Blog Tour: The Longest Night by Kara Braden ~ Review /Guest Post / Giveaway

 I am so excited to welcome author Kara Braden to the blog today, to discuss her book, The Longest Night. I also have a review to share with you (spoiler alert: I loved it!) along with a giveaway. Thanks for stopping by!

Series: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casa

Publication Date: 7/1/14

Format: ARC

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Rating: 5 stars

GoodReads  

This could work, whispered the little voice in the back of her mind, the voice that had been silent for seven years…

SHE SOUGHT SOLACE IN SOLITUDE
Years ago, former Marine Captain Cecily Knight fled her dark past and the nightmares forever haunting her nights. Alone in the remote Canadian wilderness, she survives day to day…until Ian Fairchild comes storming into her life and shatters her protective seclusion.

UNTIL ONE TOUCH BARED HER SOUL
Aloof but intriguing, defensive but undeniable, Ian is everything Cecily shouldn’t want but can’t ignore. He watches her with shrewd blue eyes, as if determined to decipher her secrets…and for the first time in years, she finds herself coming alive beneath the hands of a man with too many scars to count.

As the hushed and harsh winter closes in around them, two lost souls find themselves on the precipice of a love that could save their lives…or destroy them forever.

My Review

Oh yeah....I just love a good cabin romance, particularly when the characters are struggling, emotionally vulnerable wrecks.

That made me sound mean, didn't it?

The Longest Night was a delicious cabin romance, full of tension and lust and emotionally-laden
moments that had me pulled in the whole way through. The story centers around Ian, a lawyer recovering from a prescription painkiller addiction, and Cecily, former soldier and by all appearances,
 a recluse. When Ian is released from his latest treatment program, he's told by his bosses to stay out
of Manhattan for at least several months. His brother Preston (who'd better be getting a book, Ms. Braden)knows of one place to send him, a remote cabin in the Canada wilderness, to stay with
Cecily.

Ian doesn't particularly want be in a remote location, but is out of options. Cecily doesn't want Ian's intrusion, but after Preston's actions seven years prior, she owes him any favor. The story begins with a lot of tension between the two, not hostile, just a bit uncomfortable due to their experiences. He doesn't want to be there, she doesn't want him there, but their both resigned to make the best of it. But as with the best cabin romances, the two quickly develop a deep level of comfort that came across as authentic. The fact Cecily's cabin is only accessible by plane or quad (I think what a lot of us know as a four-wheeler), has limited electricity and internet, and it's too effing cold to even go outside most of the time, has Ian and Cecily in constant close quarters and contribute to the quickness of comfort level and intimacy.

So you go into The Longest Night thinking Ian is the one who needs the most. He's still in a lot of pain from an injury, and he's coming off of an addiction. Surprising though, Ian is in a mostly good place with his recovery. He knows he must stay clean, and at this point, his distress stems from pain and not the addiction. The character who appears the strongest is the one who needs someone the most, Cecily. Her past is a mystery to him, but Ian is a keen observer, noticing scars and wounds that don't line up with military medical care. This obviously piques Ian's curiosity, and leads to a tiny bit of snooping, where he discovers Cecily was a POW in the Middle East. This also explains how Cecily knows Ian's brother, Preston. Which by the way, makes for a very interesting story in itself. I really need his book!

Cecily's body language exudes constant alert and tension. She keeps a weapon on her at all time, doesn't sleep well, suffers nightmares when she does, and doesn't like to feel evenly remotely confined. This is why Cecily lives a life of seclusion. Not only does she recoil from people and
unknown situations, but she is terrified she will react badly and inadvertently hurt someone. The
author did such an amazing job of digging in and properly expressing the logic and fears of someone with Cecily's condition. Here's where Ian becomes a swoon-inducing romantic lead: instead of being put off or scared by Cecily, Ian senses that he can help her in a way no one has figured out yet. As a brilliant attorney with fantastic observation skills, he has reading body language and anticipation down to a fine art. He reads and anticipates Cecily's thoughts and fears, giving him the ability to
know when and how to touch her, when to back away. He knows how to angle his body in a way that won't trigger her reflexes, how to touch her, hold her, even make love to her in ways that give her the all of the power, and builds trust.

I was thoroughly enjoying The Longest Night, but with Ian's actions, the way he treats her with delicate precision, deference and confidence in her ability to adapt and be pushed, all to prove to her just how strong she is...that is when I fell in love with the story.

So obviously, Ian and Cecily fall in love. Then the question becomes, what will they do about it? Will Cecily ever be able to follow Ian back to society? Will Ian give up his life to stay with Cecily in her remote world? How will they fit into each other's lives? I will say that the author surprised me with the answer, in that it's not ever a definitive answer and like life, I believe it will evolve over time. I do know that in my opinion, the author handles this the very best way possible.

The Longest Night is a love story full of longing and passion, brilliantly crafted characters who's growth was fulfilling and thought-provoking. This book made me a happy reader and I have already formed a line for her next book, The Deepest Night.

Favorite Quotes

  She looked down as he opened the cardboard, revealing multiple boxes of condoms shrink-wrapped 
together. "Dear God, are you preparing for the collapse of civilization or something?"

  Ian looked up at her. "Is there anything else to do in the winter here?"

  "If we actually use all of those, we'll probably be dead from exhaustion."

  "At least we won't be bored.""

  He wanted nothing more than to throw her down her back and pin her to the mattress, leaving her body open for him to take whatever he wanted, but not yet. Perhaps not ever, though he would work 
diligently to help Cecily overcome her fears. The thought of watching her struggle to endure not pain but pleasure, of Ian pushing the boundaries of her desire for before granting her any relief, was intoxicating.

Ten Things Ian Would Tell You About Cecily

1. Cecily isn’t a technophobe, but she has an irrational love for anachronisms like paper maps and her  manual typewriter.

2. Cecily follows Rule Nine: Always carry a knife.

3. After explaining Rule Nine to Cecily, she binge-watched all of NCIS in a week and a half. If I were any less secure, I’d be worried she was going to leave me for Gibbs.

4. Cecily talks to the TV, pointing out inconsistencies, especially in military shows. Since I do the same around courtroom dramas, we’ve sworn never to watch back episodes of JAG together.

5. Taking Cecily to Per Se for their tasting menu was an exercise in patience. “No, really. When is the 
actual food going to be here?”

6. After Per Se, I took her out for a burger and fries. I also signed a promise to never take her out for a tasting menu again.So much for visiting the French Laundry if we ever go to California.

7. I gave Cecily a day pass to a salon for a haircut, massage, facial, and manicure/pedicure. Six weeks later, she got a haircut at a $10 barber. I couldn’t tell the difference.

8. I lost Cecily for three hours at The Strand bookstore...

9. ...and for four hours at the American Museum of Natural History. It turns out she was in one of the dinosaur wings.

10. Cecily thinks I’m indulging her by mounting the deer antlers in a place of pride over the couch because they clash with the modern decor. She must not notice my smile every time I see them.

And One Thing Cecily Wants To Add

1. Ian’s wrong about number ten. I notice every time he smiles. (But the deer antlers do look a little 

silly with the couch.)

 

(covers lead to GoodReads pages)

Purchase Links 

Amazon  |  B&N  |  Books A Million , Hastings , IndieBound , Indigo , iTunes ,Kobo

Sourcebooks Casa is giving one winner a copy of The Longest a Night. Must be 18+ years of age; open to US/Can.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Kara Braden

Kara Braden makes her debut in modern romance with The Longest Night, a story of love in isolation. She believes that engaging, romantic fantasy can be found everywhere in the world, even in the most unlikely places. With the support of her wonderful husband, cats, and dogs, she writes from her home office outside Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends her time hiding from the sunlight and heat. (Photo credit: Stephanie Cole)

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