cover image The Longest Night

The Longest Night

Kara Braden. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4022-9185-2

In this touching and stupendously fresh debut, Braden proves that one doesn’t have to turn an entire genre on its head to get something new and exciting. For Cecily Knight, formerly a Marine captain, and Ian Fairchild, a hotshot criminal defense lawyer in need of a vacation, it’s neither love nor hate at first sight. The two begin as cordial strangers, forced by circumstances and by favors owed to share space in Knight’s remote cabin—he to avoid the temptation of relapse after an injury leaves him addicted to painkillers, she to avoid other people who might inadvertently trigger her PTSD. The two of them grow to respect, like, and then lust for one another, their relationship hindered by Ian’s overly logical approach to life and Cecily’s self-doubt and fear. Their blossoming is slow, steady, inevitable, and entrancing. Braden allows them to have their doubts and assumptions without making angst the focus of the plot, lending their story credibility and sweetness. Contemporary romance fans will savor every page. (July)