Oct 242014
 

Cover for The Deepest Night by Kara Braden. The bottom half is a intensely bright beach shoreline. The top are a white blond woman and a dark-haired white man from the bust up, leaning close in an intense look as though they are about to or just have shared a scorching kiss.Publishers Weekly: Where The Longest Night stood out by demonstrating that consent is sexy, this smashing sequel shows that respectful communication is downright scorching. Opportunities abound for miscommunication and high drama between Michelle Cole, who’s planning to turn an English house into a B and B, and Ray Powell, the battle-fatigued military contractor who shows up at what used to be his grandmother’s home and is startled to meet its new owner. The tension and the stakes are artfully developed, and the characters handle their conflict head-on rather than with melodramatic assumptions. Ray can be rough and intimidating, but his manner toward Michelle is respectful and patient as affection builds between them and their relationship blossoms. Though each character is haunted by sorrows and traumas, they both grow, change, and adapt as whole people, and the story is better for not being limited to surface personality traits. This sweet contemporary will appeal to romance fans who like their heroes powerful and smitten and their heroines capable and genuine.