Thursday, November 27, 2014

[Kame's ARC Review]: "The Deepest Night" + Excerpt!

The Deepest Night by Kara Braden
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (December 2, 2014)
Series: Longest Night, 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance


After a tough mission, military contractor Ray Powell returns to recuperate at his grandmother's house on the Isle of Scilly, England—only to find it was sold and turned into a B&B.

Michelle Cole has recently arrived in England to survey a potential property, when Ray shows up at the door. Intrigued and flustered by the attractive man, Michelle agrees to let him stay. Playing house is one thing, but can they give in to the feelings that soon become all too real?




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Reviews of Braden's Previous Novels:

The Longest Night (#1) -- Kame


Kame's Review:

Michelle's life was turned upside down when she lost her business. Now she is helping out a friend and having a little vacation at the same time. Ray always goes "home" after a tough mission. This time he is in for life changing surprises he never expected.


Michelle loved her job and after losing her B&B she is trying to figure out how to move on. The reasons for her nerves about starting over are not immediately revealed and until they were I was trying to figure out what was holding her back. Ray is warm and thoughtful and very British with a splash of reserved alpha thrown in. His reasons for visiting the small island are clear, but his motivation to be at that particular inn is slowly revealed. It is a great premise to get these two people who would probably never meet together.


The plot had a short timeline as Michelle had her departure from the island already set. There wasn't any earth shattering meeting of the eyes and we fall immediately in love part in this plot. Once each character realized there was a connection and attraction they opened themselves up to what the two weeks could be. I enjoyed how each seemed to abandon their typical ideals of relationships and just let what happened happen. One of my favorite parts of the book was Ray's few conversations with his best friend and business partner.


This book is not filled with lots of action that makes you turn the page, not what you expect when one character is part of a personal security firm, and just returned from a mission that had a few snags. It is a heartwarming look at two people who discovered love when they least expected it. Michelle and Ray each knew in their heart that their connection was more than a quick romance, and they took the care that was needed to explore the possibilities.



I am intrigued about what is the next book in this series, as there is no hint of where it will go at the end of the book. The first book was about Preston’s brother, and now the second about Preston’s partner. Even with these few glimpses at Preston I have grown to like him a lot and I hope I get to read a book about him soon. I will definitely be checking in for book 3 no matter who it is about.


4 STARS! 


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Kame received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.

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The Deepest Night by Kara Braden
Excerpt

But as they approached the patio stairs, Michelle slowed her steps. She wanted to preserve the night, to capture the fragile closeness she felt with Ray, to hold it tight against whatever tomorrow might bring.

She was, in fact, tempted to invite him to her room – or to go with him to his room, given the narrow single bed in the manager’s apartment. She could almost hear Vicky’s voice urging her to seize the moment, to let her hair down. To live a little.

That wasn’t her way, but she could…adapt. With a little smile, she stopped two steps up the stairs and turned. With Ray still on the grass, they were nearly the same height. She smiled at him and slipped the flashlight into his jacket pocket, but then her courage faltered. She couldn’t just lean into his arms and steal a kiss.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said, inching forward to the very edge of the step, hoping he’d read her intent and meet her halfway.

He put one foot on the bottom step and draped the blanket over the stairway railing. “Thank you for trusting me to surprise you,” he said, lifting his now-­free hand to her face.

The touch stole her breath, sparking heat across her cold skin. She closed her eyes and tipped her head, pressing against his fingers.

And then she felt his lips on hers, deceptively soft and undemanding, though she felt the strength coiled behind that gentle touch. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale that he stole, the heat of their breath mixing, captive between them. His hand slid back through strands that had fallen free of her ponytail, cupping her nape. Shivers raced through her body, and she lifted up on her toes to lean even closer, bracing her free hand on his chest. His jacket was like ice under her palm, but the leather was soft, pliant, barely hiding the powerful chest underneath.

He chased her gasp with his tongue, a soft swipe across her bottom lip as if he were tasting her. Vertigo hit more powerfully than it had under the infinite stars. She slid her hand up over his shoulder to hold his nape, seeking his strength, his steadiness.

Keeping his fingers entwined with hers, he dropped his other hand from her hair. His arm wrapped around her body, forearm fitted against the curve of her back. She sighed into the kiss, inviting him deeper. He didn’t refuse.

Their tongues touched for a single heartbeat. Parted. Touched again. He drew back and tipped his head the other way as he pulled her close against his chest, her toes now barely touching the edge of the stair. She held tightly, trusting his strength more than her own sense of balance, and gave in to the kiss with a sense of greedy indulgence she’d never before felt.

The raw power of him was a drug to her senses. There was no hesitation in him, no wavering in his intent. Everything she offered, he claimed






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Thanks for the review, Kame! :) 

Have you read Kara Braden before? Do you have a favorite book of hers?



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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3 comments :

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Looks like a great story Kame.......thanks.

Donna Sherritt said...

Sounds hot! I can't wait to read it!

Miranda Rcr said...

Would love to in New England