Camille Buhay and Ward Dunbar were passionate lovers who let family, class, and life get between them and parted ways a few years back. Now both of them are in London for job opportunities. Could it be fate? Camille reaches out when she sees Ward’s Instagram and before long, they have fallen into bed together, like no time has passed. Maybe it’s a sign they should give it another go?
As it turns out, both of them are applying to the same place - Lethe’s Curiosities, although they don’t realize it. Ward’s specialty is in sales and the ability to charm everyone, while bristly Camille is an antiquities expert. They both are hired on the spot, one for the day shift and one for the night shift, but they don't know it. Bear with me, here.
Camille is a bit more savvy with her demands for the job and she requests a flat to live in and regular grocery delivery to be included in her salary, which was smart as both have just accepted a job at a shop with odd demands and an otherworldly location and clientele. They start to realize things are a bit peculiar during their respective first shifts.
Ward’s boss is a frosty older Asian woman named Madame Selene and she explains that he must sell the four priceless items in the shop, a task she has failed to do during the decades she’s worked there. He eventually discovers that their selective clients are actually gods from either the Western or Eastern faction and they require quite a bit of salesmanship to get the job done. There’s Mr. King, a striking Asian man in his late 30’s; Eryna, a dangerous femme-fatale dripping with seduction; Theo, a frat bro type that immediately gloms onto Ward with his buddy-buddy attitude; and Theo’s odd girlfriend, Din, a beauty far out of Theo’s league and a woman obsessed with an expensive ruby pendant in the shop.
Meanwhile, Camille’s supervisor is a kind, old man named Mr. Samson with whom she immediately feels comfortable, despite the odd circumstances in which she finds herself. Her task is to serve the ghosts that come to the shop, accepting their offerings as new shop acquisitions, which allows them to cross over to the other side. It’s a lot to take in for both Ward and Camille. The worst part is when their shift is over and they realize they can never leave, at least not until they perform some unnamed and unknown task to settle the gods’ war. Both fear the other will think they’ve been ghosted, and their newly rekindled relationship will die once again.
Both soon learn that favors and gifts from gods come with strings attached, or at the very least, consequences, but they are both desperate for any contact with the other. Aside from Eryna, who is openly hostile and violent, it's pretty difficult to tell which side is good and which is bad. Ward has become reliant on his good pal, Theo, who has been acting as a messenger between the lovers, passing their notes to one another. Meanwhile, Mr. King has offered a gift which allows the pair to communicate without outside interference for a few minutes each day, but it's use must be limited. As they figure out what is needed of them and how they might possibly be able to escape their respective prisons, they manage to work on their old relationship issues a bit as well. But time is not their friend, as their bosses are declining by the minute, with memories fading and health failing. Can all four humans survive this deadly game of the gods?
Night for Day is a pretty quick read and an interesting tale. There's a fair bit of steamy sex in it, so if that's not your cup of tea, this might not be for you. I liked the interpretation of the gods and the fact that Lim doesn't use familiar gods. I must admit I was initially trying to figure out which Greek or Roman god each character was meant to represent, but nope, they are who they are and that's just fine. There are a few twists and turns, but they aren't tough to figure out and I was pleased with the ending. Overall, if you like your fantasy, but prefer it to have a more modern magical flair sans dragons and trolls, you'll probably really enjoy Night for Day.
