither expects much, so they’re both surprised to find how well they respond to each other. The mother of an adopted college-aged son, Brittany senses there’s a more serious side to the laid-back Wes. But even as he becomes more of a presence in the lives of her and her son, she’s wary of getting involved, knowing that he loves another woman.

Night Watch isn’t one of the more action-packed books in this series. There’s no military action and the stalker element is kept a subplot, barely a presence for much of the story. It’s something of a shame, because the book’s two suspense sequences are very effective and well done. Instead, this is very much a dialogue and relationship-driven story, most of it made up of the two of them sitting or standing around and talking. If, like me, you prefer the focus on one strong romance instead of multiple less-developed ones, Night Watch should satisfy in that respect.

Brockmann exhibits her usual wit and humor-filled dialogue and Wes and Britt make an enjoyable couple. The author does a great job showing that these are two people who like each other before their relationship becomes sexual. It’s always nice, and too uncommon in series romance, to read about two people who meet and respond well to each other not out of hormones, but because they’re both cool, funny people who recognize and appreciate that in each other. This is that kind of book, and it’s easier to like them for it. Their interactions and growing feelings are the high point; the author’s specialty at providing great memorable moments, big and small, is in full effect here.

That said, Brittany and Wes are more likable as a couple – just talking and responding to each other – than they are as individuals. While Brittany is nice and certainly likable, critics who find Brockmann’s heroines underdeveloped will find more ammunition here. The author is so busy dumping the usual Sad Past on Wes in an attempt to deepen him, rehashing every detail of his life story, to bother with Brittany. Wes’ history gets tiresome, particularly since it’s easier to get a sense of who he is (and to like him more) when he’s being himself rather than listening to him prattle on about his sad past and wounded feelings. His childhood, his relationship with his father and one brother, his SEALs training, his relationship with the other woman, and his experience in the Big Brother program are all covered. What does Brittany get? She adopted a kid and her husband cheated on her after she asked him to stop smoking. That’s all, and we know all that by the end of Chapter Two. With so many passages featuring Wes talking about himself and Brittany helping him through his issues, the publisher should have kept the book’s original title, Wild, Wild Wes. At least there would have been no doubt who the book really is about (although, also in typical fashion with a roguish hero getting his own book, Wes doesn’t seem all that wild, wild).

As far as Brittany is concerned, her behavior in this book falls into two modes – jealous or nurturing. It doesn’t help that the “he’s really in love with that other woman” bit was already done nine books ago in Forever Blue, where it was easily the most aggravating part of the book. Britt isn’t alone in her lack of development; most of the story itself seems slightly undercooked, breezing by in the author’s usual fast pace, barely slowing to do much more than sketch in the side stories or supporting characters without offering much meat to them. As a result, the supporting characters aren’t fully fleshed, including Britt’s impossibly perfect adopted son Andy, although his subplot occasionally interested me more than the main storyline. And the suspense subplot often read like an afterthought. It’s curious that Brockmann decided to use the Hollywood setting and do so little with it, particularly given her interest in the entertainment industry.

Make no doubt about it, Night Watch is an enjoyable read. This is solid entertainment, but not much more – a light series, fast-reading romance lacking in the depth to make it a great read. In my opinion, engaging lead characters and lively storytelling have revived this series, but a little less of Wes’s endless backstory and a little more of everything else would have made it stronger.